You've just graduated, but feel like the year 2020 has stacked the odds against you? Don't fret, there's always a solution. We are weaved in a world that is almost entirely digital and thriving online. Here's how you can take the reigns, get creative, and claim back the limelight.
A pandemic outbreak is no doubt a challenging situation, but it might be an opportunity to help you break out of the norms. Remember, job seeking is a job on its own, you’re always required to stay one step ahead of your competitors (no pressure).
1. Set Goals for an Indefinite Time Frame
Phase one of your Pandemic Plan is realizing the possibility of a new constant. Start and plan from scratch, but this time set your goals considering the possibility of an indefinite time in quarantine ie, goals for every day and a review weekly. Working from home can significantly level up your transferable skills. Make a note of how your knowledge, expertise, and achievements help you fit in as a new recruit, especially during these circumstances. An excellent place to start is by having one main achievable goal and two related sub-goals for the day, refer back to your progress every weekend.
2. Make Use of Performance Indicators
When working from home at your own pace, it’s vital to set yourself up with measurable (possibly numeric ex: time in hours, etc.) targets, and keep track of your performance. So how does this help exactly? Well, you can:
A. Know for yourself how well you adapt to deadlines
B. Showcase and concisely describe to a recruiter the efficiency of your approach
C. Reorganize your strategy from performance feedback
A record of your performance can do you great favors in bringing about a level of self-awareness, highly sort out by recruiters. Note that it is in your best interest to apply to multiple job openings, keeping track of what works, and editing your resume as you go.
3. Acquire IT Skills
A well known and awfully redundant fact is that everything that happens today is digitized, and that is why getting your hands dirty with IT helps heaps. Opting to add on to your skills with any form of programming or computer knowledge can help you in many ways. With the current popularity in digitalizing enterprises, you're likely to find a multitude of ways to integrate acquired IT skills in your field of interest. The extra hours at home presents an opportunity to enhance your knowledge or pursue a change in career path, and IT might be where it's at. Coding languages, networking, and user interface design have shot up in demand and come in handy for job seekers.
4. Visibility through Friends and Family
Sometimes looking within your inner circle can be key to opening up opportunities. Get people talking and get to talking to people. Communicating your want is crucial. Talk about your accomplishments (technical or otherwise), and what you’re looking for. Your family, friends, teachers, and professors, etc. are likely to have your best interest in mind. If you’ve made friends internationally, keep in touch with them, and ask for suggestions. They might be able to link you to relevant information or sources. This, however, works best when you tastefully weave it into the conversation without sounding vain.
5. Intern at a Start-up or Work on a Project
Interning at start-ups is quite possibly the easiest way to explore career choices, gain experience, and sharpen skills while job seeking. Start-ups are educational, versatile, and can help you assess your ability to handle stress. At a start-up, you’re more likely to learn and understand the ways of a business and be involved in many core activities. Always do prior research to know if the start-up values resonate with your own.
If interning at a start-up is not your thing, try getting creative with a new project. Working on innovative ideas technical or not can help you stay focused. Project work (especially if in line with your field) is a constructive and highly rewarding use of your time.
6. Maintain an Active LinkedIn Page
Needless to say, keeping up to date with current and trending topics is a vital component of job seeking. Observing and making use of what’s happening around you to start a discussion can help you stay active in the job-seeking market place. Maximize the use of platforms like LinkedIn through conversing, learning, reaching out, and growing your network. Stay consistent! Publishing articles with your unique perspective or take on a current situation could help increase your profile visibility and pique the interest of a potential employer.
7. Take it One Step at a Time
As stressful as the circumstances might seem, patience and consistency will help you achieve great heights. Allot a few hours to relax and rejuvenate. Caring for your body and mind will help you stay positive and motivated. Reward yourself, stay safe, and keep moving forward.