Why I believe in transferable skills
The Corona crisis has caused a big and unexpected impact on the job market, especially for new starters that want to get into their first employment. Let me give you some important tips from many years of international working and having gone through some tremendous changes in the industry. I am sure this will help you to be more successful with your current job application.
Bumps ahead, horizon out of sight – expect the search for your first job to take longer than before Corona times – and to be more tedious. So - what is the advice I can give to you?
Industries
Avoid industries that have been suffering hard during Corona such as Tourism and Public Transport. Did you have a dream industry that you always wanted to work in? You may have to show flexibility now. Industries that are currently successful include Pharma, Biotechnology and related Manufacturing, Medicinal Products, Logistics, Social Media, Online Marketing ... Do you have prior relevant experience in these industries? For example through part-time or voluntary work, your Bachelor or Master thesis? Are you certified in some marketing or research tools such as Google Analytics? This will give you an edge over those who are not. You may want to do some additional courses and education if you want to go into that direction.
Start screening the market for open positions on job search engines such as Monster or Experteer. Focus on recent job openings as those that have been around for weeks may not be an employer’s priority any more. Set up free Google Alerts to get notified about posts from the relevant industries.
Do you have transferable skills, for example from working during a major business change? This is what we have now! Alternatively – have you managed to go through a difficult time in your personal life that you want to share as an example of getting ahead of challenges? Can you explain your dependability strengths such as being punctual and focused on getting a job done. Are you an exceptional communicator, particularly within an off-line team working environment? Are you flexible in that you stay focused on delivery even when the environment or the goals move? Do you have a track record of quickly adopting new skills and processes?
These are all strengths that are relevant in the current situation – regardless of the industry. Think about the distinct skills that you can offer an employer in the current situation when old structures and process may have to be abandoned and novel ways of working need to be established!
Network and Self Presentation
Do you have a convincing business portrait that shows that you are a friendly and energetic person, with upright posture, able to withstand some stormy conditions? Read my related blog on how to avoid negative body language that could come across as uncertainty, but also as being overly energetic, bossy, or arrogant. Have you started building networks on professional business portals such as LinkedIn and Xing? If not, now is the time to do this. These are places where recruiters look. HGA