As you get older it can become harder to find work. Photo / 123RF
As you get older it can become harder to find work. Photo / 123RF
Opinion
Jobs equal income and income for most people is a must. If you've joined the growing unemployment queues unexpectedly, it's time to relearn some job-hunting skills.
In the hardest-hit industries you're going to need to use your "transferrable skills" to move to something new. These are skills such as yourtime management, or research and analytics, resourcefulness and many others, which in theory and sometimes practice are just as valuable of industry or job-specific experience. But try to convince an employer of that.
Anyone can spout a list of so-called transferrable skills. Many experienced, but unemployed, job hunters will tell you transferrable skills are a myth. Employers don't want your amazing list of skills and simply swipe left to ignore the CV when they see you don't have experience in a related role or that you're over a certain age.
Unfortunately, some employers view transferrable skills as putting square pegs in round holes, says Brien Keegan, director of recruitment company Sprout. He's working to educate them.
Whatever type of job you want it's unlikely to come to you. Make sure you're targeted in your search, says Keegan. Focus on a sector, organisation or job role and start building your case. Then visualise yourself in the job.
If you need to switch industries, think more widely than just the organisation you recognise. Software investor Serge van Dam says that many of the top 100 tech companies in New Zealand - such as Re-Leased, Mobi2Go and Tradify - have not seen an upsurge in applicants for jobs. Some still struggle to get staff. Van Dam recommends job seekers target growth companies in New Zealand to see which might come out on top in the new post-Covid-19 norm.
Deloitte's Fast 50 Index, The TIN Report and other indices are a good place to locate growth companies that could expand in the wake of the epidemic.
Be creative, says Keegan. Create an infographic CV that stands out. Be one of the 5 per cent of candidates who send in a video with their application.
Spend time working on your resume. Photo / 123RF
Network and make direct contact with hiring managers through friends, old colleagues and other contacts.
Find out who it is at the company that is likely to hire you and connect online says Keegan. Introduce yourself through friends, or by messaging said person directly to get your foot in the door in a flooded market.
"You need to do the heavy-duty lifting for the hiring manager and [explain] why they need to look at you," says Keegan. Tell them how you could solve a problem for the business/organisation.
In the current Covid-19 environment there could be many others who are just as experienced as you and take those same steps. I recommend Googling the term "guerrilla job hunting" and looking for direct tactics to get yourself noticed.
The older your get, as well, the harder it can become to find work. There are lots of chestnuts about leaving your age out of CVs, focussing on the job and specifics of how you can fill the role, or looking for industries catering to older folk. Just be aware that no matter what you do many employers want fresh young things who, a: they can pay less, b: are rightly or wrongly considered to be more energetic, c: the employer finds less threatening, or d: are like them, which isn't great for diversity.
If you're on the unemployed pile for the first time in years, treat finding more work as a full-time job. Read up on everything you can find, and look for a way to worm yourself back into employment. Even if you have to temp, contract, or do one off gigs, a foot in the door can go a long way.
It's not going to be easy, but ultimately if you need the money to live, do what it takes and keep trying. Don't let yourself be swallowed by negativity, however hard that is.
