Navigating Unemployment to Gain Employment During COVID-19

If you are reading this and you are currently looking for work in London, this will be a daunting time. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) in the UK has cushioned the immediate jobs shock that would have undoubtedly witnessed millions of jobs lost, however this government support comes to an end on October 31^st.

Between now and then there may be many salutary and some frankly worrying headlines concerning the unemployment rate, redundancies and a lack of available jobs in London and throughout the UK.

Here are 15 tips you can be following now to prepare for the upcoming months in what will be a highly competitive market:

Mindset

1. Get into the habit of ignoring the noise and the news and focus instead on what you can personally control. Stay on schedule: eat and sleep well, allocate time for exercise and relaxation (mind / body or both) and seeing friends and family.

2. Take it one day at a time. This period will be a test of your resilience. Don’t try to address everything at once. Focus instead on the day ahead of you. Make that day a good one. Plan and execute what you want to do that day – and be happy with what you executed that day, regardless of the results.

3. Expect to be rejected. Expect to not hear back. This will be normal for the remainder of 2020. If you know it will be like this, you have the chance now to work out how you will respond to this environment. Remember: it’s not you; it’s the market, and the market will improve – it always does.

4. When you are called for an interview expect the hiring process to take longer than usual. Stay positive, engaged and patient throughout, no matter how frustrated or rejected you may feel at times. Make an effort to act positively when you’re not feeling positive and it will help you regain your positivity more quickly – fake it till you make it.

5. Be ready to take temporary work, in fact, welcome it with open arms. Don’t worry about a “jumpy” CV as every employer will understand. It is better to be working and earning. It is also quite possibly your best chance of securing a permanent job. You can show them your enthusiasm and work ethic while temping – over 50% of people who secure permanent work in London this year are likely to do so via the Temp to Perm route.

Get Your House in Order

6. Ensure that your online profile is fully updated and there are no typos (check especially for grammatical errors or words which may be correctly spelt, but which are in fact the incorrect words that you intended to use).

7. Ensure that your social media presence reflects you in the best light. With employers in many cases unable to, or choosing not to, physically meet you during the interview process, your social presence will be under greater scrutiny than before. Employers will look for any and all social cues to assist them in assessing your character whilst being deprived of meeting you face to face.

8. Spring-clean and fully update your CV. Be prepared to tailor your CV to specific roles.

9. Aim to get references from previous employers: most applicants won’t have these to hand at the outset. If you do, you could have a valuable edge in getting noticed – plus a great reference often mentions personality, attitude and achievements which really bring your experience to life and demonstrate your employability.

10. Think about the sectors that are hiring. The healthcare, technology, some financial services and logistics sectors have thrived in this environment so focus your efforts on them in the coming weeks in London.

Be Proactive

11. Update your LinkedIn profile. Reach out to people and make the most of mutual connections. Become a networker. Seek out opportunity.

12. Look for professional groups to join on LinkedIn and Facebook and join in the conversation, make yourself visible. Focus on subjects which demonstrate your expertise.

13. Use job boards which are specific to your skill set, or to a particular sector.

14. Contact agencies who proliferate those job boards – if they are advertising on a particular board, and you are looking on a particular board, there is a good chance they will be interested in speaking to you. They are experts at proactive networking and they can run some of the hard yards on your behalf and represent you to their clients.

15. Upgrade your skills. Ask agencies and contacts what skills / IT packages are most in demand / hardest to find then look up online courses (many of which can be free) to start to improve your knowledge and use of these packages.

Adaptability is going to be a much sought-after skill in the London job market throughout 2020 and beyond. If you stick to the 15 top tips above then you will be showing off that skill as well as giving yourself the best chance of securing a position this year.

If you are a candidate looking for your next temporary or permanent office support role in London, contact our team so we can help you with your search support@australasian.co.uk

Take care, stay safe and stay positive and we hope to see you soon!

Australasian Recruitment Company