Job Search Tips During A Crisis
Category: Tips and Advice
Publish date: 08/04/2020
Here are a list of things you need to know that will help your job search continue to evolve during these difficult times. You may be wondering whether to pause your job search, or see it as a real opportunity to make your presence known now.
Here’s what we do know:
- Recruitment is ongoing, albeit at a slower and lower level than before.
- All interviews are being done virtually, over the phone, or via Skype. If you’re not comfortable speaking to camera, start working on that now as practice in this will reap the rewards – Click here to view our 'New Types of Interviews' article.
- Roles that require in-person interviews will be delayed in the coming weeks.
- Different industries are affected in different ways – a surge in Supply Chain roles including driving, warehousing, food outlets, medical supplies – all of these industries need support staff – check out CTP Regional Employment Bulletins and CTP Industry Sector Guides.
- It may be you take up a role that’s not your ideal – it’s always easier to look for a job once you’re in a job.
- Each week may bring with it a ‘new normal’ and as a job seeker, it's important to stay positive and get creative.
- Start looking at remote or contract positions because hiring for these types of roles is typically done virtually.
- Some companies will use a crisis as an opportunity to restructure and restructuring means layoffs. If you’re in a job right now and looking for something else, advice would be to keep that job for the time being.
- We’re probably going to see some pretty big market changes over the coming months as companies evolve or disappear due to the financial crisis running parallel to the COVID-19 one.
What can you do?
- Knowing how to manage yourself, having a structure in place, understanding who you are and your offering are all key areas you can work on. CTP MyPlan can help you do this.
- Work on researching the industry you’re looking to move into. What are the key words/phrases used within that industry – how can you bring them into your application, matching each to demonstrable experience you have? CTP RightJob will let you see which employers are currently recruiting Service leavers and Veterans.
- Don’t do the thinking for the market i.e. try not to assume that no-one is recruiting or that there’s lots of opportunities without having the evidence to support your thinking.
- Consider which sectors are in demand in the crisis and remember the diverse range of jobs they have. For example, the NHS employs engineers, as do the companies struggling to meet manufacturing demand.
- Remember the valuable experience you could get from volunteering at the moment – even if not in your own sector.
Applications
Now more than ever it’s important your CV is ATS (Applicant Tracking Software) friendly.
Most large corporations use this sifting software and it is unlikely any human will see your CV. The software may be set up to sift specific keywords that are in the job description e.g. Administration Manager and Payroll and Accounting so you need to ensure your CV contains keywords.
It has to be of a consistent font, no fancy border, no images, and no boxes anywhere and above all of that, it needs to contain the key words and key phrases that are used within the advert backed up with evidence, again with the evidence being keyword rich.
So that's what we know and what you should do when putting together your CV and applying for jobs. You can use our CV Builder to get you started and your Career Consultant will be there for you every step of the way. Good luck in your job hunt!