Five things you can do now if you’re worried about losing your job – from an award-winning career coach

Nearly two thirds of employees said their most common feelings amidst the coronavirus pandemic are anxiety, stress or distraction, with job security being the dominant reason for the emotion, according to research from employee engagement and survey experts, Inpulse.

However, if you’re worried about losing your job or are a job seeker and planning your next career move, it wouldn’t be surprising if you’re also concerned about the current job market. Whilst you can’t control the market, you have complete control over ensuring that when the next opportunity arises, you are fully equipped to apply for it.

Now is a good time to prepare so you can position yourself in the best way.

Here are five key steps from Renovo:

Research the Job Market

Whilst we can’t predict how COVID 19 will impact the job market, conducting some simple research will identify certain industries and roles that remain buoyant and are seeking applicants. For example, high numbers of front line and key worker temporary and interim roles are currently being advertised online, directly through employers and also via recruitment agencies.

Adding ‘COVID 19’ as a key word into a job search will also quickly highlight what roles are currently available and who is recruiting. Healthcare, Food Manufacturing & Food and Drink Retailers, Logistics and Distribution are key industries that may require additional headcount in response to COVID 19 and it is worth researching whether you have the transferable skills to fit these areas.

Use job board aggregators such as indeed.co.uk to gauge where the market demand is. Start the search broad entering desired location, then start factoring more criteria such as skills and salary.

Self Evaluate

Take the time to self-evaluate and consider what your next career move might look like should you need to change job. Reflect on what skills you enjoy using, remembering to also consider all of the remote-working skills you may have built over these last few weeks. As well as the technical ability and communication skills gained through the use of remote platforms, you may have also had to improve your resilience, adaptability and multi-tasking.

Incorporate these attributes when updating your CV but also take the time to reflect on what employers are looking for.

For anyone not working currently, consider what online training is available, where are your skills gaps and what steps could you take now to bridge those gaps? LinkedIn has 16 LinkedIn Learning courses available for free, including tips on how to: stay productive, build relationships when you’re not face-to-face, use virtual meeting tools etc. So there are plenty of proactive measures you can take to boost your employability in the interim between jobs.

Update your CV

Updating your CV is also a key way to keep proactive. To begin, create a master copy with everything on. This will be your initial go-to document, so it doesn’t matter how long it is. Include everything you have ever done, incorporating all your achievements, and be sure to keep formatting easy to read using bullet points, bold text for subheadings as well as professional fonts such as ‘Arial’ or ‘Calibri’.

When you use a CV to apply for a role it needs to include relevant information the recruiter or hiring manager is looking for. Go through your master copy CV and anything you have included that isn’t as relevant you can either remove or change the order. The resulting CV should be between 2-3 A4 sides.

Then, each time you make an application, save a copy of the CV and rename the file. Later when you see similar roles, you can refer back to the tailored CV rather than the master copy.

Create an All-Star LinkedIn Profile

When your profile reaches an All–Star rating on LinkedIn, that means it is optimised for success. According to LinkedIn, profiles with an All–Star rating are 27 times more likely to be found in recruiter searches. All-Star profiles will also encourage other professionals to connect with you to expand your network. There are simple steps to follow to achieve this.

Recruiters will decide whether they want to look at your profile based on the information at the top of the page. In here, you need to include what you want people to see you as, e.g. Project and Programme Manager.

The ‘About’ section lends you an opportunity to include a summary of your experience, key specialties and what you are looking for. You need to include the key skills that are listed in job descriptions of interest to ensure you appear in more search results and have at least 15-20 skills listed. Finally, the more recommendations you have on your profile, the more credible you will appear.

Connect with a recruiter

Taking the time to find the right recruiter for you and begin establishing a relationship with them is also a strong step to identifying potential career moves.

It’s important to virtually meet the recruiter. This is an opportunity for you to be able to convince them of the value that you can add to their clients. You need to make them believe in you so that they can sell you to their client. Encouraging a video call, rather than just a phone call or a LinkedIn connection request can help to start build a rapport.

A recruiter will also have a pre-screen process they follow when meeting new candidates. Prepare to have a good discussion about your achievements, your background and your CV, which will enable them to work with you and find your next potential career move.

Vitally, you want the recruiter to recommend you to their clients, so you need to build a good working relationship with them. You must treat them professionally and come across enthusiastically in all communications. Also remember to stay in touch beyond this: connect with them on LinkedIn and ‘Like’ or comment on their social media platforms. You want to find ways that recruiters remember you for when they are making their next hire.

Emma Louise O’Brien, Head of Career Coaching of Renovo, advised:

“Preparation is the key to ensuring you are job search ready and remain in control if you feel worried about losing your job. Use your time now to build a strong CV and online brand via social media platforms. Establish relationships with recruiters and their networks.

“Volunteering is also another great way to make new contacts which could prove useful for the future and supports you in gaining more insight into different industries.

“Opportunities are attached to people so use this time effectively, ensuring that when opportunities do arise, you have the competitive edge.”