Traditionally upon entering an interview, we are quizzed about our previous experience and asked to explain how our CV's tell a thematic story of our chosen specificity of sector, usually large gaps in work experience ring alarm bells for potential employers, it is deemed suspicious and shows an unfocused, non-committal character.
With furlough schemes halting 70% of UK employment, individuals are forced into insecurity and held on pause for what has been 4 months so far and perhaps many more to come, leading to unproductive and unmotivated employees. Learning and development is crucial now more than ever, but for many choosing the easy route of laziness will soon become apparent.
For most working individuals, having time on your hands is a completely new concept, so using your own judgment and intuition is imperative. When large numbers of redundancies hit our economy later this year, the employment sector will change drastically, those with little experience and no employment backing will suffer immensely, and those with several years’ experience will have to take positions back at the start of the career ladder.
Using our time through quarantine wisely is going to prove vital once the market curve starts to ease and companies are looking to re-employ, knowing that we have undergone a global crisis, employers will look upon their candidates at face value, with months lost being unable to gain industry experience and knowledge, CV's will begin to look very sparse.
This has been a tumultuous past few months, however moving into a new era, employability will show little sincerity, there are endless online courses, business development options and self-improvement strategies that can be taken to ensure you stand out from the crowd and have initiative to use your free time wisely. Evidently this will be crucial to uphold when your ‘recent experience’ shows nothing more than binge watching Netflix.
Working on your lockdown strategy is very important, generating likeable content, writing useful articles or learning a new skill will show your working commitment and ethos of understanding the need for a pivot strategy. Creating a website is a great way to note all of your daily lockdown achievements, and is a white canvas where you are able to share personal experiences and build a fan base of likeminded individuals. Having your own website also builds credibility of understanding the digital sphere, obtaining knowledge of SEO, SAAS, analytics and Ad optimization, which is now customary knowledge for every digital business employee.
By showcasing your personal attributes and sharing thought provoking writing, photography or video, potential employers can see a vivid response to gaining a niche following, which is seen as industry gold in our digital age.
There are many other ways to fill the gap of the lockdown, including online courses with accredited certifications, boosting your online presence with social media or building potential business leads, now is the time to construct your personal brand, find your unique online voice and elevate your portfolio.
Here are some of my preferred online course and website builders:
Courses:
Website Builders:
Comments