5 Ways To Improve Your Job Prospects At Home

Looking to improve your job prospects at home? You’re not alone. Due to the coronavirus, careers have stalled or stopped completely. The current amount of people out of work and stuck at home is astronomical. We won’t be staying home forever, and when restrictions are finally eased, all of those people claiming unemployment will be filling out job applications. If you’re one of them, you might be wondering how to make sure you can be in front of the pack of your competition. Usually, our tips include volunteering and internships, but those are on hold right now. So how do you get ahead while staying inside? We break down what you can do at home, from opportunities for those with lots of time on their hands to those with only five minutes to spare!

Before You Do Anything, Make a Plan

Identify gaps in your skills – and then address them. How do you know what skills you’re missing if you don’t check out the competition? If you look at job ads all over the country, you’ll be able to see what is definitely wanted in your area and what could be coming to your area in the future. Imagine being the only one applying with the latest skills! Make a list of what those wanted skills are and compare those to your current resume. See the difference? That brings us to the next step:

 

If You Have Lots of Time: Take Free Online Classes To Boost Your Skills

From Coursera to Youtube and everything in between, it’s hard to find something you can’t at least watch someone do online. Grab your list and hunt down a class or a certificate online. Coursera has over 4,000 classes from major universities, Udemy has excellent Adobe tutorials, Alison.com offers classes for free (the certificates cost money), and there are many, many more options. Find what works for you and conquer that list.

 

If You Only Have Some Time: Network Online

One of the most overlooked aspects of the internet is that you can join industry groups on nearly every platform. Whether you’re in the tech industry, hospitality, healthcare, or aerospace, there’s a group online for that. Pick your favorite social media and you can find others in your industry through hashtags. You can find groups having relevant discussions and discussing the latest news from all over the world at your fingertips. Comment, share, and ‘like’ your way to becoming known as a voice in the industry while making real connections.

 

If You Only Have 5 Minutes: Use Google Alerts

This is the easiest and least time-consuming tip! By setting up google alerts for your industry, you will be the first to receive any news related to what you do and right in your email. You can track companies, people, products, and topics. If you’re worried about your online reputation, you can set it for your own name. It can be done in five minutes and gives you no end of rewards.

  1. Go to google.com/alerts in your browser.
  2. Enter a search term for the topic you want to track. As you enter your terms, view a preview of the results below.
  3. Choose Show Options to narrow the alert to a specific source, language, and/or region. Specify how often, how many, and how to receive alerts.
  4. Select Create Alert.

Subscribe to Online Newsletters and Podcasts

If you don’t have time for an online class and setting up Google Alerts isn’t enough, the sweet spot in between is subscribing to online newsletters and podcasts. You’ll get up-to-date information about what thought leaders are discussing without the extensive amount of time that a long class can take. Podcasts can keep you informed while you’re cooking or exercising, without requiring any note-taking.

 

These steps can feel like a lot to pack in, but even doing just one of these keep you informed. You’ve got this!

Check out some of our other posts here:

Success Tips for Starting A New Job Remotely During Coronavirus

17 Productivity Hacks To Work From Home

How To Stand Out As a Remote Employee In Conference Calls & Video Chats 

15 Most Powerful Video Interview Tips for Skype or Zoom

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