Top Tips For Job Hunting During The Pandemic

With the Bank of England warning that the number of people who are unemployed in the UK is set to rise dramatically in the coming months, and thousands more already looking for new jobs, it can be tough to know where to begin if you’re job hunting at the moment.

There have been many stories in recent months about the number of people applying for jobs and the fact that there are more applicants than usual for the vast majority of positions.

The Guardian reported that the Bank of England is estimating that unemployment will reach 2.5 million by the end of 2020 as the economic fallout of the pandemic and ensuing lockdown continue to be felt.

Whether you are choosing to look for a new job at the moment or you have recently lost your job and need to find new employment, you certainly need to take some time to work out how best to approach your search.

Writing for iNews recently, Alys Key shared what she learned after trawling through LinkedIn posts to get some advice about job hunting in the current climate.

One of the main messages she identified across the posts on the site was that you shouldn’t give up if the search feels like hard work.

“A common factor is treating the job hunt itself like a full-time job. Create a routine with different set times for finding jobs, applying, practising for interviews and balance this with family time and exercise to make sure you don’t burn out,” she advised.

Ms Key also recommended that rather than sending out lots of job applications, it’s far better to take a bit longer on your applications for roles that you’re well suited to and tailor your CV accordingly.

When you’re writing your CV, it’s also important to ensure you’re using the right words. She explained that technology means that you have to consider the role digital recruitment plays. This means that CVs are fed through an algorithm to find people with the most suitable skills.

Ensuring that you are describing yourself using the same keywords as recruiters could give you a better chance of your CV making it through to the next stage in the process.

There are also words you should avoid using to describe your skills on your CV, with recruiters and employers recently revealing what descriptive words they hate the most on job applications.

Wales Online shared the findings of the survey by Resume.io, with ‘best’ the most hated word among 76 per cent of those questioned. ‘Motivated’ wasn’t far behind, with 72 per cent admitting that they dislike this word being used on CVs.

Other words to avoid include ‘dedicated’, ‘proven’ and ‘hardworking’, according to the survey. Although most job applications these days are carried out digitally, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have physical CVs to hand too.

If you are going to get physical copies of your CV to help with your job hunt, use a CV service to ensure they look professional to help you make the right first impression.