According to a survey conducted by Catho, 92% of UK citizens wish change jobs in 2021. But with the Covid-19 pandemic, this will not be an easy task, as the crisis has already had significant effects on our labor market.
According to data from the Ministry of Economy, 1.1 million places were closed in the country between March and April. In times of recession and scarce opportunities, a decision like a career change must be thought out very carefully.
So what criteria to take into account before starting to look for new challenges? How to prepare for this transition? To answer these questions, we have listed in this article 10 tips for those who want to change jobs:
- Understand your motivations;
- Plan your search;
- Identify growing segments;
- Seek new knowledge;
- Strengthen your networking;
- Work your personal brand;
- Be flexible;
- Prepare for virtual interviews and remote work;
- Be patient;
- Analyze salary and benefits.
Next, find out more details about each of these steps and get ready to get your hands dirty!
Tips for changing jobs
1. Understand your motivations
Before starting your search, reflect and understand why do you want to change jobs? Is there no career prospect? Is the remuneration not satisfactory? You are not aligned to organizational culture from the company?
Ask these questions and put your conclusions on paper to visualize your goals more easily.
Knowing what makes you dissatisfied is fundamental to knowing what to look for in your next job. This way it will be easier to study companies, analyze vacancies and apply only to opportunities that you really identify with.
2. Plan your search
Set a time to dedicate yourself to your search daily with a detailed schedule of actions that to change jobs in 2021.
Have everything documented: applications made, returns received and stages reached in the selection processes. That way, you'll be able to track your progress, assess what went right or wrong, and set realistic expectations.
Another important tip is don't shoot everywhere. The chances of you being noticed are greater when you apply for jobs with greater adherence to your professional profile.
Therefore, use keywords from your area in your resume and go after only opportunities that have to do with you.
TIP: if you qualify and are interested in more than one area, do two resumes, highlighting the most valued skills in each segment.
3. Identify growing segments
With the pandemic, many sectors of the economy went into recession, but some markets have heated up. To change jobs now, it may be interesting to identify these sectors and direct your search to the opportunities offered by them.
In general, companies that operate with retail, logistics, healthcare and e-commerce are the ones that are hiring the most, as their demands grew in the midst of the crisis. So, if your goals fit into any vacancy in these areas, seriously consider an application.
4. Seek new knowledge
This period of social isolation is a great opportunity to invest in online courses and training. Many educational institutions are even offering free classes so that more professionals can expand their knowledge.
Achieving new certifications will surely be useful for you to change careers in 2021. There are courses of the most varied types, approaches and duration. Evaluate the options in the market well, choose the ones that are most likely to open doors in your career and go ahead.
You can even search for courses on subjects that you are interested in, but that do not have to do directly with what you do today. Who knows this doesn’t become a chance to get extra income or discover a new professional activity?
5. Strengthen your networking
More than ever, this is the time to strengthen your networking. With the crisis, fewer and fewer vacancies will be published on specialized websites and social networks. The few opportunities that appear will be filled with nominations and candidates actively found by recruiters.
To increase your chances of changing jobs, make contact with friends, mentors and former co-workers to discover new opportunities. There are good chances that one of them will know someone who is hiring.
Speaking of networking, here's a golden tip: use and abuse LinkedIn. With the impossibility of participating in face-to-face events, the professional social network is the best way to activate old contacts, create new relationships and participate in discussions about your area through groups and posts.
Not to mention the job search tools and the chance of being found by a recruiter. To take advantage of all of this, update your profile and start being more active on the site, adding people, publishing posts and interacting with professional colleagues.
>> Do you want to know more about it? Check out this other blog post: What is network: 7 tips to expand your professional relationships <
6. Work your personal brand
Another essential step you should take if you want to change jobs is to work your Personal Brand.
Reshape your resume and online profiles, ensuring that they communicate clearly and attractively their professional qualifications.
Choose a simple and clean layout, pay attention to London and don't forget to include any information. After all, these tools are your business cards, so they need to be impeccable.
That done, think about how you are seen by your peers and what you can do to build a good reputation. What about produce content on LinkedIn telling your experiences and views about the market?
Many have already done this and have achieved excellent results. If you express yourself well by video or text, it can be a great way.
Also, worry about building solid relationships with your peers. Be helpful, give advice and give directions when they ask.
Knowing how to deal well with other professionals in your field is also a way to build your brand. So, when they have an opportunity up their sleeve, they'll surely remember you.
7. Be flexible
If you want to make a career change in 2021, remember that the market is going through a difficult time and that traditional vacancies will be scarce. So if you’re out of a job, consider job vacancies temporary job it can be a good alternative.
Another interesting idea is to act as freelancer. Many professionals even prefer this work model, as it allows more freedom and, in some cases, even greater earnings than CLT jobs.
If you've never worked that way, think about your skills and how you could use them to offer services to people and businesses. There is a huge market for reviewers, copywriters, video editors, art directors and consultants from the most diverse areas of expertise.
After finding your activity, get organized to turn it into part-time or even full-time work, depending on your goals. Nowadays, it is essential adapt quickly changes in the market, and this is an excellent way to do that.
8. Prepare for virtual interviews and remote work
In this period of social detachment, virtual interviews and remote work are the rule. And the trend is that this will extend for a long time, perhaps even permanently.
Google and Facebook, for example, have already announced that their employees should stay in the home office at least until 2021.
So, be prepared to work and do interviews from your home from now on. Get yourself a good computer, keep your internet connection in order and find a quiet, well-lit place where you can chat with recruiters with good audio, video and without interruptions.
Also, dress appropriately, as if you were actually going to visit the company office. Also, be careful with your posture and body language, adapting the best way to video call conversations.
9. Be patient
Because of the crisis, companies are facing challenges to adapt to so many changes in such a short time. This can cause selection processes to become slower with a longer response time between one phase and another.
In this scenario, be patient with yourself and with recruiters, controlling anxiety and using that time to better prepare yourself for new interviews and to be able to change jobs.
10. Analyze salary and benefits
Analyze the salary and benefits it is essential for anyone looking to change jobs in 2021 or any other year.
In such an uncertain time, attention must be doubled so that you are not deceived by offers that appear to be better than your current salary, but in fact they are not.
Keep in mind that a job proposal, as a rule, should present about 30% increase in your current income. This, of course, considering the salary + the benefits package such as bonuses, PLR, health plans, meal vouchers and food vouchers, among others.
Now that you know the way to change jobs, how about putting what you've learned into practice? Although we live in a delicate situation, conquering new professional challenges at this time is not impossible.
With planning, dedication and patience, you have everything to achieve the opportunity you've been waiting for!
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