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Let’s face it, the Coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent lockdown have thrown a spanner into the works for many of our plans. Many of us have had to cancel holidays, get togethers and even weddings. Those of us who run our own businesses have had to make an extremely difficult choice- to mire your operation in cashflow-crunching debts or close your doors completely. Even those of us lucky enough to still be able to work from home have had to adjust to taking a pay cut for the privilege. Not to mention grappling with the productivity challenges that come with working from home. Especially when you have a family competing with your job for both bandwidth and your attention!
Still, as financially, logistically and emotionally punishing as the lockdown is proving for many it also provides some opportunities. No longer do we need to surrender hours of our day to a nightmarish commute. We’re free to manage our own time more effectively. And with the right digital resources at our fingertips, we have opportunities to transform our careers and our lives.
Here we’ll look at some realistic and effective ways in which you can use this time to enhance your career prospects and your earning potential. This will, hopefully, be the last lockdown of its kind that we see in our lifetime. But this also makes it an opportunity that you may never get again. If you don’t seize this opportunity to lay a foundation for lifelong change, you may kick yourself later…
Update your CV
One of the easiest things to do (and something that everyone should be doing right now) is updating your CV. If you haven’t made a change to it since 2007, it’s likely not an accurate reflection of your career, experience or training. Remember to keep it short and punchy. Put the skills, qualifications and experiences that employers will want to see front and centre. You may ish to make subtle changes to match the specifications of different jobs you apply for, but make sure it accurately represents everything you’ve been doing with your career.
You never know when the next perfect job opportunity may present itself. For many industries, the current climate is simply “business as usual”. The last thing you want is to miss out on a golden opportunity because your CV isn’t up to date. Be sure to tailor yours to the specifics of the position you're aiming for. Whether it's industry-specific or location-specific. For example, if you were looking for a specific role in the Atlanta area, it would make sense to consult an expert in resume writing in Georgia to ensure that they highlight any area-specific details to enhance your profile.
Peruse online courses to round out your knowledge
The digital realm affords us endless opportunities for online learning. When you have a clear idea of what the next step in your career looks like, be it upwards or lateral, you have a clearer idea of what knowledge and skills will help you to get there.
The good news is that whatever you want to learn, there’s an affordable (or even free) online course to help you to learn it. Whether you want to learn a new language, get qualified as a personal trainer or take a real estate finance course which unlocks the mysteries of real estate investment and analysis, you can find it all online.
The beauty of online learning is its flexibility. The contact time is easier to plan around your work and family than campus-based learning. When you’ve identified the right courses, you can effectively remove the barriers that lie between you and your dream job.
Image by Quince Creative via Pixabay
Look into low risk business ventures
If you’ve always preferred to walk the path of the entrepreneur, there are still plenty of ways to do that. Even under lockdown. Indeed, there are many industries that are thriving under lockdown. Especially those that deal in bringing products and services to people wither through the post or through digital channels.
The good news is that many of these business ventures are fairly low risk with few or no overhead expenses. Dropshipping, for example, allows you all the opportunities of being an online retailer without the need to spend a fortune on warehousing costs, being lumbered with stock that just isn’t selling, or having to keep boxes and boxes of inventory in your spare room.
At a time when ecommerce is more viable than ever, dropshipping has a fantastic risk to reward balance. You serve as the bridge between supplier and consumer, buying from suppliers overseas and selling to consumers at home while taking a small profit for your troubles. Because they’re not lumbered with stock, they can be more agile and proactive than other retailers. Plus, they have total autonomy over what they can keep in stock. It’s up to you to find the balance between what’s popular and where your knowledge and passions lie.
Products tend to lend themselves well to dropshipping include;
- Pet products
- Novelties and toys
- Fashion accessories
- Sunglasses and eyewear
- Mobile phone covers and accessories
If dropshipping doesn’t appeal to you, Affiliate Marketing schemes have a similar risk / reward ratio. If you have a blog or social channel with a sizable following, you could make money by directing your followers to the offerings of familiar brands and earning a commission from every sale that’s generated. So you get to make money just by adding a few lines of HTML code to your blog or social media profile. Spend some time to getting to know the best affiliate programs of 2020. Perhaps invest in growing your following with some Pay Per Click spending, This will deliver highly targeted ads to the kinds of people who are likely to engage with your content. Get it right, and Affiliate Marketing can be an extremely profitable venture for you. It’s not a multi-billion dollar enterprise for nothing!
Start networking digitally
It’s okay to admit it. Nobody likes networking events. Absolutely nobody. They’re awkward, they’re a little bit cringey and they make us constantly paranoid that we’re coming on too strong or saying the wrong thing to somebody who could potentially hold the future of our careers in their hands. Nonetheless, there’s no getting around the fact that networking is an invaluable skill. One that you’ll need to master to take your career to the next level.
While networking events have been curtailed by the pandemic, online networking is alive and well. It’s time to reacquaint yourself with LinkedIn. Start adding people of influence in your chosen field or fields that interest you. Use the blogging feature to post thought leadership articles and demonstrate your knowledge and understanding.
As always in networking, don’t make the mistake of rushing into a pitch. Simply spend some time getting to know people, building relationships and establishing your value proposition. Keep your name and face at the forefront of their minds and they’ll naturally come to you when they have a suitable prospect.
Learn how to ace video interviews
Finally, businesses of all shapes and sizes are relying increasingly on digital communications for their recruitment processes. Indeed, many candidates will now go through several telephone or video interviews before they ever sit down in front of a panel. But even if you’re a dab hand at interviews, it behoves you to learn the discrete skill that is acing a video interview.
Video interviews are inherently challenging. It’s less easy to establish the kind of rapport that you may easily command face to face. Likewise, it may be harder to get a feel for how the interview is going and establish a chemistry with the panel through digital channels.
It’s definitely worth investing some time in preparing yourself for video interviews. You never know when the next one might come along.
Idle hands are the devil’s playthings. How you use your time today may result in some truly awesome opportunities tomorrow!
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