Job hunting challenges is one of the most talked-about topics now in the middle of the pandemic. This is because a lot of people lost their jobs when businesses decided to close shop. A lot of industries are struggling with their workforce staying at home. Not only that, but businesses will also now start to deal with the new normal.
Consumers now have a different pattern when it comes to purchasing even basic goods. Most have been staying at home and they already prefer online transactions. This can challenge businesses that have a brick and mortar shop to maintain. This will only make it a lot more difficult to find a job in today’s marketplace. This is because a lot of companies are trying to pivot their operations to address changes in buying patterns and behavior of consumers.
This is one of the reasons why job hunting challenges is being felt by a lot more people. Another factor is that when companies closed down, a lot of people lost their jobs. Competition for open jobs just became a lot tougher. Some might even have more experience than you in your chosen industry. It is also possible that when vacancies become available, they are looking for highly-skilled people and not entry-level employees.
These are some of the problems you could encounter when you begin to look for employment with the pandemic still on-going. But one thing you need to know is that there are work opportunities even with the health crisis. CNBC shares that new positions open up every day. The application process might not be as clear cut as it was before but you can still get a job during these tough times.
Beef up your resume
One of the job-hunting challenges you will encounter is the competition. A lot of people also got laid off because of the COVID-19 virus. You are coming in and trying to land a job together with a lot of unemployed Americans as well. This is not the same as before because, in the past, you were mostly competing with new graduate
As you compete with a lot more people, it makes sense to start making improvements in your resume. There is a good chance that the last time you have looked at your credentials was when you applied for work in the past. The longer you have been in the company, the older your credentials could be at this moment.
Start adding skills you have acquired while you were still employed. It would be a good idea to highlight these when looking for a new job. Look at your references and you might need to update that as well. Remember that this is the first piece of document potential employers will look at. If you do not make improvements on this, that interview or callback might not happen.
Reach out to your network
Job hunting challenges are a lot more prominent now with the influx of unemployed people and a small percentage of job openings. This makes it a lot more difficult to even get an interview schedule from companies who are hiring. And once you do get through to the interview, you are up against a lot of people who might have more experience than you.
One thing you can do is to tap into your professional and even social network to try and identify job openings. Forbes shares that your professional network remains to be an important aspect of the post-pandemic job market. There might even be times when they would know an opening even before it is advertised. They would know people coming and going in their own offices and can tell you about it. It is also possible that they can help you forward your credentials to the right person.
Your contact might also know of some other job openings in other companies they know about. Remember that they are not there just for job opportunities. They can also give you an idea of what types of industries are in demand at present. Your friends could also give you an idea of the type of skills hiring managers are looking for at present. All these can help you increase your chances of getting hired.
Be ready to consider other career options
When you begin to encounter job-hunting challenges, you might start to feel it is time to give up. But this is actually the perfect time to persevere. Just like most things in life, there will be a fair amount of difficulty when trying to reach a goal. There will be times when it could feel more than what you can handle. When this happens, turn it around and use that to push you even more in getting that thing you need and want.
Of course, you need to be smart with your approach as well. If you keep doing the same thing wishing for a different outcome every time, you could be wasting your time. The same goes for job hunting. If an industry is already saturated with a lot of applicants, it will be a lot more difficult to land a job. It does not mean that you should give up. But you might want to consider other industries as well.
At this time when the pandemic is still battering a lot of companies and industries in general, it might pay off to look at the ones that are resilient to crisis. There are a lot of essential industries that are still very much-needed to operate. So much so that they could be continuously hiring to augment their workforce. Look at other industries and explore work opportunities with companies in that industry.
Use changes in habit to start your own business
Job hunting challenges can be a difficult process to go through at the moment. The difficulty could lead you to revisit your dream of putting up your own business. But is that a wise decision at present? At a time when seemingly stable companies are folding up, what chances do you have of surviving and making it out there?
These are the initial thoughts running through your head when trying to start a business. But if you look at it, there are businesses who are still up and running, Some are even positioned to thrive in times like this. It pays to take a look at what they are doing and study their operations. You do not have to do the exact same thing but learn from them and apply their best practices to help you put together your own business.
You might even put up a business that complements these thriving companies. Say a delivery company would need packaging equipment to help them deal with their deliveries. A local business in your area might have a need for a delivery system for their products. You could put a business and hire people so you can offer your services to a lot of companies in your area.
Job hunting challenges affect your confidence
If you get rejected from one application to the other, it can take its toll on you emotionally and mentally. You could start to doubt yourself and question your skills in the workplace. It might lead you to start looking down on your abilities and put you in depression. Anxiety usually follows suit and you begin to dwell and stay in a dark place.
One thing you have to understand is that this health crisis will not be forever. You can use your time to improve your skills. This will also be a big boost in helping you increase your chances of being employed. Look for opportunities to be productive. This will not give you time to sulk and dwell on negative thoughts. Or even if you do, knowing your worth helps you acknowledge and navigate through the difficulties ahead.
There will be job hunting challenges you will encounter at a time when the health crisis forced a lot of companies to close. A lot of other people will be doing the same thing trying to get back a job they lost. You need to make sure that you take a smart approach as you try to find a new job.
