As you’ve probably realised the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about the greatest restrictions to daily life ever seen in peace-time, mainly affecting the right to see our friends and get out and about. The sweeping change accepted widely as the “new normal” has disrupted the traditional office-work mould, workflow, events and normal hiring practices.
However, the bleak and hopeless image painted by the Government’s daily update or the daily chit-chat among your friends isn’t entirely accurate. There are organisations out there still hungry to hire new team members, in industries that have seemingly taken COVID-19 in their stride. It is true, Coronavirus has devastated businesses across the UK with jobs lost being in the tens of thousands but it has also forced organisations to bolster their operational capabilities.
This is seen most clearly in delivery (food and goods)/logistics businesses. Amazon, in response to the pandemic, have advertised for a total of 15,000 new full/part-time driver opportunities, a move mimicked to a lesser extent by Hermes in their creation of 10,000 new jobs. The drive to grow is also seen in the supermarket sector where Aldi have announced their intention to hire 1,200 new employees, Lidl plan to open 25 new shops in the next six months and Morrisons, in response to the surge in online demand, are hiring 20,000 new staff. It is quick and free to Google search “jobs near me” something that someone looking for a job should be doing at least twice-a-day.
There are people and organisations that are yearning to fill their vacancies and I am proof of it! I am in my first week here at The Money Platform and have already been tasked with contributing to the company’s blog. It is worth mentioning that the hiring process is likely to differ from what you are familiar with. In this time of social-distancing, expect to be interviewed through Skype/Zoom. Also, if you are successful, it will be a while before you meet the whole team. The latter may be an opportunity to get comfortable with a smaller group first as opposed to meeting everyone at once as the sheepish “new boy”. Take the opportunity to really learn your new duties and feel no shame in asking for help.
In my job search there were 5 crucial tips that brought me to join The Money Platform:
- Highlight your record – state your achievements alongside your past responsibilities.
- Look for the sectors that are growing? like tech and logistics
- Gather Intel? Research the company you are applying for, FAQ pages are a goldmine!
- Get comfortable with LinkedIn? It is highly likely that the employer is on it, as well as potential colleagues.
- Stay positive? this is for life, not because of a global pandemic alone
I hope this helps. Good luck on the job-hunt from everyone here at The Money Platform.
