The Gen XY Lifestyle
8 Ways to Grow Your Career during the Pandemic Recovery
The pandemic has affected the job market drastically. As a result, millions of people around the globe have lost their jobs. Even after a year of suffering through a pandemic, the world is still not back to normal, and job markets are suffering the brunt of it. Multiple countries are still under complete or partial lockdowns, and the slow re-opening of restaurants, eateries, and other businesses is making it harder for people to find stable sources of income.
Businesses, from multi-million brands to small carpet cleaning services, have all suffered from the pandemic. However, small businesses are worst off as most face closures. No matter your field, you are most likely experiencing hurdles in your career growth as most organisations are cutting back to deal with the pandemic.
The long due promotion that was hoping to receive in the year 2020 might have been halted or rejected altogether, and you might feel like your progress has been stagnant.
However, growth doesn’t necessarily have to be through promotions and pay raises; your personal growth never stops, no matter what the circumstances. We are all experiencing the economic downturn due to the situation. However, you have the time and opportunity to learn new skills, build connections, get certifications, enroll in relevant courses, and so on.
Here are 8 ways to improve your skills and grow your career during these turbulent times:
Decide Your Goals and Stay Consistent
First of all, you must take time to identify the areas you want to work on and your goals once the economy stabilizes. Do you want to continue working in the same organisation? Do you want to work towards getting a promotion or want to switch jobs? If you are employed, what skills you can work on, so once hiring resumes, you can easily apply with adequate skills.
Once you identify your goals, you can decide how you want to achieve them and work towards them. You can take this time as an opportunity to work on your personal development.
Meet and Discuss Your Career Progress with Your Manager
If you are feeling anxious about your career progress or want to know how well this job is working for you, you can set up a meeting with your manager at work. Be upfront about your reasons for the meeting so both of you can be well prepared for the discussion.
Being open about your fears regarding your job is normal, and having a discussion with your manager can help you make a better decision. You can have talk about your career growth, your opportunity to grow once things settle, and how you can improve your chances to succeed in your career. Remember to weave in points about how you will continue to add value to your team, responsibilities and scope.
Get Innovative And Solve Problems
Take the lead and solve existing problems through an innovative solution. Not everyone is a problem solver or has the ability to come up with smart solutions; now is the time to pitch in on innovative solutions for your organisation and help them overcome the issues they are facing.
No one was prepared to go completely remote, and there are multiple challenges that organisations are facing due to the COVID-19 situation. If your solutions are feasible, your organisation would likely be ready to implement them.
Grow Your Network within Your Current Company
Networking is important for everyone, and these networks come in handy in uncertain situations. It is encouraged that you socialise and strengthen your bond with people within your company.
The people you are working with might know better opportunities, can refer you to some other useful links, or simply guide you in your career moves. Find colleagues who share similar interests and build a good relationship with these colleagues.
Virtual Networking Events Are Useful
Since the pandemic emerged, things have shifted online and virtual events are becoming extremely common now. You can attend these networking events to establish new connections, find mentors, and get connected to other organisations.
These events will help you establish connections that can guide you further on your career progress and growth. Eventbrite, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Meetup are a few platforms through which you can get connected to such virtual events.
Online Courses to Improve Skills
More than anything, you need to utilise this time as an opportunity to work on your skills and strengthen them. There are several online platforms where you can enroll yourself in a course and then you can sign up for different online earning websites in the market.
If there was something you felt like learning but never had enough time to, now is the time where you can learn all these skills online.
Some of the prominent platforms for online courses are Google Skillshop, Coursera, Udemy, Alison, Cybrary, or LinkedIn Learning. You can sign up for relevant courses and make the most out of this time.
Find A Mentor
Having a mentor makes a huge difference in your career acceleration and progress. Professional mentors are trained to guide you and provide an insight into how you can succeed in your profession. These mentors help in motivating you by guiding the best ways you can follow to achieve success.
Finding a mentor can be tricky, but you must look around you and find those who inspire you to do better. Once you have selected a mentor, try to have regular meetings and discussions to guide you for further steps.
Work On Self-Development
Although we aren’t living the life we used to, that doesn’t mean you should stop working on improving yourself. In this age of the internet, it is a matter of a few clicks to find yourself a course, certification, a class, or an educational podcast to learn new skills.
Use this time to work on yourself and focus on what you want to achieve. There is a lot of content available on Google, YouTube, and other platforms, including documentaries, courses, and webinars. Take this time and research how you want to progress in the future and how it can be useful in your career path.
Article contributed by Shaheryar. He provides ghostwriting and copywriting services. His educational background in the technical field and business studies helps him in tackling topics ranging from career and business productivity to web development and digital marketing. He occasionally writes articles for Carpet Cleaning London.
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash
