Experis Blog

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey for the fourth quarter 2020 was conducted by interviewing a representative sample of 1,258 employers in the UK. All survey participants were asked, “How do you anticipate total employment at your location to change in the three months to the end of December 2020 as compared to the current quarter?” Interviewing was carried out during the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 outbreak. The survey findings for the fourth quarter of 2020 are likely to reflect the impact of the global health emergency, and may be notably different to previous quarters. The survey results for this quarter report that: UK jobs Outlook for Q4 2020 at -8%, up 4 points from last quarter’s 28-year low Early signs of twin-track recovery as construction, finance and manufacturing all rise sharply while retail and hospitality are unmoved Two-thirds of employers to overhaul workplace policies on remote working, flexi-time and new skills. COVID-19 continues to weigh heavy on the UK employment market but there are clear signs of improvement in the final quarter of 2020, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey. While the Q4 UK Employment Outlook is -8% – a near-historic low – new data reveals a 4-point lift compared to the previous quarter. As lockdown eases and employers embrace new ways of working, the uptick is driven by stronger hiring intentions in utilities and agriculture as well positive momentum in several other key sectors. Mark Cahill, Managing Director, ManpowerGroup UK says: “The headline number illustrates just how tough the labour market is currently. This is still the second weakest Outlook we’ve seen since 1992. But the four-point national increase from last quarter, along with a positive trend in several key sectors, is cause for some cautious optimism. Despite the end of the furlough scheme in October and signs of a resurgence in the virus in some areas, employers expect the UK jobs Outlook to be tentatively heading in the right direction as 2020 ends.” The main bright spots among the sectors for Q4 are utilities (+4%) and agriculture (+8%) – the only sectors in positive territory. Elsewhere there are indications of progress. While still low compared to historic norms, finance and business services saw a nine-point upswing to -7% this quarter – its biggest quarterly bounce since 2005. Manufacturing and construction are up sharply, from -14% last quarter to -7% in Q4. In contrast, two key sectors stand out for their continued weak performance. Transport, storage and comms is languishing on -17%, up slightly from -21% in Q3, but still very downbeat. Retail, wholesale and hospitality remains on -10%, an equal all-time low. ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Report ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Infographic

A dramatic workforce transformation is happening in front of our eyes. COVID-19 began as a health crisis and is playing out as an economic crisis and a social crisis. Work literally left the building and whole industries are disrupting at speeds never seen before. Workforce demand is shifting too. Increased demand for cyber security experts, data analysts, software and app developers and new roles like contact tracers, distance monitors and temperature checkers are emerging as fast as others decline in aviation, hospitality and entertainment. Read the full report by filling out the form below: hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: "4674640", formId: "c298e9df-b12d-4dbe-a551-a7e4aeba8af6" });

As the Bank of England recently set out its yearly annual economic forecasts, its projection that unemployment would reach 7.5% by the end of 2020 casts a very different picture to the one we saw pre the global health crisis. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, the UK was experiencing the tightest labour market in a generation, with talent shortages in key skills across a range of industries, it was without doubt a candidate-led market. Fast-forward to today and candidates from all sectors are on the job hunt and employers are looking for the right fit. The number of candidate applications have soared in past months. In the third week of March when the crisis was unfolding, we saw a 250% year-on-year increase in applications for roles in the Driving and Logistics sector. Across Q2, we witnessed a 58% increase in external applications across all engineering roles when compared with the previous quarter. For one client, where we had a large order for Administrative Officers with skills in customer service, decision-making, and empathy & compassion, we saw a record number of applications with over 40,000 candidates. For employers, whilst a greater volume of candidates does grant access to wider availability of talent, it does also present challenges. First and foremost, evaluating the quality of all applications is an increasingly larger undertaking for hiring managers. The focus has shifted to how organisations are screening and matching the right candidates to the right roles. As a business, we’re helping candidates apply for roles by enabling more self-selection. This focus means we’re being more explicit in our job postings, while also applying filter questions to assess skills demanded versus supplied and suitability for each role. Putting these safeguards in place will enable jobseekers to progress with roles to which they are most suited and leave employers with a more targeted group of relevant candidates with the greatest potential to stay and succeed. This will be a win-win scenario, the applicant has a greater chance of being called for interview from the early stages of the application process, and the employer avoids being inundated with applications that do