2020 really has been a year of unprecedented events; from major political changes, a global market crash, environmental disasters and probably the biggest world event in the last decade – a global pandemic. It has certainly been a year of change and pivoting priorities. Remote working has become the norm for many, and this has opened a whole new world of opportunity for employers and employees.

It’s almost Christmas but not as we know it, so take some time out, celebrate and enjoy the season.

However, you might have more spare time than usual, maybe want to get ahead of the job search crowd, then why not fast forward your 2021 job search.

We have been given an extra gift this Christmas, TIME. So it could be a good time to initiate that long overdue career move.

So, if you have had time to take stock and are thinking about a career change or have, unfortunately, been affected by the global crash and been made redundant then now is the time to land your next role.  Too many people wait until mid-January to start a new career search so read on to find out how you can get ahead of the game.

Know where you are headed?

Decide where you are headed. Do you want a new role, a promotion, to get back into work, a downshift, a sideways move, more flexibility. Why do you want it? What’s important to you personally. Priorities have shifted massively in 2020 and you might want to live and work differently

Check out some job descriptions 

Check out some job descriptions on the job boards. Read through these and start to do some prep on your CV and your covering letters and check out any skills gaps which you might want to fill

Upskilling and Reskilling

2020 has been the year for #lockdownlearning and much of it is FREE. Visit the Google Garage or LinkedIn Learning or check out your local college and see what they have to offer. Gloucestershire College have lots of free online courses that can be found here

Know Your Network

It is important to capture who is in your current network, mind mapping is a really good way of doing this. Draw a circle that represents you in the middle, then draw limbs which represents a different category, these categories include family, friends, bosses and colleagues past and present, suppliers, customers, professional associations, alumni, personal interests, voluntary organisations, neighbours, personal business connections, school gate and partners network. You’ll find you have a huge network

Get in Touch

2020 has seen come major changes and we are missing connection. Christmas, New Year and between is a great time to get in touch. It can be via email, zoom, text, message, social media or good old snail mail.

Seasons Greetings All!