ADVICE

for you to sell yourself. Through school, university and work you will have developed many skills. Depending on the position you are looking for some skills will be more relevant than others. Are you aware that recruiters using LinkedIn place their search criteria mainly on your top three listed skills then the next seven? Do yours reflect your abilities and your experience? Keep your LinkedIn profile up to date and review frequently.

To raise your profile further use LinkedIn to follow groups, topics and individuals that you are interested in. Review articles, add your point of view and comment by mentioning the author’s name and invite others to contribute. Commenting on a post gives you exposure and adds value by engaging with the author which in turn expands your network. Add hashtags to increase stickiness!

In terms of your profile and CV make yourself stand out. You are the product of your career, education and everything that you have achieved. Your CV needs to get across who you are and what makes you attractive to the hiring manager. Think about what differentiates you and makes you stand out from the crowd. Communicate your value through achievements rather than focus solely on responsibilities which can be too similar to others looking for the same role. Ideally, your CV should be two sides of A4 - the first side your employment history, the second covers your education, qualifications and other interests. While you work on your CV develop your elevator pitch. Think about this as your one-minute introduction to meeting someone new. It needs to convey succinctly what you do, what makes you unique and what you are looking for.

It may take a little longer to find your next position, but the job market will pick up once companies figure out how they adapt to new ways of working. You may need to broaden your job search looking at adjacent industries where your skillset can be transferrable or maybe start your own business. Be ready, focus on the things that are in your control - keep your profile up to date, keep in regular contact with your network, keep yourself current with industry news - above all be positive!