not correspond to the advertised role. As part of our guidance, we always encourage our clients to be clear and conscientious when communicating with candidates. As well as applicants self-selecting and taking the time to personalise an application, the employer should also take the time to explain the outcome of their application – successful or unsuccessful – this is an important measure not only for your employer brand but also to support candidates whether progressed through the hiring process or not. A negative candidate experience now is likely to deter these candidates from applying to your business in future, and potentially put them off from buying your products – so maintaining a positive experience is vital for employers. Want to hear more insights on the latest issues impacting the world of work? Download the eleventh edition of our Human Age newspaper. Chris Gray Chris represents our Manpower brand in the UK as well as being responsible for UK brand strategy and transformation, he is also responsible for our ManpowerGroup Ireland business. His people focused leadership style combined with deep industry experience in sales and operations provides the perfect platform for creating a client centric culture that develops and delivers sustainable innovative workforce solutions with our clients. This solution mind-set combined with a collaborative and engaging style of leadership is a hallmark of his success in ManpowerGroup. Previous roles include Managing Director Manpower UK, Sales Director for Managed Service Programmes across Europe in TAPFIN, ManpowerGroup Solutions and other senior sales and operations roles in Manpower and Experis at both a UK and global level. Prior to joining ManpowerGroup in 2002, Chris was with ING Bank where he was on the Operating Board for the Fleet Finance division in the UK. In his younger days, he was Vice Captain of Southgate Hockey Club competing in the English Premier National League, also representing Middlesex and the South. Nowadays, cycling is his passion often partaking with the ManpowerGroup team riding from London to Paris in support of the Royal British Legion. He lives in Brighton with his wife and two daughters.

The COVID-19 crisis has done little to slow the increasing appetite for flexibility among UK workers. While the transition to remote working has brought many challenges – balancing work and parental responsibilities, maintaining our mental health – it’s a change that many workers have embraced, and one that has them stating their claim for more flexibility in future. But how does flexibility stack up against the other factors when deciding on a role – a good salary, career progression opportunities, or working towards a strong societal purpose? We know from our research and the hundreds of thousands of people we put to work each year that what workers want varies by age, gender and geography, yet the biggest determinant is where someone is in their career lifecycle. This crisis has accelerated the move to understand what workers want, and in many cases there may be no going back. Now is the time for employers to think differently about what they offer, starting with the opportunity to blend work and home and creating clear career pathways to in-demand jobs. According to our What Workers Want data, the results are varied: GEN ZS (AGE 18–24) Gen Zs are ambitious, hungry for cash and career development. Women and men have differing priorities. When looking for a job, women look for competitive pay twice as much as their next priority – flexible hours – while men say a strong brand and diversity are most important. MILLENNIALS (AGE 25–34) Millennials want more pay, flexibility and challenging work. They understand they have a career ultramarathon ahead of them and want to achieve a One Life balance for the long run. YOUNGER XERS (AGE 35–44) Young Xers start to see balance kick in. Men prioritise flexibility as much as women. They want a flexible start and finish to their day, the ability to work remotely some, if not all of the time, and they want their share of parental leave. BOOMERS (AGE 55+) Boomers are also driven by pay, challenging work and flexibility. The boss they work for and the people they work with matter a great deal too. Older workers want to pay it forward: those over 65 are also motivated by purpose. What does this mean for businesses? Work has literally left the building. For years we’ve heard the growing chorus of calls for more flexibility, while maintaining productivity, and this has been realised overnight. We predict offering remote work will continue to be the fastest rising non-wage benefit: people value it and it’s cost effective for companies. The organisations that demonstrate they live their values and deliver on their purpose, especially in these challenging times, will be those that attract, retain and motivate the best skilled talent for future growth. Leadership has been redefined. Leadership today needs to be in service of the emotional and physical wellbeing of people first, and then in service of the business. This isn’t just your direct team; this is everyone. Ask yourself: what is it that you can uniquely bring? No-one has a playbook for this. Agility and authenticity are key. What does this mean for workers? Performance finally outweighs presenteeism; the way work gets done has had to shift to accommodate children being out of school and family members needing more support. We are increasingly living One Life (that blends work and home) at one time. Before this global pandemic, flexibility was growing in favour and part-time work was on the rise, enabling companies to manage their balance sheets and people to better blend work with home and other interests. The proportion of part-time roles have almost doubled and demand for contractors is on the rise. Keep your focus on women and diverse groups that might be negatively impacted by the pandemic. In the UK, women and ethnic minority groups have historically been the most impacted by rapid rises in unemployment. Employers need to work hard to avoid re-marginalising those that have worked hard to engage – women, parents, carers, older workers and other underrepresented groups. If you’re interested in learning more about candidate preference and the latest from the world of work, please find the eleventh edition of our Human Age newspaper: https://www.manpowergroup.co.uk/the-word-on-work/human-age-eleventh-edition/

