10 Things You Can Do to Improve Your CV During Lockdown
Don’t look at lockdown as negative and boring, take this opportunity to become productive with all the extra time you have. You have been given the chance to improve yourself and in turn your CV. When normality resumes you can showcase your new skill set to progress in your career.
1. Canva
Canva is a fantastic free tool that provides fantastic templates for CVs including professional, modern, academic, college and many more styles. This is a brilliant way to get your CV to stand out from the crowd with different colour schemes, layouts, infographics and unique ideas for all different industries.
2. Take a Course
There is so much uncertainty as to what the future holds so why not take the opportunity to gain a new skill. More and more courses are being made available online and with the current pandemic, this is going to help increase the number of online courses. Find a course that will help you either progress in your own career or give you a brand new skill to put on your CV and apply in your job search. Universities such as Open University and companies such as Google, HubSpot, SEMrush and many more offer free online courses.
3. Take Language Classes
A large number of multinational companies are looking for staff who are bilingual or multilingual; this could be the way for you to gain an edge on other applicants when applying for a job. Learning a new language has never been easier since the creation of free apps such as
Duolingo and Babbel which let you learn a language at your own pace and in your own time.
4. Virtual Internship Programs
This is the perfect way to get you out of bed in the morning, keep your mind active and further develop or gain a new skill set, resume and even gain academic credit when you are not in school. Virtual internships offer opportunities to people who are aiming to launch or progress their careers throughout the COVID pandemic.
Virtual Career Training Internships offer a number of industry-specific internships with a number of well-established English speaking companies, providing you with English language training, all while giving a wholesome cultural Irish experience. For more information click here.
5. Make a CV that Fits your Industry
Your CV should fit the industry you are applying for. If you are applying for a creative job you need your CV to show your creative side. You need to catch the eye of the recruiter, give your CV some colour, add a professional picture of yourself, match your skills with the skills in the role description, change the structure of your CV if your education is stronger than your employment history then put that first or vice versa.
6. Update LinkedIn
LinkedIn is your online CV so it needs to be updated as such, get an up-to-date picture, change your headline and update your skill set, start writing blog posts on LinkedIn specific to your industry or the industry you are trying to break through to. Interact with industry professionals and start networking.
7. Webinars
Webinars give you a great opportunity to learn new skills from industry leaders and experts, all you need to have is your computer, tablet or phone and you can take part in the comfort of your own home. You will be given valuable insight and knowledge into the industry and also have the opportunity to network and ask questions that can aid you in your career or job search and remember these are all people who were in your position before so they will know how to help.
8. Stay Connected
Now more than ever is the perfect time to use your online networking platforms, you can still apply social distancing by connecting and interacting with other professionals online. Set up our join groups, get in touch with old colleagues and references on LinkedIn and Facebook. It’s always good to reach out to people on a professional and personal level, you might just make someone’s day. Start your networking by following us on LinkedIn and Facebook.
9. Practice Online Interviews
Online interviews on Zoom, Google Meet and Skype etc. are becoming more common even before Covid-19; this is the perfect opportunity to find yourself a spot in your house that has no distractions in front of you or even behind you for the interviewer. Find somewhere with sufficient lighting and get used to talking to the camera and not looking away from your computer, if you are not showing interest why should the interviewer? Get someone you trust to take part in a mock interview so you can get more comfortable on screen.
10. Improve your Digital Skills/Computer Literacy
Use this opportunity to know your way around your computer and the programs you use. Become more proficient with the Microsoft suite, learn keyboard shortcuts to save you time and be the person who organises the group conference call on Zoom. Being able to easily work your way around a spreadsheet might just be the difference between you being picked for a job over someone else.
