What You Should Do As A Jobseeker During This Pandemic

With the recent rise of coronavirus cases all over Nigeria, there are lots of information spreading fear and panic amongst Nigerians. People are talking about how the lockdown would affect the economy, businesses etc but job-seekers have no idea about how it affects them.

Thanks to one of my mentors, Lara Yeku who reached out to me about co-hosting a free webinar to enlighten young job-seekers about how it impacts them. I have gotten request for the recording of the session and I decided to share some of the things that were discussed during the webinar and I hope you become proactive during this trying time.

BAD NEWS

-Lots of people may lose their jobs or be put on an unpaid leave

-Fresh Recruitment would be put on hold and Candidates who have progressed in the interview process would experience delays

–Recruitment would be more competitive

GOOD NEWS

-Remote working would be encouraged and people would have better work life balance

-More remote opportunities would spring forth and people would make more money from home

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO AS A JOBSEEKER

Take advantage of remote job opportunities

Rather than stay at home waiting for a recruiter to give you a call when the recruiter is probably dealing how to keep the business stable at this tough time. Do yourself a big favor by registering on websites that needs remote workers like fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer etc

Work on Building New and Relevant Skills During this Period

This should give you a rethink of the kind of skills you should acquire. Digital skills are in high in demand and they are Corona Virus Proof. Some skills you should consider learning during this period include: Blogging, Graphics Design, Software Development, Social Media Management, Virtual Assistant etc

Give your CV a boost by doing online courses

Rather than staying at home doing absolutely nothing than Netflixing and Getting fat, why don’t you consider how you can use this period to do an online course that would boost your CV. Schools have closed and education is now online so it would be wonderful to be smart and invest your time and money into relevant online courses

Embrace New Career Paths

This isn’t a time to be rigid on what you think you know rather this is a time to embrace something new that would lead you towards career fulfillment. If your desired path isn’t yielding fruit, what other path can you consider? Start now!

UPSKILL

Think about it: What is that skill that is relevant in major industries at this point in time and how can you position yourself better? When you have that answer, please Upskill and Up your Game. That’s the only way you will stay ahead and relevant

Build a Digital Presence

With the cancellation of major physical networking events, now is the time to leverage technology for networking. You need to be visible to be noticed (both online and offline). Pick a niche that you’re passionate about and show it to the world. Leverage on LinkedIn and other networking sites to build relevant relationships

Don’t give UP

I know lots of doomed messages are flying everywhere and you may be tempted to slow down your job search or even put a halt to it by accepting your fate but I would like to advice you to just be more innovative about your search rather than give up entirely. It may be more difficult but some people would come out of it much better so please KEEP SEARCHING and keep the hope alive

I wish you the best in your career journey!