Cross-functional teams are not a new concept. The idea of groups of employees working together from different functions within a business – for example Sales, Account Management, Marketing and Finance – has been pioneered particularly by startups to tackle organisational goals. Traditionally, however, this approach hasn’t been favoured by large tech organisations. Typically, these businesses have structured their teams around shared skillsets – such as development, testing or infrastructure teams. What we’re beginning to see more of are tech companies shaping their teams with a fresh model in mind – one that focuses on agility and a mixture of skills, all the while with members working towards a shared goal. Technical cross-functional teams can see members such as Developers, Testers, DevOps Engineers, UX Designers and Product Owners all collaborating on projects with a greater level of synergy, communication and a clearly defined common goal. We spoke to Ben Hutton, Managing Director of one of our Edinburgh-based clients xDesign, about how and why they chose to implement cross-functional teams in their business. Why cross-functional teams? “It goes hand in hand with moving to a more agile method,” says Ben. “We needed to do a version of agile that allowed us to do the great things about it, to deliver value more, and that was really the drive.” As the projects that xDesign were winning were getting bigger, they needed to deliver things in a more ‘agile’ fashion. “We were moving away from just delivering and developing what was on the page, further up the chain to solve the problems behind the brief, and that facilitated a need to change the structure that we had,” says Ben. What are the defined roles within a technical cross-functional team? As Ben explains, many of the roles within the team are traditional ‘agile’ roles. “The product owner for us often straddles that role of half BA [Business Analyst], half translator. They’re the person that is responsible for the vision of the product. Often that’s a job about translating the vision, pushing past the wants of the clients into the needs of the client and then into the users… and balancing those to eventually turn into user stories. “In the same vein, our designers do more than just the ‘pretty pictures’ element,” Ben continues. “There’s a big push at the moment for user-centered design, and that’s absolutely right because it’s massively important, but there are ways where you can end up making things 1% better for the user, but ten times harder to build – and so our designers are very well versed in the patterns and frameworks that will make things more easily implementable. Which is why they are also often responsible for building our information architecture. “That lets them really understand the user experience because they’ve not just looked at their slice of it – they understand the ramifications of what’s going in and what’s coming out.” Ben also explains the decision to integrate QA into the Engineering team: “We have two types of engineers essentially: we have software engineers – and they might be mobile or web or front end or back end or full stack or any one of those specialties – but our other part of the engineering is the QA. They are part of the engineering team and I think that’s often a misunderstood role. “The reason our QA are QA engineers is that, yes they do regression testing and they work through it as a user and make sure that it does what it was meant to do, but they’re also responsible for developing tests and coming into discovery sessions and making suggestions to make a better quality product.” Joining up with the client Equally, the type of end client also factors into how the cross-functional team will operate. As a business that works with multiple clients of varying sizes and different software requirements, xDesign must adapt to these different clients’ ways of working. Ben categorises the people they work with as falling into broadly three categories: “They’re either a technical person, interested in engineering; or they’re a product person, and they’re interested in product and utilisation; or they’re a business person who’s interested in the end result. And each of them all require something different.” Knowing the needs of the client and their priorities is vital to the success of the project – by implementing a cross-functional team to execute the project, with a blend of different skillsets and working styles, the team is able to pivot towards their client’s requirements and deliver the project in a way that works best for them. Cross-collaboration from a diverse range of employees from different areas of an organisation can bring about great results, from how projects are broken down, planned and ultimately delivered. Businesses that work in agile environments can often see great success by equipping team members with a full understanding of the workload and roles of their peers, allowing for less conflict and stronger relationships being forged. Watch the full interview here. To find out more about implementing cross-functional teams into your business, get in touch with us.

