In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the global job market has never been more difficult, particularly for students and new graduates who likely have minimal work experience. The less work experience you have, the less employable you may appear to certain organizations, making it harder to get the professional experience you need to progress in your career.
Ultimately, it’s a difficult cycle to break. With the pandemic forcing many companies to downsize or close their doors altogether, millions of people have found themselves out of work at some point in the crisis, making the job market incredibly competitive. In this ever-changing and challenging environment, students and new graduates need to use as many tools and techniques as they can to make themselves employable.
If you fall into this category, a key tool you can use to your advantage is your CV, which is the first look an organization gets at a candidate’s work experience and educational background. Here are three ways you can improve your CV during COVID-19 to boost your chances of landing a job.
Pick Up a Couple New Skills
One of the few silver linings of lockdown is increased downtime. You finally have the time to do those chores you’ve been putting off, catch up with your friends and family, or finish that book. Similarly, you have time to hone your professional skill sets and maybe develop a couple of new ones to add to your CV. Ultimately, this is one of the most productive ways to use your time during the pandemic – and it will help you stand out to employers.
There is a wide range of online courses you can take that will help you develop your skills in various areas, including programming, marketing, and SEO. Sites like LinkedIn Learning (formerly known as Lynda), Google Analytics, CXL Institute, and Skillshare are great places to start.
Revamp Your CV’s Layout
Research has found that recruiters typically only spend a few seconds (roughly six to 11) reviewing your CV before deciding whether or not to continue with your application. With that in mind, layouts of resumes are important; after all, an employer isn’t going to be able to pinpoint your qualifications if your CV is disjointed and disorganized. Why not use your downtime in lockdown to give your CV a facelift?
Given the wide availability of online resume templates, revamping your CV’s layout is super easy. You can check out companies like VisualCV, which offer some of the best CV templates online today.
Volunteer Online
Gaining some volunteer experience is a great way to not only help your community but improve your CV. Believe it or not, you can still volunteer remotely during the pandemic. You can check out UN Volunteers or VolunteerMatch to look for available positions that would be well-suited to your professional goals.
When it comes to writing your CV and finding a job, it’s often no easy feat – but it’s especially hard in the middle of a global pandemic. Given the current climate, you need to do everything in power to make yourself a desirable candidate to employers. By using these three tips to improve your CV, you’ll help yourself stand out and better your chances of securing a job during COVID-19.
