2020 has been a tough year for many parts of the demographic. The COVID pandemic and the resulting lockdown had affected every possible sector in the economy. The employment-generating industries took a beating and resulted in a significant increase in unemployment in all sectors. Hence with the increase in the number of people seeking jobs, one needs to be extremely focused to achieve the desired career goals in 2021.
In times like these which are unprecedented, people who have lost their jobs in the pandemic or freshly graduated students need to equip themselves with skills and competencies to make the cut and face the cut-throat competition. Adding to the people who lost employment in the country many working professionals from across the world have come back to their home countries adding to the already skyrocketing numbers. Apart from already working professionals, the graduated students are also at great inconvenience during these times. Without adequate experience and training securing a dream job becomes an uphill task. To survive such a competitive environment the following tips can be considered.
Career Counselling: Seeking career counselling is one of the most practical ways in which job seekers can get closer to their career goals in 2021. Career counsellors are trained individuals who are capable of analysing and assessing the present situation and also the skill set of the individual. They clearly discuss and debate the set career goals of the graduate or the person seeking the job and suggest various options available. They help in opening up horizons and make the graduates aware of the market and scope of a particular job. Hence seeking career counselling is a great way to kick start a career.
Be Open to Change: The future looks bleak for many industries due to the pandemic. Very few of them could cope with it and hence the situation is not so promising. Hence people looking for jobs in those sectors need to be ready for some change in their professional life. They do not necessarily have to quit that career path but should definitely need o up their game with respect to trying out new opportunities in the same sector. This might demand slightly more time and effort but it is a better bet compared to staying in the same field. All this warrants the widely believed saying that is “Change is the only constant thing”.
Learn new skills: This is a great time to upskill and learn new competencies to face the competition. An individual needs to constantly be learning new ways and tricks of the trade. How much ever seniority or skill one possesses in a particular field there is always scope for improvement. Taping on the already available capabilities is one way of going about with identifying your career path but learning a new skill and capitalising on it is a completely new ball game. Hence one needs to be a learner to achieve career goals of 2021 and also for overall improvement in professional life.
Build habits: The goals that are set and the progress in those aspects greatly depend on everyday activities. Hence building small but significant habits ensure better performance and progress towards the goals that have been chalked out. Habits like working out, planning the day, studying something about the goal one has set and learning something about it every day make a huge difference in the long run. Reading is also a very essential habit to be inculcated as it enriches the individual with a great amount of information about the world around them. Exercise helps in managing mental health and also helps to build physical strength that is needed to fight stress and anxiety.
Plan your goals: As the famous quote says, “Failing to plan is planning to fail” a job seeker needs to chalk out a detailed plan for achieving goals in 2021. The individual is advised to have short term and long term plans to be more practical in this scenario. Many times people who note down their goals tend to make lofty plans which can seem impractical after a few days. Hence it is always better to list down both short term and long term goals. This helps in being more realistic and confident with the goals.
Confidence is the key: Unemployment can be very stressful especially when the situation is this bad. In times like these one needs to be reminded of the quote “when the going gets tough the tough get going”. This speaks volumes about the importance of confidence during these tumultuous times. We need to believe that things are going o change and for the better. Hence freshly graduated students and people who lost employment during the pandemic should be positive and confident with the efforts and go ahead with hope. Confidence is a tool that is very essential especially during the interviews and is one of the most important traits that employers look for in their prospective employees.
The pandemic has left its mark in every sector of the economy and will definitely need time to get back to normal. As mentioned above confidence along with patience is the most precious asset any individual can have in these testing times. Though unemployment is not something to be happy about one needs to believe that unemployment is the fundamental prerequisite for comprehensive learning.
The country has witnessed the unprecedented loss of demand and supply that was triggered by the lockdown. Times like these should be seen as a part of learning rather than some sort of an affliction. Individuals who make the most use of time with calculative measures like career counselling, being positive, confident and upskilling themselves can get through this period without much difficulty. Therefore a person who is expecting a massive change in his professional life and improvement of his or her career graph needs to enter 2021 with improved skill, confidence and the lessons that 2020 has taught the mankind.
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