How to keep your career moving forward

 

These are no doubt challenging times for many of us in the job market, particularly in Australia where the coronavirus follows up catastrophic droughts and bushfires. The media headlines are constantly highlighting job reductions, rises in infections and economic downturns, which can make it difficult to feel positive and upbeat, including about our future career prospects.

Yet as the well-known Persian adage states: “This too shall pass”.

Perhaps this time of self-isolation and/or work downtime is an ideal opportunity to start repositioning yourself within the job market. A time to rebrand yourself or to ready yourself for future career opportunities. While some industries are currently floundering, others are escalating. For example, many of those that cater to stay-at-home workers are likely to continue to grow in market and customer demand.

“You may not be able to control every situation and its outcome, but you can control your attitude and how you deal with it.”

(Buddhist wisdom)

 

Alternative job opportunities

If you’ve been temporarily or permanently stood down due to the coronavirus crisis, there are various companies and sectors that may be able to fill your financial void. They could even open up new job opportunities that you’d never even considered. As recently reported by SBS News, here are some that are currently recruiting:

– Large supermarket chains (e.g. Woolworths)

– Public sector support agencies (e.g. Services Australia)

– Food delivery services (e.g. Dominos Pizza)

– Government bodies (e.g. NSW Government)

– Resources corporations (e.g. BHP)

– Call centres (e.g. Telstra)

Other potential job prospects include within healthcare as well as warehouses and corporate cleaning, where demand is particularly high at the moment.

 

Professional development

Another way to keep your career moving forward is to undertake additional training and education. Perhaps there’s a course or certification you’ve been meaning to complete for a while, but life including work has kept getting in the way. If you have the funds to take the professional development plunge – keeping in mind that online learning is often a cheaper option – this could be the ideal time to broaden your career horizons. Outside of potentially expanding your job prospects, additional training could also build a wider and deeper professional network that opens doors.

 

 


If you’ve been considering a career change and/or increasing your future job opportunities, it may also be time to consult a professional resume writer. From spicing up a LinkedIn profile to overhauling a resume and adding an often-critical cover letter, to writing up selection criteria attuned responses, Walton’s Words thrives on creating career documentation that helps you to stand out. Give us a call or drop us a line if you’d like to discuss your resume writing needs further.

 

Jeanette Walton received a Writing Expertise Acknowledgement via resumé work published in 7th edition of Resumes for Dummies

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