Acceptance
Resilience comes from not just springing back up when you feel you’ve been knocked down but from your ability to understand that you are likely to be knocked down in the first place. Acceptance that the buoyant jobs market of 2019, has been replaced with a much harder jobs outlook, is your first step if you are currently job hunting.
Accept that you are likely to have to work harder, smarter and for longer to find your next job, be that your dream role working for a high-growth startup or a short term role to pay the bills for the next few months. After that, work on creating a standout CV - we’ve offered some advice on that too.
Expectations
From the tech startup sector, through to the hospitality and leisure industry, there will be very few business sectors that come out of this recession totally unscathed. After accepting this new reality, try to set yourself some realistic expectations on how much longer you might have to job hunt and how much harder you might have to work, to find your perfect next job.
Jia Jiang and embracing rejection
There’s a powerful video that we send to candidates whom we work with at TableCrowd Talent, and we would encourage anyone to watch it. Jia Jiang tells the story of seeking and embracing rejection for 100 days.
During this period of job uncertainty there will be plenty of disappointment and rejection going around, and so to learn how to deal with rejection, in fact, embrace and even challenge that rejection is one of the best skills that you can learn.
You might have heard of ‘throwing the monkey off your shoulder’, and in terms of job hunting, rejection and disappointment, accepting that it is the job market that is rubbish, not YOU personally is a really powerful mindset to have and one that most of us can do more to embrace. Make sure to watch the Jia Jiang video.
Be realistic and targeted
Whether you are a recent graduate or C-level executive, during a recession the likelihood is that your career expectations may change. We have already highlighted the reasons why taking short term work during COVID-19 is a good thing and if you are happy to take a short-term front line, temporary or seasonal role, then your options might widen.
However, if you start applying for any old role, don’t be surprised if you are not selected for any. Hirers will want to find candidates that match their available roles, and unless you feel that you match their requirements, don’t apply. Less is more. Be patient, realistic, resilient and apply sparingly. That way, you are more likely to be successful, and less likely to be left constantly disappointed.
Create a plan
Without a structured job-hunting plan of action, expect to feel disorganised, unmotivated and at points, demoralised. If you create a daily and weekly planner for what you need to do and pretty much stick to it, you can expect to feel more focused and on top of your job search.
There are a number of things you can do during COVID-19 / a global recession to increase your chances of getting hired and each one will hopefully help in making you more employable.
Finally
As much as it may seem like the worst time possible when you find yourself between jobs or find yourself being turned down for roles that you feel suitable for, there may be some long term benefits in finding resilience during this trying time.
Once the economy improves, or in the immediacy you find yourself working for that exciting tech startup who continues to expand, the skills of tenacity, resilience and endeavour, will hopefully stand you in good stead for many years to come.
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TableCrowd Talent is a startup and scaleup focused recruitment agency based in London. If you’re looking for a role in a tech startup or a tech company, send us your CV.
