The Covid-19 pandemic has been the first truly global crisis in many respects. No matter where you are in the world you may be suffering from economic hardship or a spell of unemployment due to the pandemic and lockdown associated with it. Looking for jobs is now a full time job in itself for some. Having a strong CV is the first essential step, but there are plenty of other tips and tricks that have arisen in this unique situation.
So if you want to know how to find a job during a pandemic, we’ll get you started with some of the knowledge you require. Once you’re done you will be able to pick from our templates. You will have the perfect professional portfolio to tackle this difficult period for all jobseekers.
What does Covid-19 mean for your job search
The Covid-19 pandemic will have repercussions on your job search for the following reasons :
- Employers are not sure about how the logistics of working from home or remotely affects how new arrivals can integrate successfully.
- Employers are uncertain about whether they can afford extra hires given the economic downturn that is announced. In some countries they are also tied to emergency labour laws that mean.
- The hiring process takes longer than usual due to decreased productivity, decreased opportunities and evaluation of costs associated with hiring someone.
Don’t despair though. Companies that are not hiring today will hire soon. And companies are still hiring today anyway, as they look for people with the strategic and creative problem solving skills to navigate the new way of approaching the workplace. People with digital skills are also in increased demand due to more and more companies needing a bigger digital portfolio.
With Covid-19 too, now is the time to undertake a detailed self-assessment of your skills, your achievement and where you want to go. This entails writing something similar to a traditional CV : with heavy detail as to each task, project and course you have done so that you can trim it down later.
Tips for getting hired during Covid-19
Other opportunities with Covid-19 have presented themselves. The following things you can do to increase your job prospects :
- Place more emphasis on transferable skills. Transferable skills allow you to search for a wider range of job opportunities. In the current pandemic many have found their entire industry put on hold. Some now require to completely change career path for the time being. This is why it has been essential to make sure you know what transferable skills you have.
- Look for events online : these conferences and events are exceptionally good networking opportunities. We would have recommended going to the physical ones in your geographic location before the pandemic. But with virtually all of them going online, you can now actually network more effectively by targeting the events you attend and getting questions in perhaps easier than if it were live.
- Try spontaneous applications even more than usual. Offer help to aggregate data in companies or shadow some professionals in their work.
What are the most in demand jobs during Covid?
Suffice to say that with the advent of working from home, IT professionals are still in hot demand. The digitalisation of companies trying to sell their products online rather than in stores also means web developers are increasingly in demand.
Look out for people wanting photographers as part of the digital revolution. Having creative and artistic skills can go a long way in digital marketing, and this sector is booming.
In terms of low skilled work, supermarkets are facing an increase in customers as they look towards hiring new faces. Delivery cyclists or drivers are also in high demand as the pandemic forces restaurants to take the food above and beyond to their clientele.