Within just a matter of months, the COVID-19 outbreak has fostered a shift away from the candidate-led markets we’ve become accustomed to, and back to one where employers can exercise more control in the hiring process. At the same time, candidates’ job preferences are changing as the news agenda tightens its gaze on the economic fallout. Employees are also switching between roles less and are more accepting of their current position, not wanting to rock the boat. Job seekers are becoming less concerned about the quality of roles they are searching for, instead prioritising roles that lie closer to home. Searches for positions with remote working have tripled since March. There’s been a greater demand for roles where workers can contribute to the COVID-19 resistance – including logistics, healthcare and the food retail sector – with many workers redeployed into these areas and transferring their skills towards these causes. Widening channels It’s a shift that has seen applications skyrocket, with jobseekers exploring further channels in their search for a new role. In the tighter labour markets we were experiencing in 2019 and the start of 2020, where employment levels were high and candidates were more time-deprived, online job-posting boards were the go-to channel for jobseekers. They condensed a wide range of positions into a digestible format for candidates, who could browse for new roles with speed and efficiency. Fast forward to Q2 2020, where people not working have more time on their side, and the channels are becoming more dispersed. National newspapers and social media channels have seen a growing number of visits from new candidates. Recruitment organisations and larger-sized firms are welcoming a growth in visitors to their websites, as jobseekers react to news headlines in a bid for their next position. While these changes give hiring managers wider talent pools to draw from, they also increase the risk of poor-quality responses. Greater volumes of applications will naturally attract more speculative offers, making it difficult for employers to assess which candidates are right for their roles. Many HR managers may not have the resources to siphon through the volume of applications needed to isolate the perfect candidate. There is equally as much pressure on managing your employer brand through carefully considered ‘rejection’ notifications, too. The opportunity for employers Hiring managers need to think carefully on their intended audiences and work hard to target them by role, experience and location. Partnering with recruitment organisations to manage large volumes of applications or draw on their talent pipelines within specific sectors, will enable organisations to reach top candidates in increasingly dispersed markets. By getting one step closer to where the job is originally posted, employers can more accurately sharpen their focus on the candidates they need by skillset, sector and location. Teams should consider what is desired versus what is required for a role. If the pandemic has taught us anything it’s that agility is key, which translates into hiring for attitude to learn and acquire new skills for the long term, building or bridging between roles. Organisations should also consider how they are communicating. A strong purpose and message when dealing with their employees, customers, suppliers and associates can elevate a company in the eyes of a promising candidate. Purpose-led organisations during this period will build a strong employer brand for current and future hires. You can read more labour market insights in the eleventh edition of our Human Age newspaper.

As an organisation that provides staffing solutions right into the heart of the UK technology sector, we know that the industry can do more to combat its diversity dilemma. The industry has long struggled to onboard enough women, candidates from BAME backgrounds and people with disabilities into the many satisfying and rewarding careers it can offer. Yet, in an industry grappling with skills shortages – many of which have accelerated even further through COVID-19 – we also know that fostering a more diverse workforce for tech has fast become a business imperative. Research from the World Economic Forum shows that organisations that lead their industries on diversity are between 25-36% more likely to be more profitable than the market average, and have a 20% higher rate of innovation, illustrating how diversity is shifting from a moral imperative to a business one. Committing to the UK Tech Scene We know we can’t accelerate change alone, so we have recently signed up to the Tech Talent Charter (TTC), an industry collective established in 2017 to increase diversity across the UK tech scene. It brings together organisations that are committed to addressing inequalities within the recruitment, retention and development of employees in the sector, and has already registered 500 signatures from some of the UK’s most recognised firms. By becoming a signatory, we’re looking to make the most of our own position as a custodian of new roles and development opportunities within the tech sector, by connecting more diverse candidates within the space. Through our Experis business, we know the responsibility we have not just in delivering the tech talent that the market needs, but also to helping develop workforces that are more reflective of our society. Our role is key within the sector, to drive for a more representative workforce and help the sector overcome skills shortages by enabling access to a wider talent pool. Our partnership with the Tech Talent Charter In partnering with the TTC, we will be sharing our own workforce data every September towards its annual Diversity in Tech report, helping shape further research across the industry and measuring how the sector is delivering on its recruitment and retention practices. We’re also committing to collaborating with other signatories of the Charter to share all best-practice to achieve more diversity across UK tech – both what has and has not driven more inclusion – so that all organisations in the sector can pursue better-informed diversity strategies. If you’re interested in learning more on inclusive hiring please visit our Experis website, or follow the Tech Talent Charter on LinkedIn. You can also find the TTC’s designated Toolkit, with all the information you need to drive greater diversity and inclusion in your organisation.

