HOW TO GET AHEAD IN THE COVID JOB MARKET

If you’ve been searching for work over the past few weeks, or even months, you’re certainly not alone. What’s important is that you present as the most upbeat, bright and bushy-tailed applicant, so as to rise up in comparison to any competition.

It’s easy to lose momentum if you’ve been on the hunt for work in the midst of this medical and financial crisis that’s currently raging all around us. But cut yourself some slack, and remember that you are by no means alone. People all over the world are facing the same challenges.

SELF-HELP TO THE RESCUE
Jack Kelly of Wecruitr.io has valuable self-help advice for the time ahead:

Take things one step at a time, and don’t worry about the job search aspects over which you have little or no control;
List all your strong points and achievements so that you’re clear what you have to offer prospective employers;
Remember that we all get passed over at an interview or for a promotion at some point or other. Don’t take it personally; rather consider that every job applied for and interview undertaken adds to your experience and makes you a more valuable candidate.
Write down a routine you can follow each day, which includes all the good things – exercise, mindfulness, enough sleep, a healthy diet, work time, chill time, and staying in touch with all the special people in your life (don’t underestimate the power of a Zoom chat or FaceTime chinwag to boost morale, establish trust and regain a sense of humanity, especially if you live alone).

Registered psychologist Charissa Bloomberg, who runs a corporate training business called Hidden Dimensions, says your most important asset in a period of job searching is your mindset and attitude. ‘We have to remain positive,’ she says, ‘because a negative mindset will spiral us into more fatigue and possibly even depression. So, it’s a choice we have to make each day when we get up: “I’m perfect for this job”; “I will deserve to be hired”; and “I will keep trying until I am gainfully employed by a company that appreciates all I have to offer.”’

TAP INTO VISUALISATION
Charissa advises that job seekers keep visualising themselves as an employee, siting at their desk (most likely at home, in these remote work-from-home times), with an inbox full of emails and plenty of enjoyable work to do. Remember, she says, that your interviewer will read any fatigue or despondency in your body language – either during a virtual or face-to-face interview – so it pays to refrain from taking any negative thoughts or emotions into the interview with you.

‘You have to act and feel excited,’ she says, ‘even if that’s not strictly how you are feeling at the time. Remember that your thoughts lead to your emotions, which in turn lead to your behaviour – so be mindful of what you are thinking, get into your tip-top mental mindset, and keep things positive as a rule of thumb.’*

IN DEMAND OR ON THE BACK BURNER?
The Career Junction Index Executive Summary (December 2020), presents an overview of the current online employment situation in South Africa, by comparing supply and demand trends. For job seekers, it’s good to know that demand has increased since around September 2020 in the business and management, sales, warehousing and logistics, manufacturing and assembly, admin, office and support, architecture and engineering niches. If you’re looking to upskill in any area, it’s worth taking note of the current most in-demand job skills which, according to BusinessTech, are:

Software development: hiring activity for software developers has increased by 10 percent since September 2020;
Managerial staff: sales and finance managers are the most sought-after of the managers out there;
Sales consultants: their demand has increased by 16 percent since September 2020.

Related article: Get the job: 6 Tips to boost your LinkedIn profile

‘It can be hard to keep positive and motivated if you have been job searching for a while,’ says relationship expert Paula Quinsee. She adds that every time we hear ‘Sorry your application was unsuccessful’ it can trigger despondency, a questioning of what is wrong with us and even the belief that we have no value to contribute. This is when you need to put support structures in place, she advises.

Stress can make you physically ill, so make time for relaxation and activities you enjoy, no matter how busily job hunting you are.

BELIEVE IN YOUR CONTRIBUTION
Make a conscious effort to:

Structure your day so that you’re not spending all your time scouring the many job sites and job ads;
Find a mentor, peer group or network you can tap into for reassurance, encouragement and potential opportunities;
Ask for feedback by reaching out to your trusted circle of previous managers and colleagues. They will be able to list your strengths, development areas and valuable traits for use in tweaking your CV, covering letters and interview questions;
Put yourself out there by attending webinars, seminars and online summits to expand your network;
Use any extra time to upskill or reinvent yourself. An increasing number of companies are taking note of short courses that reveal your proactivity, initiative and ability to learn new things;
If using a recruitment agency, check their online presence first to make sure they’re legit, and don’t trust ‘recruiters’ who approach you by phone or email out of the blue, offering ‘great opportunities’.

Related article: Smart job hunting tips

A last note from Paula is that it’s vital to remember you are infinitely more than just your job title or the money you earn. ‘Don’t let your identity rely solely on the working world as regards defining your unique worth and the immense contribution you have to make in the world,’ she says.

FACTS AND FIGURES

305 million – the number of jobs lost globally in just the second quarter of 2020, as a direct result of the pandemic, according to Guy Ryder, director general of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), in May 2020.
40% – the percentage of employed women, worldwide, who work in the most hard-hit sectors, i.e domestic work, and the health and social care sectors. Women have been disproportionately affected (at greater risk of infection, transmission of the virus and losing income), according to the ILO report, ‘Covid-19 and the world of work’.
R4-billion ($232 million) – the value of virus-related business interruption claims made due to the virus, by just over 500 small South African firms, according to Ryan Woolley, Insurance Claims Africa (ICA) CEO, in July 2020.
16% – the percentage by which gross domestic product (GDP) fell between the first and second quarters of 2020, as a result of the lockdown, according to StatsSA.
4% – the percentage by which the global economy is expected to expand in 2021, according to the World Bank – assuming an initial Covid-19 vaccine rollout becomes widespread through the year.

Related article: How UIF works and how it can help you

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