The current climate has put many of us out of work. Businesses have been forced to close and some have even had to go into administration because of the financial repercussions the pandemic has had. For those who are out of work, finding a job once the global situation improves may not necessarily be an easy task.
So, rather than trying to get a job within the industry you’ve already settled in, could you use this lockdown period to think about changing it and trying something new? Obviously, for some, that won’t be an option, especially if you’ve studied for years to land that medical or law degree, for example, but for others, it could be the catalyst they need.
To weigh in on the argument, we reached out to Joe Ryan, a partner at Sydney-based 4Twenty consultancy and expert within the Australian recruitment industry, to get his professional opinion.
Joe started by being blunt with us. “Trying to get a job right now is going to be hard. A lot of our clients, for example, have battered down the hatches just as much as we have as a business.”
“Even finding a job in tech, which I see as one of the industries that are well poised to survive the pandemic, is going to be hard.”
“Finding a job is a job in itself.”
Regardless, you’ve decided to take on the challenge, how do you go about securing something new?
Joe recommends “Starting with your LinkedIn profile, ensure that it’s up to date and it looks Schmick, then start building your network. If you want to get into software, for example, start having conversations with people who already work in it, such as hiring managers and HR staff etc.”
“We’re all at home, we all have that bit of extra time to do these things. I think it’s about being proactive at this point and not putting too much pressure on yourself.”
“That’s especially true if you keep getting knockbacks because there are so many other people in the same position right now. The majority of businesses aren’t in a position to be taking on any new staff at the moment.”
We asked Joe what he would do if he were in a position of having no job right now. His response?
“If I was an entrepreneur or could code, I would be looking at trying to build some sort of video calling software. Watching the news, some of the big names have struggled to adapt to the number of using flocking to use it.”
“They have personal use versions that you or I would use and then there are business versions that operate on a much larger scale. I imagine those companies would have had hiccups before the pandemic hit, but now there are thousands of more people using the software, new issues have arisen.”
“Those big names will definitely come out of this [pandemic] stronger, but I wouldn’t be surprised if competitors are trying to get a piece of the market.”
Ian Whitworth has had a similar train of thought to us and in his piece, he suggests how those of us who have been stuck in the same career for at least five years more than likely undervalue the skills we’ve attained. He admits that changing careers won’t happen overnight, but that this is the best time to make it happen.
“If you want it, may as well start now while all the rules are out the window.”