Covid-19 has not only had devastating health consequences; since March 2020 we have seen that the economic repercussions of the pandemic are also placing unprecedented pressure on the world of work. But recent research suggests that in, the United Kingdom, this pressure isn’t being distributed equally across the workforce. To date, women have suffered a larger fall in earnings and are losing their jobs in greater numbers than men during the Covid-19 pandemic, indicating that progress in closing gender pay gaps may slow or even reverse at a time when this progress is needed most. There are many reasons for this imbalance. Women are more likely than men to work in social sectors, such as hospitality and retail, which have been some of the hardest hit by social distancing measures. Having had to either completely stop operations or significantly alter their practices, and largely unable to offer remote working opportunities to employees, these sectors have seen large numbers of employees either placed on furlough or let go. On top of this, since lockdown measures were put in place and school closures announced, it has also been reported that women in the UK are bearing the brunt of additional childcare and housework. The expectation of care provision is the single most significant barrier to women’s economic participation globally. Already accounting for three-quarters of the part-time labour force, women were hit hard when part-time jobs saw a 70% decrease in the first three months of the pandemic. As schools, daycare centres and elderly care options shut down to stem the spread of the virus, women across industries saw the support they required to maintain employment removed. With working women in Europe and North America contributing between 35% and 45% of their country’s GDP, it is vital that the realities of women’s economic position and new working requirements are considered as plans for economic recovery are created. Looking ahead, companies should not plan to go back to processes and ways of working that were the status quo before the pandemic, but rather should use this moment as an opportunity to review and modernise workplace standards. As many employees continue to take on additional care responsibilities, workplace flexibility will remain crucial. Managers should acknowledge that shift patterns may need to be reassessed so that companies can get the most out of their employee’s while being sensitive to non-work obligations. When attracting new employees, the changing preferences of candidates in light of the pandemic should also be carefully considered to ensure a diverse talent pool. With more women than men now pursuing higher education in the UK, it is critical that businesses carefully consider recruitment strategies and employee benefits that will attract women to join their workforce going forward. What is good for women is good for economic growth and resilience. Not only will creating more inclusive workplace requirements assist women’s economic empowerment, but it will also support an inclusive and successful post-COVID-19 recovery.

When the UK Chancellor unveiled a £2bn ‘kick start jobs scheme’ for young people in early July – which will see the government subsidise job placements for 16-24 year-olds on Universal Credit – it was done so with the goal of preventing an entire generation being “left behind” from COVID-19. Like in the 2008 financial crisis, where the path to career growth was limited for many of the Millennial generation, the fallout from COVID-19 is touted to impact Generation Z in a similar manner. Yet many organisations are still striving to ensure that young people do not become the economic victims of COVID. One of these is Movement to Work (MtW), a collaboration of UK employers committed to tackling youth unemployment and driving social mobility through high-quality work experience. It aims to reduce the number of people who are ‘Not in Education, Employment or Training’ (NEET) in the UK. We recently spoke to Dal Channa, Interim CEO at MtW, on the work that the organisation performs, and why young people are so crucial to our economic recovery: Tell us some of the achievements of MtW. So far over 90,000 work placements have been made possible by employers, charities and the government working together through MtW. Collectively they have provided young people with diverse and empowering experiences ranging from hospitality to engineering. Working with MtW, employers create work experience placements for unemployed young people between 16 and 30 years of age, particularly those who have been out of work, education or training for some time. Why is youth unemployment still such an important issue? Whilst there has been some progress in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest threat to young people and their career prospects for over a decade. We know that when we empower young people and welcome them into our industries, they not only forge brighter futures for themselves – they also go on to add real value to our businesses, and they improve our whole society. Now, more than ever, we need to provide young people with the support to thrive at work and acknowledge their vital role in our economic recovery. How is MtW responding to COVID-19? Emerging research suggests disadvantaged young people will be amongst the worst affected groups as a result of COVID-19, yet we believe they could be the smartest solution to rebuilding our workforces. We’ve launched our MtW COVID-19 response campaign and over the coming weeks and months we’re focusing on supporting our network with resources and advice during these times. We’ve also founded our MtW Youth Ambassador group to get ideas straight from young people to stay relevant. If interested in learning more about Movement to Work, please visit their website. You can also find more insights about nurturing the next generation of talent in the eleventh edition of our Human Age newspaper.

