Unfortunately, there are still some job seekers who find it difficult to score a job during the current economic climate. Ever since the early days of COVID-19, we’ve seen how employees from many different companies experience layoffs.
As one of the best recruitment agencies in Singapore, we understand how the recent pandemic has affected the livelihoods of many hardworking employees. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Below are several major tips we believe might help job seekers during the current pandemic and economic recession.
1. Schedule your job search
For most of us, the process of job searching is often one that is coupled with a mad rush. It’s easy to get angry and feel pressured. When you feel pressured, it is easy to lose the sight of your goals to emotions. Especially when you’ve spent hour after hour and week after week, searching for the perfect job advertisement. However, one way to keep your sanity during an urgent time is by scheduling your time properly during the job search.
Some tips to help you plan your time properly during the job search include:
Send your resumes out: We understand the need to craft the perfect resume. However, recruiters will tell you that you’re wasting a portion of your time. Instead, try to make your resume legible and tailored to the different job industries themselves. As a recruitment agency in Singapore, we’ve written several articles on crafting the ideal resume. In addition to keeping your resume up-to-date, it’s important to connect around with your surrounding network and research the ideal skills, educational qualifications and courses needed to land the position.
Click here to learn more about what recruiters in Singapore look out for in the ideal resume.Plan your week/day: Breaking a major task into smaller, bite-sized pieces can make things easier. Decide how long you’d want to spend your day finding and sourcing for positions. As well as the amount of time in your day, you’re going to be sending out your resumes. When it comes to a job search, there’s nothing more debilitating to your job search than a poorly managed timeline. When you fail to set realistic time management goals, you’re actually missing out on several wonderful positions. Thus, a well-planned job search schedule coupled with a no nonsense approach might just lead you to a few job interviews!
2. Identify growing industries
For a more tangible approach, job seekers should identify and apply for jobs with companies in industries that are doing well despite the pandemic. In other words, job seekers should consider switching to industries that are doing well in Singapore.
As one of the best recruitment agencies in Singapore, we’ve noticed that most IT and tech industries are still up and running. Additionally, healthcare is another industry in Singapore that remained steady despite both the pandemic and the economic downturn.
Once jobseekers have identified the varying industries that are doing well. They need to sift through the different job ads to look for:
The skills and educational qualifications required: Certain tech and IT positions such as cybersecurity specialists and software developers might require specialized training.
Speak their language: According to Forbes, jobseekers jumping from one industry to another might have several transferable skills. However, despite these transferable skills, the terms, language, and lingo used can differ from industry to industry. This is something jobseekers might want to keep in mind when crafting their resumes and LinkedIn profiles. The small change might help you make a difference.
Consider embracing slight losses: When you’re switching industries, there is a possibility that you will be taking in slight losses in exchange for a job in a new industry. For instance, someone working as a Marketing Executive for 5 years can’t expect to earn the same salary when switching to a new role as a Software Developer.
Consider internships: If you’re a mid-career employee. Internships might not be the most appealing sounding option for you right now. However, think of tech and IT internships in Singapore as a stepping stone into the growing industry.
Take it from Forbes, the best way to go from one stepping stone to the other is by doing the groundwork to gain both good contacts and experience. It might be tough at first but trust us when we say that you’ll reap good benefits after a year or two!
Read more about switching industries in this Forbes article here.
3. Consider Going Back to School
Accumulating more debt might not be the most pleasant sounding move after being laid off for a job. But hear us out! Consider going back to school to up skill and network with the people around you.
Fortunately, if you’re a Singaporean employee above the age of 25, you can use your $500 SkillsFuture credit for countless courses. We recommend taking up courses to help you bridge your skills gap in the IT and Tech as well as healthcare industry.
Going back to education is a great option for those looking to jump into a growing industry. As a recruitment agency in Singapore, BGC Group has written a few thought provoking articles on the topic. You might want to check these articles out:
Life during the COVID-19 era does not mean that your career will be at a standstill. Neither should the recent layoffs. Instead, spend your free time learning and reading up on new skills. There are a number of online courses available for just about anything you can think of (i.e. Microsoft Excel, SEO, and even basic HTML). Picking up new skills on your own could be all it takes to impress the next round of hirers in your job search. We wish you the best of luck!
Do you have more tips for other frustrated job seekers in Singapore? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!
Read More: Best Job Portals in Singapore for IT and Tech Jobs