Staying Active in Your Job Search During COVID-19
You have been in job search mode, but now are isolating at home and unsure how to proceed. Sound familiar? Here are some strategies to help keep you active and productive.
While it’s true that the pandemic has left some companies with hiring freezes, staff reductions, layoffs or closures, other sectors are ramping up their recruiting in an attempt to fill vital positions. You may be surprised at how large the list of essential services is: https://bit.ly/2JqgkY7. Start by researching the sectors of interest, then types of companies on the list. Next research and target local companies within the industry.
Once you find companies of interest, be sure to research their websites and check out their social media pages. These can usually be found as icons at the bottom of a company website or on their contact page. Consider including a paragraph in your cover letter, about why you are interested in working for their company specifically, including information that will prove your research efforts, interest and enthusiasm to the employer.
Ensure that your resume, cover letter and any other marketing documents are customized and personalized to each company and/or position. These are living, breathing documents and not meant to be static, generic, or used for multiple companies. Want to exude professionalism? Brand all your documents (including your reference contact list) by using the same font style, font content/title sizes, and letterhead across all. Avoid the use of headers and footers, which are unreadable by many applicant tracking systems (ATS).
While networking by phone and email is still a top way to find employment, be sure to have job alerts created on all your preferred job boards (e.g. CareerCentre.org, WorkBC.ca, Indeed.ca, WowJobs.ca, Glassdoor.ca, Google) for the various job titles of interest. This way you are spending less job search time surfing job boards (let’s say 20%) and more time with specific, customized job search activities (80%).
When in doubt, reach out! Stay connected to your WorkBC Employment Consultant for support. Our team is working by phone, email and virtually to serve you during this time.
Stay safe and be well,
Brenda
Employer Services Coordinator