Finding a new role in the current climate is challenging to say the least. With the job market becoming more saturated, and interviewing and onboarding increasingly taking place virtually, jobseekers are finding themselves in unfamiliar territory. Based on the trends that we are seeing among employers and jobseekers over recent weeks, here are some tips on how to navigate this new world. Seek out niche job channels When it comes to the job search, with more people on furlough or out of work we’re seeing people flocking to online job-posting boards and applications skyrocket. These sites condense a wide range of positions into a digestible format for candidates to browse roles at speed. While in the talent-scarce market of 2019 this was efficient for jobseekers, now it can lead to saturation for each role. To counteract this, jobseekers can explore channels further afield in their search for a new role, exploring industry-specific job sites and company websites over the more general job listing pages. Nurture your learnability Employers are looking for real work experience coupled with human skills and learnability. Whether working or on furlough, it’s critical for jobseekers to continue to develop their learnability – the desire and ability to continuously acquire new skills – during the pandemic. Applicants can make the most of the abundance of online courses and opportunities to upskill or reskill which have flooded the internet over the last few months, and be prepared to showcase these skills and actions taken on interviews – illustrating how a candidate has made the ‘wait’ work for them. Here are just some of the resources available to help you upskill. Productivity outweighs presenteeism The way work gets done has had to shift to accommodate children out of school and family members needing more support. Employees no longer need to shy away from talking about OneLife – the balance of work and home life – during interviews. Instead candidates should highlight examples of their productivity in previous roles. Similarly, highlighting opportunities taken to spend time with family while on furlough and refresh to get ready for a new role is equally important. Make the best impression It’s important to remember that a virtual interview is as important as one in person. Previously, you would be evaluated on how you engage with the receptionist who greets you, small talk, the interview itself, all the way to walking to the lift to leave. These things remain true but are now online – the digital equivalent of a strong handshake is being prompt, establishing a strong presentation environment in which to take the call, and testing all the tech in advance to make sure it runs smoothly. Making eye contact is still key even in a virtual meeting, so position your notes up around your monitor to avoid dropping your eyes during the conversation. Consider your lighting, and posture to make a good impression – we’ve seen more and more people taking to standing up behind an elevated laptop, which gives a great screen presence. Finally, don’t forget that a virtual interview will be a window into how easily you’ll slot into a remote team, including how you will potentially interact with the manager or interviewer; be conscious of speaking over people, listen carefully, respond to the question at hand and, of course, the normal rules of a great interview apply: be prepared, give competency-based responses, use case studies and remain focused. Prepare for a remote induction Finally, be prepared that once you have a new role, you may be asked to train and onboard remotely. Across industries we have seen a huge shift to remote activities for new starters. People need to be prepared that when they get a new job, they will likely be starting in a remote capacity. We’ve seen this even for roles which would traditionally be in a physical location – running onboarding and training remotely limits the number of people on site on any given day and facilitates social distancing. The future of work looks very different than it did just a few months ago. In this period of change, workers who are able to demonstrate their ability to adapt and remain resilient will be best positioned to stand out to organisations.

