Losing your job during the pandemic may lead you to a stressful situation. As paying the bills and dealing with all the expenses can be a struggle, you can get frustrated. You should remember that every problem has a solution and if you want to get a new job, you must take action.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, most organizations are leaning on tech talent to move forward and survive. As they can work from home, the coronavirus lockdown isn’t a barrier. For that reason, the demand for skilled candidates has increased, and the competition has become more fierce.
If you’re willing to land a new job these days, you should open your mind and plan new strategies. Today’s employers are more likely to be convinced by facts rather than impressive resumes. If you’re looking to get a new job, but don’t know where to start, here’s a guide that will help you get back on track.
Change your mindset
The first step before looking for a new job is to change your mindset. Most of the time, when people are in stressful situations, they feel everything is falling apart. If you have a negative mindset, everything will go wrong. You’ll feel depressed, and even getting up in the morning will be a challenge.
However, if you keep a positive mindset, you’ll find the motivation and inspiration to move forward. No matter how hard challenges are, they can be overcome. When people have a positive mindset, they can focus on analyzing their job alternatives. This way, finding a job that can fill their needs becomes much easier.
Research
During the coronavirus outbreak, many organizations have had to stop their operations because of the lockdown. To find a job these days, you need to research. Look for vacancies in sectors like healthcare or online retail. As they are currently active, employers are looking for new hirings.
Research also allows you to know what the new demands of employers are. As remote work has become the new standard, you probably need to learn new skills. Sometimes, updating your skills is enough to secure a new position.
For example, today’s consumers are using even more digital channels to shop. So, learning digital marketing skills or enrolling in a coding school can be a good option.
Make a list of your alternatives
To analyze your job alternatives, you can make a list. It’ll help you to set a priority level for each option. Remember that time is valuable, and you should start by applying to those that best fit your needs.
Also, by making a list, you’ll be able to set new goals. As you’ll know what each alternative requires, you can identify similarities. It’ll help you to stay motivated and move in the right direction. As you’ll focus on achieving your new goals, you won’t give up in the middle of the process.
Start a course to learn new skills
After analyzing what you need to get hired, you can start a course to learn new skills. If what you seek to improve are your painting skills, there are plenty of platforms out there that can help you. Art-Res, for example, boasts a large collection of useful resources for artists. Here you will find excellent tutorials, reblogs, and quick tips, among others.
Most companies are looking for candidates with exceptional tech skills. As tech talent is helping companies to reshape the market, it can be key to get a new position.
An excellent skill to learn nowadays is coding. There are dozens of different career paths a student equipped with coding skills can take. A tech career is also an avenue for students to gain experience in an industry that piques their interest. Hollywood is a great example. The final versions of films require hundreds of different artists and tech workers to deliver a cinematic experience like Avengers or Star Wars.
You can learn in-demand programming languages like Python, JavaScript, or SQL. They can help you to attract employers’ attention and increase your chances of getting hired. Python has been used by data scientists and other tech professionals to create insights and help organizations remain competitive.
SQL has become popular as it helps organizations and tech professionals to enhance data management. As SQL allows developers to merge data from different sources, it’s the perfect skill to deal with IoT devices. Most companies gather data from different devices and platforms to improve their products and services.
On the other hand, if you are more creative and prefer to create visually appealing designs, you can learn web design skills. Web designers are responsible not only for creating visually appealing interfaces but also mind-blowing experiences. As customers are more concerned about the user experience (UX), it can help you to get back on track.
At Thinkful, you can enroll in courses on UI/UX design and data science. The company offers several courses in software engineering, data science, and digital marketing, so you have a wide variety of classes to choose from.
Thinkful is a company dedicated to the success of its students. As their students learn from the best, after graduation, they have the right skills to land a job in companies like Amazon and Google. During Covid-19, money can be a barrier to start a course. But, you can take advantage of Thinkful’s financial options to deal with the expenses.
Build an impressive LinkedIn profile
Many hiring managers and employers use LinkedIn to find new candidates. So, if you’re looking to increase your chances of getting a new job, you should build an impressive profile. The first step is to select a profile photo that looks professional. It will help you gain employers’ trust.
The second step is to write an eye-catching headline that makes employers feel engaged. Most people use the headline field to write their job title. However, you can use it to say a bit more. Writing about what you actually do can get the job done.
The third and last step is to write a summary. For this step, you should make a list of your most relevant skills, including soft and hard skills. It’ll let employers know if you’re prepared for the job.
Build a portfolio you can use during interviews
To get back on track and overcome unemployment, you’ll need to show your actual abilities. Creating a portfolio is the best option to show employers how capable you are. Nowadays, employers prefer a good portfolio rather than a world-class resume.
You can add personal projects or team projects. As long as you can show your abilities, it’ll be quite useful. For tech professionals like web developers, having a portfolio is essential. It not only helps them to show their skills but also to have better job opportunities.
Conclusion
Generally speaking, this guide will help you to face unemployment during the pandemic. If you lost your job and you are stressed, take a breath and start over. You’ll probably need to get out of your comfort zone. But, I can assure you that, in the end, you’ll have no regrets. Learning tech skills will help you not only to get a new position but also to be ready for the future.