Coronavirus has shaken the world. It has left all of us thinking about our future, but especially our financial stability since the economic downturn will surely affect us all. With more than two months into the lockdown, the economy is at a standstill, and jobs are evaporating.
In the current climate, the only service providers that are still hiring are health-care providers, technological experts, and delivery services. Consequently, a lot of people are losing jobs, but hardly anyone is getting any.
In the currents ituation, it should’nt come as a surprise that a lot of us are rethinking our careers. Is this the time to make a change? - A question we ask ourselves every day. So, how to reinvent your career in a time of job uncertaiånty?
We have put together some tips to reinvent your career during the lockdown. Let's get started.
1. Adapt to the Change
Embracing change is the first step to reinventing your career as it allows you to boost your cognitive process and replenish the motivation and attention of your brain. The hallmark of a career-changing process is the emotional experience that comes with it - the duration between the past job and an uncertain future.
People switching careers often oscillate between the stage of holding on and letting go. The current pandemic is more likely to prolong this waiting or in-between period for a lot of us. Although frustrating at times, a study says downtime is crucial to construct a sense of ourselves and what we want.
Therefore, take the time to understand what you want in this new normal. COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon; in fact, it may ever go away. Therefore, prepare yourself mentally that this is the new normal and then start there.
2. Shield your Current Job
Considering the current economic crisis around the world, the best strategy to survive is to hold on to your current job. Whether you are getting a deduction in pay, no increments, or unpaid leaves, accept it because securing your current job is the foremost goal of all employees.
3. Start Freelancing
Reinventing yourself is all about allowing yourself to be open to others' choices and not missing any possible opportunity coming your way. The most common path during this means doing something on the side - cultivating skills, resources, and knowledge, so once you start walking again, you have stronger legs to walk.
As they say, change is not linear, so it's ok if your transition becomes a little messy. One thing that can make your transition easier is freelancing; it is a great way to earn money during the quarantine. If you want to get started on freelancing, these two platforms are your biggest support.
· Fiverr
It's no secret that Fiverr is empowering millions of people to grow their careers, take control of their time, and live better lives. That's why, when it comes to freelancing, Fiverr should be your go-to platform. Although anyone can be a freelancer on Fiverr, it works better for some people than others.
To get your work done on Fiverr, you need gigs. If we explain it in easy terms, gigs are service offerings with no limit. However, we advise that you create a niche first before starting and offer a specialized service. To do so, you need a compelling proposal that will outline what you offer and why you are the perfect person for the job.
So, why, Fiverr? The obvious pro is that you can earn money while doing something you love. Secondly, since Fiverr has a vast industry, you will get to work on projects you have never worked before, and lastly, Fiverr will bring you business.
· Upwork
Just like Fiverr, Upwork is a huge marketplace for freelancers in fields like web development, writing, and graphic designing. It helps you find projects, communicate with your client, and get paid. Upwork makes it easy to find jobs and make money, but you have to be careful in your selection of gig as that matters.
So, how to make money on Upwork? To begin with, you need to set up a robust profile on Upwork and choose a membership plan. Then all you have to do is find employers, set your prices, and get to work.
To wrap it up, both Fiverr and Upwork earn by deducting a specific amount from the processed payments. Upwork takes 20% of the fee for projects ranging till $500, while Fiverr charges $2 for small gigs and 5% for everything above $40.
4. Become More Social
This is the time to become more social, folks! From LinkedIn to Twitter, you can try out every social media network to see what works for you. Twitter is a great source to find people who work in the field you are interested in. Here, you can search out industry-specific people and follow them to see what they are up to.
Similarly, job-hunters can check out the company they want to work for and connect with their managers.
5. Search for Internal Opportunities
If there is not much for you to do at work, ask for additional work in the form of job rotation, job loading, etc. As companies are facing a grim situation, they are observing their employees more closely. Underperforming employees are more likely to be let go whereas, high performing employees may get more opportunities. Moreover, looking for new opportunities in your job at this point is also a great idea, whether it is new business development, research or data mining, etc.
6. Be More Productive
As mentioned, employers are carefully observing their employees during the pandemic to see how motivated and productive they are at work. Moreover, making your employers feel secure about your responsibilities is also crucial. Make sure your employer knows you are only out of sight, not out of mind.
7. Create a Great CV
The first impression is the last, so unless your CV is attractive and reflects you, you are doing it wrong. Take this opportunity to review your social media presence and win over employers with your resume. Not just that, nowadays, there's a trendy way of showing your CV in the form of a visual, not a list.
8. Add Value to your Resume
The virus has posed several threats undoubtedly, but it is also an opportunity for people to learn new skills and upgrade their resume during the transition. In the current situation, it makes more sense to try and build a diverse portfolio.
· Certifications
Taking on different certifications and accreditations is a good way to add value to your resume. There are several online courses of management, digital marketing, and project management, among others, that could be beneficial.
· New Tools & Technology
Technology is the future, so learning new technologies and tools will go a long way in this journey. Learn new technologies such as 3D printing, Augmented Reality, Virtual reality of taking your resume from a zero to a hundred.
9. Mentoring Opportunities
The best part about mentoring and incubation is that it is now available virtually. Startups and Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are suffering the most because of Coronavirus, and they are struggling every day to keep their operations going smoothly.
Therefore, it makes sense that they need a specialized mentor or consultant who can guide them on how to rise above this and how together we can beat the lockdown.
10. Acquire High-demand Skills
Investing in new skills while improving your productivity goes a long way in the job market. But especially when it comes to COVID-19, it has truly transformed how companies work. This is a great opportunity to take on new challenges that lead to your future employability, such as Leadership Skills, Emotional Intelligence, Data Mining, Digital Marketing, etc.
11. Reconnect with your Network
Everything is on halt under the lockdown, but networking does not have to be. You might be thinking it's impossible to network face-to-face during this lockdown, but the answer is online. Gone are the days when you could only attend meetings and conferences with a cup of coffee. Now, it's all online!
Since everyone is in isolation, everyone has time to reconnect with their old connections. Get in touch with your old colleagues, workplaces, etc. to find out what skills are on demand, and if there are any new job openings.
· Job Sites
Job Sites are great sources for connecting you with the right job and the right employer. They are a great platform to see which skill is mostly on demand and what the employers are looking for.
· Job Groups on Social Media Platforms
Just like websites, Job groups are a great way to see how you want to see yourself in a couple of years. The best part of job groups is the healthy and engaging conversation between employers and job seekers that tell you some tricks and tips be on the top of your game.
LinkedIn is a top professional site reaching more than 200 countries around the world. As per different surveys, about 87% of job recruiters use LinkedIn as a part of their candidate search. So, time to grow your LinkedIn network!
Final Thoughts
To wrap it up, they say change is the only constant in life, so it is important that we all embrace the change and rethink because that's the only way forward. We hope by the time COVID-19 subsides, all of us would have reinvented ourselves to survive this tough time.
Author Bio:
Arslan Hassan is an electrical engineer with a passion for writing, designing, and anything tech-related. His educational background in the technical field has given him the edge to write on many topics. He occasionally writes blog articles for Dynamologic Solutions, A software house in Pakistan.
COMMENTS