I was on the Radio this afternoon. Talking with Phil Kennedy, of Radio Berkshire.

In the news today were details on job losses at 2 large employers.

It’s tough to lose your job at any time. In a time like this, and in recessions in the past, when there are few jobs and a lot of competition it is important to do as much as you can to ‘sell yourself’.

Heres a link to the radio show.

Let me talk through the process that will help.

First find out what support you can get from your employer

Will they be providing any outplacement? Nowadays this is likely to be online courses, and some limited one to one work; occasionally you may get a budget to work with someone like me. Always ask, you never know.

Review your CV and LinkedIn profile

Bring them up to date and make sure they are focused on what you want. This is a good article on how to review your CV. It’s probably not to just add your current job but to see how it all fits together, you may need to remove some of the detail of earlier jobs if your CV already fills 2 pages.

Check what jobs are available.

If your industry is laying off large numbers of people, across different companies (such as airline) you are unlikely to get a similar job, so what type of jobs are available? These may not be the jobs you want to do, so see it as an interim measure.

You can also be proactive and think about what type of people organisations may want – possibly analytical skills or strong people skills.

Can you assess the market?

If you are in sales, what sorts of products are in demand. What businesses are adapting or opening?

Why you

What makes you stand out – what aspects of your personality make you, you? Some personality characteristics are more in demand than others, but it does depend on the job. How you are dealing with the pandemic can help demonstrate both optimism and resilience alongside enthusiasm.

Look again at your CV

You may need to adapt your CV to match closer to the requirements. Also consider if you need a combination/skills based CV instead of the standard chronological CV.

Who do you know?

Many people get jobs through the people they know so let people know what you are looking for.

The job losses may be announced but not for yet

It could be that the company is seeking volunteers. Without enough you could lose your job so going through all these steps will get you prepared.

Alongside all this you are likely to feel all sorts of emotions – anger, frustration, worry … and this is normal, so don’t push yourself too hard too fast, and focus on activity that will help in your job search.

And good luck

Denise x

I’ve written several books related to job search including

You’re Hired! Find Work at 50+

A Practical Guide to Getting the Job you Want: Find Your Dream Job

Published On: June 11th, 2020 / Categories: Job Search /

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