Getting a job is an essential factor to thrive in the modern world even though finding the job is only one part of the puzzle. Still, it is the start to building a successful career and a prosperous life. Owing to the current covid19 scenario, getting jobs has been a tough task for many and the sluggish state of the economy has made it even harder for companies to recruit as well. The state of the economy is so bad that even top-tier businesses and industry giants are forced to lay off their employees to ease the financial burden that has been brought in by the pandemic. While the conditions are far from ideal, there are certain things that job seekers can do to track and acquire jobs. Mostly forgotten and overlooked by many, these tips and techniques has proven to be effective.  

1. Understanding the Opening: While the fact that most companies have put a halt on recruiting new employees is true, there are still job openings coming up in various businesses across all the industry verticals. The most important thing to understand is that there is no such thing as a perfect candidate, but what one can do is to try their best to show to the employer how close of a perfect fit you can be. Resumes are an important tool in the modern job market and for employers, it is like an easy to access tool to view your academic brilliance and prowess. So according to the job that you are applying for, make your resume seem like you are the most ideal candidate for that job. This will help you to attract the attention of prospective employers and secure the job.

2. Expand Your Horizons: As finding a good job opening is getting few and far between, make sure that you are scouring each and every possible medium and outlet to look for job openings. A common mistake that fresh job seekers do is that, they only look at online job portals and websites to look for job vacancies and if you are looking to get employed in the current pandemic struck market, it won’t make the cut and you have to look at each and every possible option to find a job that will somewhat suit you and your skills.

3. Don’t be Hesitant to Change: One thing that most job seekers do nowadays is that they will create a resume or a LinkedIn profile and will leave it at that. As I mentioned before your resume and LinkedIn profile serve a crucial role in not just helping you to get a suitable job but it is also helping you to connect with the right sort of people. So, don’t just sit there saying that you have created a resume and leave it at that but be ready to switch up key words and modify wordings accordingly to get the attention of prospective employers.

4. Make Yourself Memorable: While having direct in-person interviews have become a thing of the past owing to the current pandemic outbreak and the resulting lockdown, companies still use video calls and telephonic interviews as the final interviewing process. While it is important to come across as polished and well mannered, don’t be afraid to be endearing and try to make the whole interview process memorable for both you and the interviewee in a good way. This will help you to increase your chances of bagging the job that you were looking for.

5. Making Your Presence Known: While this may seem confusing for many, the gist of the matter is that recruiters use LinkedIn and other online portals to look for candidates and if you are not present on these job portals and online networks, chances are employers will not find you and because of that, you will be way lower in their pecking order. So, try to be present on as much of these online portals and applications as possible and owing to the fact that most of them are free, creating an account will not come with added expenses. One application that any job seeker should really emphasize on is LinkedIn and a recent survey shows that 90 percent of the recruiters use LinkedIn as their primary search tool when they are looking for candidates.

6. Try to Make a Personal Connect: This doesn’t mean that you have to be over the top dramatic trying to connect with your interviewer and just make the whole situation awkward for both of you. Still, breaking the monotony of the interview process and coming across as a charming and easy-going guy will help the interviewer to open up and make the interview process less mundane and a pleasurable experience. Saying thank you to your interviewer at the end of the interview is not just good manners but it might also help you to slightly increase the chances of getting that job. Especially when there is tight competition for a job opening and most candidates have similar talents and academic prowess, these small details can make a difference.

7. Creating a Network: Most students are of the opinion that creating networks with professionals can only happen when you get employed and be a professional yourself. Well, the fact is that it is not completely true and there are various opportunities to start building your professional network from your college days onwards. Internships, apprenticeship programs, industry visits, and job fairs makes up some of the instances in which you cross paths with professionals from the industry. So, it is important to make the best use of the given situation and create a network. This will not only help you to get job recommendations, but it might even help you to secure an opportunity to get exclusive interviews with prospective employers.

8. Be Proactive: While this might seem like an obvious thing, the truth is that most candidates are not proactive during the entirety of the selection process. Try to be responsive starting from when it comes to responding to interview invitations, and doing follow-ups regarding the next stage of the interview process. Another thing that candidates should be careful about is being prompt which is also crucial in order to have any chance of getting employed.

Some of these above-mentioned points are so basic that many forget about it which might prove to be costly when it comes to getting employed especially in the current covid19 scenario. While job openings are few now, by using these above-mentioned tips, job seekers will increase their chances of getting employed.