Ways to Boost Your Career Post COVID-19
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Where do you want to be professionally in a post COVID-19 world? According to CNBC, “Young workers, those with lower levels of formal education, Hispanic and Asian women, and minority workers more broadly, are among the demographic groups hardest hit by the tens of millions of job losses generated by the COVID pandemic.” Many of these women and others like them have lost their jobs or have had their hours and earnings significantly cut back.
What this means is that many women are going to be looking for new jobs after this is all over. Since there will be many people competing for jobs, it is important for women to do all they can to boost their career opportunities post COVID-19. Here are five things you can start doing today to better your career tomorrow.
Update Your Resume
The first thing you want to do is update your resume. Unfortunately, many of us don’t update our resumes regularly and just wait to update them until we are looking for a new job. When we do it this way, we forget about the many things we have accomplished. That’s why experts recommend regularly updating your resume. For example, the next time you complete a big project, add it to your resume instead of waiting. Plus, it is important to update your resume with your current career goals in mind. Your resume should highlight the skills and experiences that will help you land the career you want in a post-COVID world. And don’t forget to update your resume on LinkedIn!
Learn Something New
If you are hoping to move up the ladder in your current career or move into a new career, then it is wise to learn something new that applies to the job you want. Fortunately, this is easier than ever before. You can enroll in a wide variety of free or paid online courses that can teach you hard or soft skills that are beneficial to your career. Check out Udemy or LinkedIn Learning to see what is available in your field.
Find a Mentor and Return the Favor
It’s hard to ask for help. But if you have a mentor, it is much easier to get help. That’s because the whole purpose of having a mentor is having someone who can guide you towards career growth. Sometimes you learn just by watching them. If your current workplace does not offer a mentoring program, then find one on your own. Find someone who is a bit ahead of you and ask if you can take the person out to lunch to get some career advice.
Then, return the favor. Being a mentor to someone just entering the workforce will not only make you feel good, but it will also help you grow. You’ll be surprised by how much you learn about yourself and your career by sharing your experiences with someone else.
Use Social Media for Networking
Facebook was founded as a social networking site. The keyword here is networking. With so many social media sites today, we tend to forget the initial intended purpose was for networking. When it comes to boosting your career, social media is a great tool for networking. Make sure your social media is professional and then start connecting with others in your industry. If you haven’t started networking on LinkedIn, now’s the time to start!
Digitize Your Professional Materials
You seldom send out paper resumes nowadays. Instead, it is important to make sure you digitized your professional materials. Since so much job searching, recruiting, and interviewing is done online, it is wise to have a file dedicated to your professional materials. This means creating a file that contains your updated resume, cover letter, and portfolio that you can easily access and send to potential employers. Depending on your career, you may want to create a website for these types of materials that you can easily link to when applying for jobs.
