Jobseeking during the Covid-19 crisis

The Covid-19 crisis has transformed everyone’s lives, whether it be the way we work, the way we socialise, exercise, or navigate our career. There are some obvious immediate challenges in today’s job market and as a job seeker it is important to develop your approach to ensure you remain relevant in a changing market and also have an understanding of the value you can offer.

Sarah Rycraft, Career Coach for Renovo shares how some of her advice has changed through the last few months:

Network/Strategy

When I am supporting participants now, I really focus on what they can gain from their network. Often people still relate networking to face to face engagements, but it is a perfect time to grow and nurture your network online through LinkedIn and Coffee chats via Zoom, MS Teams or Skype. Being proactive in today’s market is crucial, so thinking about your network and planning contact and activity is key. Consider what your contact can offer in terms of advice and guidance, an introduction, or a potential opportunity. People like to help people, so if someone understands how they can help, they often will.

Remember, it is a competitive market and your network may be inundated with similar requests, so your conversations need to be focused and to the point – an elevator pitch will help you with this.

Recruiters

Building strong recruiter relationships will continue to be important in today’s market, however you may need to consider a different approach. Recruiters have been predominantly transaction led, but in order to respond to the changes in the market they need to develop more of a service and consultative approach with the organisations they recruit for.  As we move out of the pandemic, many organisations and business leaders will be reviewing the company structure. Due to these changes a consultative approach when dealing with recruiters is key. You will need to adopt a solution focused approach and consider what can you offer their clients. Where are the market requirements and where will your areas of expertise add value? It’s a perfect time to develop a niche offering and position your experiences and skills effectively.

We are also likely to see an increase in the use of Applicant Tracking Systems, so for all applications made, it is essential you tailor your CV using the right key words.

Interview

How companies have responded during the crisis is very telling of culture and leadership and if it is the right company for you. In order to fully understand this, it is important to consider key questions to ask during interview to really gauge this. Some example questions could include:

• How has your business strategy changed due to COVID and how does this role support you in achieving them?
• What are your key learnings as a business from COVID?

As a job seeker you will need to take a more proactive approach when it comes to starting your new role. Understand the onboarding process and, if you are successful in securing the role, how will it be managed.

Finally, the way we view the working week will have changed and understanding how the company continues to support agile/remote working will support you in making the right career decision.

Renovo is the UK’s leading outplacement and career transition support specialist. We work with both organisations and individuals to support all their career transition requirements. If you would like to understand how Renovo can help you please call 0800 612 2011 or email info@renovo.co.uk