COVID-19 has wreaked havoc with employment opportunities for many people. But there are some industries that are booming. So, even if you don’t have experience in a particular field (or industry), it’s possible to find new employment opportunities if you know-how.
The key is to highlight your work experience and transferrable skills. Here are 7 tips to help you get started.
- Commit To Changing What You Do
Your mindset will influence your enthusiasm, body language and outcomes. That means you need to be fully committed to changing your career path. No-one knows how long things will be like this. No-one can predict what the future holds. But what we can control is what we do next. If you need to find a different type of work and/or a different industry to work in, then you need to commit to it. You never know, you might find something you absolutely love.
- Unpack Your Work Experience And Skill Set
To change careers, you need to emphasise your transferrable skill set to future employers. To do this, you need to:
- Think about all the duties and responsibilities you’ve had for every position.
- Look at any hobbies, pastimes, volunteering roles etc. What skills or experiences did they give you?
- Analyse all the computer programs you know, online games you play and your other online pastimes for possible skillsets that might be useful to a potential employer.
Skills like presenting and public speaking, sales, training, social media activities, programming, researching, planning events – these are all examples of skills that could be valuable in another career.
- Prepare A “Master Resume”
This is a resume that takes your career history but focuses on skill sets rather than job titles. It will never be sent to potential employers. Instead, use it to help you tailor your resume for each job application.
- Think Outside The Box For Potential Employers
Now that you have a comprehensive list of all the things you can do, start thinking about particular industries or organisations that might value these skills. For example, if you are experienced in dealing with customers, call centres and other frontline customer service roles might be an option for you. At the moment, there are many government organisations and outsourced staff providers who are looking for people with these skills.
- Use The Covering Letter To “Sell” Your Skill Set
This is your chance to really highlight your most appropriate skills and experience for a particular role so don’t waste the opportunity. Tailor it for every application by explaining how you can fulfil each requirement in the job description.
- Be Humble
There are a lot of people looking for work so you may need to start in an entry-level position if you are changing industries or careers. But that’s fine. Once you have your foot in the door and started expanding your skills, you’ll have the opportunity to dazzle your new employer and possibly progress through the organisation.
- Do Your Research Before The Interview
One way to become a standout candidate is to do your research before you attend the interview. Research things like:
- The prospective business, their competitors and challenges
- The role and skills you are likely to need
- Commonly asked questions for candidates in that industry so you can prepare answers to highlight your abilities and downplay your inexperience in that industry
Starting A New Career?
Changing career direction has been a way of life for Millennials. Now COVID-19 has made it essential. We have clients who are hiring now. We also have clients who will be hiring in the near future.
Visit our website to download and complete the Job Search Support form to learn about our current and future job vacancies.