It’s always a smart idea to be updating your employability and technical skills in this ever-evolving world. The Covid-19 pandemic has brought a lot of negatives, however one positive it has provided us with is a little bit of extra time (in most cases) to use this opportunity to develop existing skills and gain new ones in order to showcase yourself as indispensable to your current employer, or perhaps employable to a potential employer. Here are some actions you can take in order to help make your career recession proof prior to or while in the depths of a major economic downturn.

Network, network, network!

Staying connected via social media has proven vital during this period. Make sure all your social media platforms are up to date. For example, LinkedIn is now viewed as almost as important to the hiring process as your CV. Recruiters use this platform to search for potential candidates, whilst potential employer’s will often skim your online profile, placing particular importance on your connections and endorsements of your skills. It demonstrates a much higher level of trust in your ability when people have written and recommended your skills and previous experience. Network! Use this time to connect with current and previous colleagues, clients and people you know from school. You never know where a vital connection could be and where it could lead you!

Learn new skills

Develop your skill set or learn some new skills. The virtual world has been essential during this period, so technical skills in this area are important to learn. Zoom and Skype have been used predominantly in a lot of the businesses we have been working with. Get up to speed with these tools over this time. Your employer will notice your enthusiasm and it’s always great to be able to add them to your CV. Focus on your transferable skills. These are important if you are thinking about changing career due to an economic downturn. These are skills that are useful in most industries and will help you easily transition into a new job.

Work on how you can add value to a company

What makes you unique? Work on that unique skill that makes you an asset to the company. Tap into your creativity, demonstrate a growth mindset and be positive and engaged. Having these positive attitudes are a sure way to be noticed by your employer or a potential employer. This will help make you an indispensable asset.

Update your CV

Be prepared to hit the ground running, have your CV updated with all your skills and experience to date. This is a great time to revaluate your layout and structure. Did you know, on average, recruiters spend just 75 seconds reading your CV? Be specific, be precise this will help the employer get all the relevant information quickly. Generally, a short description of who you are and what you are looking for, followed by education, experience and then skill set. Finally make sure to get someone to proofread it, to avoid spelling mistakes.

Be prepared Research and Develop

Perhaps Covid-19 has highlighted the vulnerability of your career sector in challenging economic times. Maybe it’s a good time to re-evaluate your future employment. Research into jobs that generally are the most secure during a financial crisis. Maybe a job in those sectors would suit you? Looking into this could prove useful in the long-run and help you build a targeted search into a potentially more stable career or if you are forced to make a career shift.

We will be discussing this period for decades to come. This time has been compared to defining moments in history such as 911 – we all know where we were, and we will never forget it. Needless to say, what we are going through is something none of us have experienced in our lifetime.

As owner of PKL Recruitment I have been staying in touch with CEOs and investors to understand how leadership is managing through this extraordinary time of uncertainty. Everyone; our clients included are carefully evaluating their current situations: their organisational structures, cash positions, growth plans, and hiring strategies. In turn, each of them is then assessing their positions from before COVID-19 shook everything from the world health community to the global economy in order to know how to move forward.

What does this mean for recruitment? What I have perceived so far is that competitive companies are reprioritising with the aim to come out of this situation in a strong a position as the competition for acquiring new talent moves up a notch. They understand the importance of gaining an advantage because they know that what actions they implement today will make a difference when the storm passes.

“knowledge, skills, capabilities and competencies”

As identified in Jim Collins book Good to Great – when it comes to hiring in the face of this unprecedented time companies are identifying and hiring the most crucial roles. “knowledge, skills, capabilities and competencies” are critical and will drive a company’s long-term growth and success. Boards and CEOs are quite clearly saying, “We are still hiring.”

For example, one of my clients is proceeding with a new Business Development Manager role. They are prioritising this and seeing it as an investment. They know the groundwork they do now will bring opportunities to the company in the long run.

For boutique specialist recruiters this is their moment to shine.  Agencies are being called upon to help support and address some of the major challenges that our Healthcare, IT, HR and Logistics sectors are facing.  When other companies are questioning if it is feasible to continue onwards with so much uncertainty ahead, adept specialist recruiters are working in partnership with futuristic competitive employer companies. Specialist agencies are sourcing best talent through their extensive networks for critical roles whilst also offering innovative and alternate collaborative services for their clients. Unbundled services such as shortlisting overwhelming applicant responses saves their clients time and ensures their client’s brand retains customer loyalty and contributes to their reputation as leaders in their field.

Progressive companies are developing alternative strategies to attract, engage, and screen for prospective candidates.  Video conferencing is the primary means of communication and work from home is our new normal.  During this time of immense uncertainty organisations with, strong leadership teams that actively recruit critical roles and use savvy recruitment agencies now, will be in the best competitive position once the dust settles.