Businesses and individuals are beginning to understand that the future of work may look very different than it did just a few months ago, with working from home on the rise and jobs rapidly transitioning between industries. This can understandably make it feel difficult to prepare for the next phase of your career, but there are foundational steps you can take to bolster your brand. Focusing on growth and development today, can help you to continue to progress in your career and open new doors for yourself in the short and long-term. Here are three key steps you can take to build your personal brand in a way that lasts through uncertainty and into the future. Build or update your LinkedIn profile Your LinkedIn profile is essential as a foundation of your personal brand. Use your profile’s bio section as an opportunity to define your career objectives and successes to date clearly and concisely. Then use the rest of your profile to promote your skills, accomplishments and goals. If you have already taken these steps, spend time reviewing your content to remove any outdated information, photos or text and make your profile more relevant for today. Maximise audio and video Every platform from Facebook to LinkedIn supports streaming video directly on their sites. This allows for greater expression of your soft skills like public speaking, leadership and presence. If video isn’t your favourite medium, there are other digital options to spread your message, including podcasts. Tools like Anchor.fm now make it possible to start a podcast with minimal equipment, using tools as basic as your phone. At this moment, in particular, it’s worth understanding the fundamentals of video interviewing. As businesses continue to utilise social distancing measures, it’s important that job seekers are able to present themselves well in the new normal of virtual interviews. Focus on learnability None of us know exactly what the future of work will bring, but we do know that it will continue to require constant learning on the job. In order to meet these new challenges, learnability is necessary. Learnability describes the desire and ability to continually learn and grow throughout careers. Ask yourself, when was the last time you read something from an unusual perspective? When have you taken the time to wrap your head around a new industry and technology? To keep your learnability skill sharp while uncertainty swirls, take the time to find unfamiliar topics, dig beneath the surface and keep growing. In this period of change, workers who are able to demonstrate the ability to adapt and remain resilient will increase their value to organisations. Increasingly, roles will become more focused towards what employees are willing to learn, adapt and apply for tomorrow’s needs. By building your personal brand now, you will be able to bring this capability to a marketplace that needs it. Further reading: How to Network Effectively When Working Remotely 07/07/2020 Networking does not always require in person coffee, lunches or evenings out. With creativity and resolve, [...] Read More 0 Upskilling from home – Career development resources 11/06/2020 We all know that today regular upskilling is the new normal for workers hoping to stay relevant and employable [...] Read More 0 Transferable skills to highlight on your CV 04/06/2020 The economy has shifted at a rapid place, with some sectors losing workers, while others can't add talent fast [...] Read More 0

Networking does not always require in person coffee, lunches or evenings out. With creativity and resolve, connecting meaningfully with others can be done remotely and across different time zones and geographies. Here are five effective ways to network from a distance. Connect with ‘loose ties’ Research has shown that while we rely on our strong ties in our everyday lives, it’s our weak ties (also called our ‘open network’) that can help the most when it comes to finding new roles. Because weak ties are farther removed, they can know about opportunities we aren’t likely to be familiar with. By identifying and reaching out to valuable connections that you don’t know as well, you can extend your open network dramatically. Use reconnection as networking Networking does not have to take place in person or with people you don’t already know. In fact, networking is often more powerful when it’s cumulative, and not just a one-off encounter the first time you meet someone. Networking can also mean reconnecting with former colleagues and sending notes of appreciation, congratulations on work anniversaries, or other virtual ways of staying in touch. Join social groups at work If the only time you interact with colleagues is on projects and conference calls, it’s going to be hard to build friendships. Instead, carve out niches for friendship at work by joining social groups, which can also take the form of Teams/Zoom happy hours, Facebook groups for hobbies and other shared interests. Be mindful when selecting a mentor For many in the next generation, mentorship is key to gaining a foothold for their career and life. A mentor could be someone in proximity in the workplace or at a professional organisation. But if the relationship starts out through a digital connection, more thought can be put into the right match, rather than being based primarily on convenience. The university you attended, your current workplace or a professional organisation can help match you with a mentor that aligns with your interests, needs and personality. Spend time planning who could be your best mentor. Start writing a blog or LinkedIn articles One of the most effective ways to build a network beyond your immediate contacts is to start a professional blog on a topic of your expertise, make connections, show thought leadership and get feedback. Goals can feel less overwhelming when you start to break them down into smaller, individual parts of a path. Tackle the above recommendations one by one, and you’ll be able to build on the momentum of each to accelerate the size of your network. What to read next: Why Learnability is Increasingly Important in the Job Search Process 25/06/2020 In today's changing jobs market, we are seeing shifts in what employers are looking for within the assessment and [...] Read More 0 Upskilling from home – Career development resources 11/06/2020 We all know that today regular upskilling is the new normal for workers hoping to stay relevant and employable [...] Read More 0 Transferable skills to highlight on your CV 04/06/2020 The economy has shifted at a rapid place, with some sectors losing workers, while others can't add talent fast [...] Read More 0