9 months into 2021 and with my doctoral thesis submitted, time to go through my folder of useful links and get back into writing regular blog posts.
The Harvard Business Review have said that hiring during Covid is different than in previous downturns.
Instead of the usual cycle of less job openings and more applicants, and vice versa, there are some companies thriving and others unaffected or have been able to adapt.
- What we see is a drop in overall unemployment levels and a rise in job openings.
- More remote working opportunities
- More online job interviews – I know you have been using Zoom for months, but still, make sure your background is calm and you can build relationships online through looking at the other person and smiling.
Don’t rely on online applications
It’s been said that 75% of applications are never reviewed, so you need to find an inside contact and seek out recruiters that specialise in your industry.
When applying online make sure you use key words, and you can be seen when ATS tracking is used.
Salary Negotiation
Be clear on the salary range for the job and industry and do not negotiate salary in the interview, wait till you have the job offer.
Social Media
Social media is increasingly used to source candidates so make sure you have a LinkedIn profile and be cautious of what you post on other social media places – too often posts from many years ago come back to haunt people and at time lead to losing their job.
Top Skills
According to LinkedIn these are the top 5 soft skills companies needed in 2020
- Creativity
- Persuasion
- Collaboration
- Adaptability
- Emotional Intelligence
And these are the top 10 hard skills
- Block chain
- Cloud computing
- Analytical reasoning
- Artificial intelligence
- UX design
- Business analysis
- Affiliate marketing
- Sales
- Scientific computing
- Video production
Clearly computer skills are highly relevant, and this doesn’t mean the need of a degree. Many companies prefer to assess on skill not a degree so short courses including MOOCs can be valuable.
WHAT TO DO
- Be clear on your skills and what you offer
- Choose a job or sector and ensure your CV and LinkedIn profile match with this
- Identify companies that you would like to work for and see if you know anyone who works there, or someone who knows someone. Companies like to have people referred to them
- Contact your network – give them an update and see how you can help them.
- Build skills and make contacts through volunteering
- And if it all seems too much, get some coaching.
