Corona Virus will impact your graduate job search. That’s a given. But it’s not all bad news. By being proactive and creative, you can minimise the impact on your early career plan. Find out how...
1. STAY WELL
The most obvious thing you can do is to stay well by observing the latest government guidance and practising social distancing. It might be inconvenient, but it will help you remain able to job search and help protect those involved in recruitment.
2. BE FLEXIBLE
Some firms will go bust. Some will halt or decrease their recruitment but you should feel reassured that jobs are out there. You can only apply for the jobs advertised so adjust your expectations, be realistic and accept that you might need to apply for roles you hadn’t previously considered. It won’t be forever and may yield unexpected benefits.
3. USE JOB BOARDS
Many firms are continuing to recruit. Use job boards - including Gradsouthwest.com - to look for vacancies. If you want to work in the south west, check out our guide to the top 10 graduate job boards in the region.
4. USE TECHNOLOGY
Most companies are switching to vide conferencing to conduct their business. We've noticed that many are switching to Zoom so get yourself an account and get familiar with how it works. You may well need it for remote interviews.
5. ADAPT YOUR INTERVIEW SKILLS
Interviewing online is different to face to face. Think about how you can adapt to show yourself in the best light. We have some useful guidance in our blog about remote interviews.
6. LEARN A NEW SKILL
If you’re confined to base, use your time to learn a new skill. There are loads of free courses out there at the moment from coding to language courses. Doing this will show your resilience, determination and commitment and might just give your application the edge. Start with Future Learn for access to high quality learning, with online courses, programs and degrees created by leading universities, business schools and specialist organisations.
7. THINK LONG TERM
We think Corona Virus will change the way we all work. We predict greater acceptance of remote working and this may mean you can apply for roles that were previously out of reach.
The pandemic is going to be really tough for everyone and new graduates will feel the pinch. It’s frustrating, frightening and unfair. But it will pass and if you follow our tips, you should still be in a good position to secure a great job.
Stay well and look out for each other.