From the couple who decided to postpone their long-awaited wedding to the “backpacker” who saw his plans to travel around the world frustrated, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 meant for many people the postponement of goals, the transformation of life goals, and the disappearance of dreams and illusions.
Are you also wondering about how to dream of a future in the midst of this context of uncertainty? How to get your dream job amidst this pandemic? Let’s see some strategies you can use to reclaim your dreams and rethink them for the year ahead.
Show perseverance
The job search can take some time, especially in times of crisis like the one we are experiencing with Covid-19. Finding a job today can be compared to a real endurance race. The efforts can be long-lasting and painful, but sooner or later, they will pay off.
It is important to look at job postings every day, for several hours, and to personalize your application if necessary. Arm yourself with patience, with yourself, but also with recruiters. Processes and tools have changed; they require certain adaptability. Patience and persistence should guide you throughout your job search. Don’t give up; you will probably be refused one or more, but your efforts will pay off, and you will be rewarded for your attendance.
Update your professional showcase
To give you every chance of finding a job during the Coronavirus epidemic, it is essential to update your professional showcase, namely: your CV, your cover letter, and your various online profiles. The objective of this update is to include any new information that can help you in your job search: training, acquired soft skills, spoken language, IT skills, etc.
Tailor your CV and cover letter to each vacancy, and ask yourself if the positions you are applying for match your skills, background, and level of experience. But don’t be overly cautious either. It is always better to try your luck rather than to miss out on a call from a recruiter who would like to “test” you despite your poor compatibility with the targeted advertisement.
If you are looking in a sector affected by the economic crisis, it is preferable that you put forward your transferable skills, that is to say, those which are compatible with other professions. The recruiter will thus be able to position you on a job other than the one initially targeted if the latter is in short supply.
In times of crisis, recruiters favor profiles with experience in order to secure recruitment. When presenting your experiences, mention any complicated situations you have faced in the past and explain how you got out of them.
If you did training during the first wave of confinement (on a computer or remote communication tools, on a language), now is the time to indicate it in your CV. You can also avail of the professional resume service to make your CV more updated and systematically organized.
Make your personal and professional network work.
The professional and personal network is also a great tool for working on your visibility and making your employability known. Do not deprive yourself of it and tell those around you that you are available on the job market. Those who know you best are your best ambassadors.
Show your adaptability
Beyond pure technical skills, others may tip your application towards a favorable design. These are soft skills, i.e., behavioral skills. They guarantee the recruiter your adaptability in the company, but also the sustainability of your hiring.
Do not hesitate to illustrate your skills with concrete examples on your CV or orally during the job interview. In your professional life, have you had to deal with a complicated situation? Mention it. In your personal life, your hobby calls for all these key skills? Talk it over.
Adopt teleworking
The Coronavirus epidemic has democratized teleworking and even made it indispensable. Today it is impossible to be refractory or uncomfortable with this new way of exercising work.
You can assess yourself against the skills needed to telecommute well. These are teleworking skills that not everyone has:
• Be comfortable with IT tools: teams zoom … If this is not the case, now is the time to train.
• Being able to adapt: agile and adaptable
• Knowing how to speak through a screen: the way of communicating at a distance is different. You have to know how to get to the point and sell yourself behind a screen.
• Knowing how to work in a team, even remotely.
• Being able to manage your team remotely.
Indicate these key skills on your CV so that you could make a difference with another candidate.
Conclusion: to help you in your job search, you can establish a routine. For example, schedule time slots for finding an offer and preparing an application every day. The more regular you are, the more you will apply to the first candidates, and you will optimize your chances of getting a job.