With many professionals experiencing significant disruption at work, there has never been a better time to consider your career opportunities during COVID-19. The market will pick up, and when it does you want to make sure you are primed to secure the best roles.

1. Call your recruiter

Now’s the time to be registering with your recruiter and making sure you are keeping them up to date with your availability. The best jobs don’t get advertised by recruiters because they are filled with readily available candidates. This is especially the case now with so many available candidates on the market. Know what you want and be proactive. Keep in regular contact with your recruiter or get them to source your dream role. You want to be at the front of their mind when jobs start flowing through.

2. Update your CV

It takes an employer just 15 seconds to read your CV and determine your suitability for a role.

COVID-19 has changed the world in which we live. And so our CV needs to change with it. Employers have less time and attention span and need to understand what you offer them quickly and easily.

The best way you can do this is ensure your most relevant experience and qualifications are at the start. Don’t overload your CV with too much detail, employers simply won’t have the time to read it. Keep it short (max. two pages), specific and relevant to the role you are applying for. Use bold and bullet points to highlight your most relevant experience so it’s easy to refer to.  Don’t feel tempted to add your photo or a colourful design – that won’t land you the job!  

3. Do a social media audit

If you are active on Facebook or Instagram or even if you have profiles out there you haven’t touched in years, it’s time to do an audit of your social media profiles.

Be sure to check your privacy and security settings are maximised to ensure your personal accounts remain private.

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, there are still pictures and posts that are accessible. Consider your profile picture. What would a prospective employer think?  

Don’t forget it won’t just be your employer who will check out your profile. Colleagues, customers and stakeholders will too. What message does your profile photo send? You can guarantee most employers don’t want to see a moody bathroom selfie or you on a night out after a few drinks.

Check out which posts are public and what comments are visible. If you are partial to a Facebook rant or have a bit of a potty mouth, this may work against you.

4. Fix your LinkedIn profile

Now’s the time to update your LinkedIn profile. Don’t have a LinkedIn profile? There has never been a better time to get one.   

LinkedIn has over 675 million members worldwide. It enables you to manage your professional identity, build and engage with your professional network and access knowledge, insights and opportunities.  

Employers use it to check you out. Recruiters use it to approach you about new opportunities and you can use it to stay up to date with your industry. 

Many employers and recruiters use it as part of their short listing process, so create an all star profile. Add a great professional photo, list your experience, get skills endorsed by colleagues, ask for recommendations from previous employers and write a strong ‘about’ section. 

If you would like to know more about how to get Job-Fit, or discuss your next career move, call our team on 1300 267 300.