Being jobless during Covid-19 can drive into a stressful situation. Dealing with expenses can take your sleep. But, let me tell you, you’re not alone in this boat. Employers’ requirements are higher, and the need for tech skills has increased. Filling their needs has become a challenge, and many people have tried to adapt.
However, moving in the right direction and becoming an attractive candidate can be hard when you don’t know where to start. To help you overcome unemployment, here’s a guide that will allow you to impress employers. You’ll get equipped with the right tools to meet their expectations and thrive during these hard days.
Change Your Mindset
Before starting a new job search, you need to change your mindset. The pandemic has forced everyone to implement new strategies. If you try to convince today’s employers with traditional methods, let me tell you that you’ll possibly fail.
Embrace changes and adapt to new standards. Keeping a positive mindset will help you to find the motivation you need to stay on track. The road can be challenging, but I can assure you, you will be rewarded. Keeping a positive mindset also allows you to analyze the situation better. So, you’ll make better decisions when problems come up.
Do Some Research
Research is key to get a new position these days. Many organizations have stopped their operations, and they are not making new hirings. In that case, you should look for vacancies in the online retail sector or the healthcare industry. Because of the coronavirus lockdown, customers began to use more digital channels, and employers needed skilled workers to fill customers’ needs.
Researching will also allow you to identify what employers seek in their new hirings. Identify what skills you need to learn or update to get them convinced. Trace a new plan to approach employers, and don’t hesitate to go the extra mile if necessary.
Set New Goals
Setting goals will help you to stay motivated and improve your performance. Set short-term goals and long-term goals to move in the right direction and stay focused during the process. Companies seek candidates who are willing to achieve great things. And if you demonstrate your value, you’ll get what you need.
When setting goals, don’t forget to be realistic. When people set unmeasurable goals, they tend to give up during the process. Setting short-term goals will allow you to take small steps before achieving the big one. Also, setting deadlines will allow you to know when it’s time to celebrate.
Prioritize Your Alternatives
Make a list of your alternatives and prioritize them. It will allow you to identify which job best fit your needs and what you need to get hired. In this stage, your organizational skills will play a key role. When making a list, be sure to add each alternative you are most likely to apply. See what each job offers and how it will affect your life. Don’t invest your time trying to fit a job you’ll probably leave in a day or two.
Start a New Course to Upskill
At this point, you should know what skills you need to meet employers’ demands. Take online courses to upskill. They are a great option to learn during isolation. Many coding schools offer online programs to help aspirants remain competitive.
Enrolling in a Python bootcamp or a JavaScript bootcamp is also a good option to become an attractive worker. Many employers are looking for candidates with Python or JavaScript in their toolbox. Kenzie Academy is among the best coding bootcamps to learn full-stack web development and become a skilled coder.
Kenzie Academy also enables students to learn core computer science skills, which are crucial to get a senior role over time. The company is dedicated to its students’ success and allows them to learn from the best tutors in the field.
Being jobless and dealing with tuition expenses can be difficult. Consequently, Kenzie Academy offers many financing options to help students focus on learning. Making an income-sharing agreement is a great option to get skilled and start a new career.
Take Advantage of Digital Channels
Many employers and hiring managers use digital channels to find potential hirings. In that case, if you’re willing to get hired, you should take advantage of digital platforms. Creating a LinkedIn Profile or an Upwork profile is a great way to catch employers’ attention. Both platforms allow you to show your abilities, and employers will know if you fit the job.
To make an impressive LinkedIn profile, you first need to add a profile photo. Try to use a photo that makes you seem spontaneous. This will help you to increase employers’ trust. Avoid using photos with colorful background. It makes you seem unprofessional.
Writing an eye-catching headline is the next to follow. Most people only add their previous job title. But, if you want to catch employers’ attention, you need to go further. Apart from your job title, include some tools you use in your everyday work life. If you are a web developer, for example, you can write “Web developer | JavaScript | Ruby | React.” This will help you to get the job done.
After writing the headline, you should write a summary that provides specific details about you and your skills. Add information about what makes you feel motivated, what’s your mission in life, and what are your best skills. Add hard skills and soft skills. Both are necessary to get employers convinced.
Finally, you should ask your friend and previous co-workers to write recommendations. This step is optional. But, the more recommendations you have, the more trustworthy you will be. Employers like to see what others say about you.
Create a Portfolio
Creating a portfolio is crucial to fit employers’ needs. Today, employers prefer candidates who speak with actual results and demonstrate their skills. Using a portfolio during interviews will allow you to show employers the previous projects you have worked on. As they will see your actual abilities, getting hired won’t be a hurdle.
Conclusion
To make employers feel engaged, you’ll need to make significant efforts. Following this guide will help you not only to increase your job opportunities but to stay ready for future challenges. Because of your new skills, you’ll stand out from the competition, and employers won’t hesitate to hire you. After all, workers with in-demand programming skills have become indispensable to transform the market.
About the Author
Artur Meyster is the CTO of Career Karma (YC W19), an online marketplace that matches career switchers with coding bootcamps. He is also the host of the Breaking Into Startups podcast, which features people with non-traditional backgrounds who broke into tech.