You may be wondering whether you should keep sending out applications or simply assume that no one is recruiting for the foreseeable future as businesses shift to remote work to combat the coronavirus epidemic and an increasing number of employees are laid off or furloughed. Although analysts are expecting a recession, career experts advise continuing to network and seek for jobs, as long as you adjust your strategy to reflect the fact that these are unpredictable times.
COVID-19 has had a major economic effect. Many businesses have had to rethink if, when, and how they recruit after people have been laid off or furloughed. Job searchers are in a unique situation as a result of this. How to find a job during Covid? Should you start looking for work right now? What has to be done differently? Are you finding any signs to quit your job? Should you hold off on making a decision? These are all questions that many job seekers are pondering.
The recruiting procedure is now conducted entirely online. Interviews are done by phone and video in a variety of settings, including schools, hospitals, and big and small companies (Skype, Zoom, GoToMeeting, Webex).
Finding a job during Covid requires you to alter your job search process. You will succeed if you are innovative, adaptable, and patient. Keep in mind that the recruiting process is always evolving, as are the timeframes. Maintain a positive attitude and drive in your job hunt. Keep applying for employment. Your efforts will be rewarded.
While finding a job during Covid, make sure you continue working at your present workplace and not give up on that yet. These suggestions will assist you in navigating the procedure during the epidemic and the ensuing economic downturn. Below mentioned are a few tips on how to find a job during Covid:
- Evaluate the necessity of your search job search
If you can afford to put your job hunt on hold, we would suggest doing so since it may be difficult to get on a hiring manager’s radar right now. If you are only looking to upgrade your job position or increase your salary, then we would suggest putting your job search off for a while. Finding a job during Covid for people who are jobless has created a tough situation itself.
While the COVID-19 epidemic has struck several sectors hard and will continue to do so, others are actively recruiting. If you’re jobless and need a temporary job, search there or anywhere else you can find anything that fits your needs—and pays the rent and feeds your family—in the interim.
- Get used to the realities of remote interviews.
If you have this question in your mind – “How to find a job during covid?”. The first thing you need to remember is that all your interviews, onboarding, and hiring process is going to be conducted online. So if you’re finding a job during covid, it literally implies that you are finding a job online. Everything related to your job search will be virtual and online.
Many job interviews will be conducted online in the near future. The use of video in job interviews has become the standard. Are you comfortable putting up your video feed and microphone on camera? Have you tried video conferencing and online meetings? If not, it’s time to start utilising them and familiarising yourself with them so you’ll feel at ease and natural if you ever have to do a video interview. That implies you’ll need to appear professional and engaged throughout the video chat. You should also try to establish an emotional connection with the interviewer, which is more difficult to accomplish on video than in person.
Some other tips to follow:
- To establish eye contact, look straight into the camera.
- If you need to stand up, dress professionally from head to toe.
- Avoid virtual backdrops like baseball fields and use a clean, uncomplicated background.
- You should nod and smile more than you believe you should.
- Using your hands may also aid in the formation of a bond.
- Make Online Networking your priority
Another key tip to remember if you’re finding a job during covid or to answer your question of “how to find a job during covid”, is to start networking online. For the time being, events will be cancelled, therefore you’ll need to develop a new networking plan. Find like-minded experts online and inquire about virtual gatherings, according to Halpern.
On Facebook and LinkedIn, look for professional groups to join. Both platforms provide a diverse variety of choices, including groups for almost every profession. Just be sure to keep the discussion professional by sharing relevant articles and commenting on subjects where you can show your knowledge.
Practice with a buddy to prepare for a virtual informative interview or networking session. Allow your buddy to interrogate you and provide criticism on your delivery. Make sure you understand how to position the camera so that the person you’re meeting with can view your full face, not just your forehead or left eye. Invite professional acquaintances to meet for a virtual coffee after you’ve mastered the technology.
Even if companies aren’t recruiting, it’s crucial to send out feelers. Make contact with your network and let them know you’re searching for a new job. One of the greatest places to look for a new job is via your network.
- Enhance Your Skills:
Companies’ requirements for skills and traits are evolving. The necessity for individuals with technological skills has been emphasised by COVID-19. It also highlighted the significance of having individuals with grit in the workplace. People that are adaptive, flexible, and good at managing change are in great demand. On your CV and job application, emphasise these talents and skills.
Now is the best moment to concentrate on improving your credentials. Examine job descriptions by making a list of each necessary skill and experience. Then think about if you have that specific talent, whether you have it but haven’t used it in a few years, or if you don’t have it at all. Use this data to figure out what skills you need to brush up on in order to be a stronger contender when the job market starts up again.
How to find a job during covid?
For example, if you’re looking for a job as a social media or marketing expert, you’ll almost certainly need familiarity with Google Analytics and Hootsuite. Certification in one or both of these areas would make your CV stand out.
- Prep your resume for the bots.
What’s hot in the world of resumes right now? First and foremost, you must get through the bots on the first screen.
Why do we say this? Because at Oppty, we use an AI integrated system to scan your resume and match it to prospective job descriptions. For your resume to be selected for a job profile, it needs to meet all the requirements mentioned in the job profile to be accepted by the bot. It’s just as essential to know how these systems operate as it is to know what companies are searching for.
“The computers that ‘read’ resumes are looking for keywords that are related to the position that needs to be filled. So make sure to use language from the job description in your CV for the greatest possibility of going ahead and putting your resume in front of a person – without making it a carbon duplicate of the job criteria, of course.
“For instance, if you’re looking for a social media marketer position, terms and phrases in the job description like content creation, marketing strategy, Working knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript development or other programming languages can assist maintain your resume on the shortlist. Using buzzwords or jargon in your CV may lead computers to miss out on potentially important information.”
Extra tips:
Make your resume unique to the job you’re applying for.
Concentrate on the past 10 years of your profession; if necessary, use two pages.
Please, no photographs.