Have you been made unemployed in 2021? Are you a recent graduate trying to break into the labour market. With businesses closing due to lockdowns and economic conditions worsening 2020 was perhaps one of the worst years to find a job in recent memory. 2021 is looking better for job seekers though, with announcements of vaccines and time helping companies adapt to new conditions. So to prepare, you may want to have some job search tips for dealing with such a difficult and unique labour market.
How does the pandemic affect your job search?
The advent of the Corona pandemic have had huge effects on looking for work. Your job search is now doubly hard as you need to adapt to distance applications. Furthermore if you are trained or experienced in one of the numerous sectors affected by the pandemic and lockdowns, you may have to retrain to find work faster. This requires time and effort.
If you are a recent graduate you will also find yourself thinking if there are jobs available in such a difficult time to find work in your first job. Actually you can also look at this positively : it gives you flexibility, and expectations about your career will be lowered for the time being. You bring over your soft skills acquired from university and try to apply them to various industries that still have work available.
What jobs are available during Covid?
As with any job search where you are looking to change sector, your first step should be to see what are the most available jobs in your country, even if you are already set on a particular career change. This depends country by country. Currently in 2021 the following shortages in the EU labour market are noticeable :
- Health : Nurses and social care workers.
- IT : Web and application developers, especially when it comes to giving small enterprises an online presence. But also cybersecurity specialists, maintenance specialists and other general digital skills are highly sought after in Europe for example.
- Agriculture : Fruit and vegetable pickers are in high demand in the developed West.
Certain other jobs are seeing an increase in their demand, whilst not having shortages. Thus their salaries are higher and there are potentially openings in them. Here are just a few examples :
- Finance : particularly in risk analysis and a new emerging financial speciality of dealing with both the risk of pandemic and climate change in finance.
- Supermarket logistics and work : Supermarkets are now hiring much more as they see revenue increase and new challenges emerge in terms of providing a safe experience for vulnerable people to shop.
- Gardening : there are now plenty of people who are working from home and even more who are deciding that, because of this, they either want to improve their garden or move from their inner city to a house with a nice garden. Gardening is thus experiencing a widespread boom that may be worth investing in.
Finding training during Covid
Training is important if you are looking to change career specialisation. With the Coronavirus pandemic many academic establishments have now proceeded to offer courses online, that you can have certified (often for a fee, sometimes for free). Check out online learning platforms such as Edx, Coursera or Udemy. Look also towards your local career centre in your city or region as they will almost certainly be offering free courses for the unemployed to retrain or to perfect their skills.
Networking during Covid
Part of building a career is networking with fellow professionals with the same interests as you. Networking involves meeting fellow professionals and maintaining contact with them. Start with looking up your local university establishments and think tanks. They are likely to host online seminars and events where you can attend, or even contribute and then also participate in the Question & Answer session.
It is also important to look up your local Chamber of Commerce that list the business operating in your city. With this list of businesses and the events at the Chamber of Commerce (that may be open to the public) you will be able to have a more private sector orientated network by the end of the pandemic. You should also send emails with your CV to them declaring your interest to work.
Having a strong CV and Cover Letter
Because the competition is so fierce, you have to initially distinguish yourself almost entirely based on your CV and cover letter, as well as the accompanying e-mail. You should have a look at our guide for writing a CV and then have a look at some of our CV templates that can help make your application stand out from the crowd.
Your cover letter should be adapted to your experience and the job you are applying for. Don’t hesitate to explain your personal situation during these difficult times as a motivating factor. Make sure in your cover letter than you say you are comfortable, productive and enthusiastic working from home. You want to emphasise your self-starter skills
Prepare for a remote interview
Our final tip is that you must remember that, should you get past the CV stage, you need to prepare for a remote interview. It is important you test all your software for video calls and any other tools you need to conduct a strong interview online. Make sure your webcam is high quality, your microphone is clear, and your internet connection is adequate and working correctly. Practice already being able to share the screen to show certain skills if asked for. Make sure your chair is adequately positioned and that you are not inclined to start swinging side to side during the interview.
Remote interviews have advantages and disadvantages compared to in person. It may be harder to emotionally connect with the people over a remote call, and the process may seem a bit more formal. At the same time, you will not come across as nervous if you are prone to this. Your usually essential body language is less important than a clear voice and a confident approach.
Lastly, it goes without saying that keeping yourself well-read, informed about the latest global trends in the economy, all help towards your career path. Put away your controller or tv remote and read!