COVID-19 has made countless people homebound as restrictions are implemented worldwide. Of course, if you’re not used to being home so often for so long, it can be a jarring, isolating, and odd experience. But – there is a silver lining. Now, you have a real opportunity to use this time to move your career forward.
Learn More About Your Industry
Maybe you don’t know much about how the industry you’ve chosen works as a whole. Now’s your chance to do some learning! Start by researching your industry’s history online, read news articles, or get cozy with a documentary.
Adapt Time Management
Adjusting to all this time at home means you’ll need to learn how to stay productive while also managing the other things you need to do during the day, like cooking and cleaning. This situation is an unexpected crash course in time management, so think about the things that are and aren’t working for you. Then, use these things to guide your new approach to time management.
Practice Communication
Communication is an important soft skill that applies all aspects of life, so it’s a good one to focus on. Staying in touch with your friends and colleagues during this time can be difficult. Make sure to stay mindful of the ways you can communicate effectively, and learn to improve in that regard.
Learn a New Skill
If you’re a social person whose evening and weekend plans have changed for the upcoming future, why not use that time to learn some new skills? Maybe you’d like to learn how to make fancy presentations or finally master Excel, now is the time to learn how. If you’re lacking a key skill that’s specific to your industry, sign up for an online class or program. The more steps you take to make yourself valuable, the more successful you’ll be in your career.
Spring Clean Your Resume
Use this time to revamp and improve your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile. Think about creating a personal statement and introduction clearly outlines your skills, what you do, why you do it – plus where you want to get to next. This will help get you noticed, especially if the statement resonates with like-minded people in your industry.
Attend Virtual Events
During the quarantine, events that wouldn’t normally be available online are now being offered virtually. Large events are not only virtual this year, but some have even become free to attend. This makes these events available to you regardless of location or budget.
To make the most out of every virtual event, treat each one as you would if you were attending in person and connect with attendees find the workshops and talks being offered that are most valuable to you. Use this extra time to boost your resume and learn new skills that will help you become better at what you do. When you’re ready to go back out, you can leverage those new skills for landing your dream job, a raise, or a promotion. Make the most of this uncertain time.
Use this extra time to boost your resume and learn new skills that will help you become better at what you do. When you’re ready to go back out, you can leverage those new skills for landing your dream job, a raise, or a promotion. Make the most of this uncertain time.
