As the UK continues to adjust to the ‘new normal’ & businesses continue to open under Covid Secure guidelines; there are some concerns about a second wave of Covid19 greeting our shores.
While many European countries have opened their tourist & travel resorts, we have already seen some Air Corridors close, UK travellers advised to only travel if essential & many tourists who have taken advantage of the opening of the summer break destinations; now being told they will have to self-isolate (quarantine themselves) upon their return.
Airports in the UK are scrabbling to find solutions to keep passengers safe & encourage tourists to use their facilities. However, despite all of their efforts across the sector, job losses have become inevitable.
Closer to home, with Covid19 spikes appearing across the UK & ‘mini lockdowns’ having already been put in place in several counties; we are all reminded that although we are trying to adjust to a ‘new normal’ we are still in the midst of a pandemic, which can & will challenge us all going forward.
Sadly, having already reported that over 300,000 jobs have already been lost across Europe during the pandemic, we are now seeing a huge surge in job applications across the UK.
With one engineering company receiving over 15,000 applications for 10 vacancies; this is most definitely a sign that mass unemployment, as predicted, will become a large part of the fallout from the Covid19 pandemic.
As businesses across the UK try to find ways of bringing their work force back in to the work place, there are many companies who simply cannot due to security reasons, not having the physical space or for the fact that they have made such financial losses during the lockdown, that they cannot support all of the employees.
Therefore, if you have been furloughed for a considerable amount of time or feel uncertain you will be offered a return to work, if you know you are going to be made redundant or you are trying to seek another role now; how can you be sure you can secure another position while the employment market becomes flooded with applicants?
Look at your skills set – how can you apply yourself to different roles?
When you are applying for a new employment position in a very competitive market, one thing to consider is what other skills you have which might make you a more viable candidate?
When you are reading a job description, highlight or pick out key words or phrases which may enable you to meet the requirements of the role in a more rounded way, based on your cumulative skills sets.
Many employment positions come with a job description which breaks down the needs of the role into ‘Essential Skills’ & ‘Preferred Skills’
When applying for a new role, study the ‘essential’ & ‘preferred’ list & consider what skills you have accumulated over the years, both as an employee, a volunteer or simply at home. This will give you a greater list of attributes to add to your application.
What experience have you had in other work environments – have you ever completed unpaid work & built on your experiences?
If you are applying for a new employment role outside of your current employment sector, consider what other roles you have had in the past & how you could bring elements of these working environments to a new role.
You may find that the practical skills you have accumulated in a previous employment or even through volunteer work, could be transferable to a new role which maybe outside of your regular search parameters.
During lockdown & or while you were furloughed, did you support your community, pick up some new skills, learn a language, take some online courses, get out in the garden?
Many people during the lockdown period, took advantage of the sudden time away from work to improve themselves & or support their communities. Many UK citizens took advantage of the additional time & took up new exercise regimes like walking, cycling & fitness at home with online tutors.
Others took advantage of the additional time by learning new skills, taking online educational or skills based courses or learning new languages, while others got out in their gardens & green spaces & turned their hands to entirely new skills & past times & many many thousands took the time to support their communities.
These newly acquired skills & in some cases, qualification; could be a way to apply for a new role showing how you can adapt & diversify to any situation. Many employers need employees who are adaptable to change (our current pandemic situation has highlighted this) & have the confidence to take on new challenges.
If you are seeking a new role & need some support fathoming the best way forward, need help with reformatting your CV, how to interpret job descriptions & apply successfully or need help with your interview skills; the Virtually Smart Ltd Employment Mentoring & Coaching service can help.
Helena Parrott – VA & Director of Virtually smart Ltd can guide you through the processes to find that next employment opportunity & help develop some strategies to ensure you remain on course to secure your new role.
Next week we will look closer at the ways in which you can prepare for an interview & understand the types of questions you may be asked to secure that all important new job.
Written by Katy-Jane for & on behalf of Virtually smart Ltd.
