The coronavirus pandemic lockdown and restriction of movement has certainly had an impact on job opportunities, whether it’s due to job losses, finding a new job, or even changing the way we work.

If you’ve been furloughed or made redundant, or even needing to find a different job, it is bound to leave you apprehensive given the current and predicted unemployment figures.

Mark Hamrick, the senior economic analyst for personal finance website Bankrate.com, said, “It’s important to remember that there is hiring happening. There’s always attrition and individuals leaving for other jobs.”

Here are some tips for landing jobs during this lockdown.

Beat the system

Write a list of your recent jobs, and what you accomplished at each. These are the items that should go on your CV. To beat the automated applicant vetting systems, you should enter your work tasks – budgeting, project management, graphic design, team leadership, etc. – in bullet point form under each job.

Avoid using extraneous formatting such as text boxes, tables, footers and headers because the software can’t recognise it.

Contact recruiters

Let them help you with your resume and offer suggestions about things you might do to stand out.

Use your resources

Companies are filling positions needed to support virtual workers as part of their pandemic strategies. Many company websites might not yet reflect these changes, so try popular online job search websites, type in a company and your city, and you’ll get a better sense of what kind of hiring is going on.

Network

Connect with everyone you know in your field. Those connections build on each other. You can ask mutual acquaintances to introduce you to people who can help and once that happens, you can fix a virtual coffee date. If that goes well, ask for an introduction to a hiring manager or supervisor. You’ve got nothing to lose.

Career coaching from The Right Ethos can help set you on the right path, and help you develop your career. Come and talk to us today to find out more.