Careers during COVID-19

Although the labour market is being seriously affected, graduates are faring better than non-graduates at the moment. Encouragingly, the fall in vacancies appears to have stabilised for the time being but this might change later in the summer when the furloughing scheme changes. 

Recruitment to the public sector, including health, social care, and education has been less affected in the short term as the need for key workers continues. However, some recruitment in these sectors might be delayed because of the unprecedented demands on HR and recruitment departments.

Some of the larger employers may stagger their annual graduate intake and could recruit in the autumn if trading conditions have improved. A minority have cancelled offers or ceased recruitment. 

Although larger companies seem to be adapting to the situation, smaller businesses are struggling more. 

One area which has been particularly affected, and which will impact on graduates is the Arts sector. 

Regions are being affected differently, and it seems that currently  London and other cities are faring better than most regions.

For more information see:

https://luminate.prospects.ac.uk/uk-graduate-labour-market-update-26-may

You may need to be more patient and resilient in your job searching. Think creatively about sectors that are more likely to be recruiting and get ahead of the game by networking through LinkedIn or other online sources. When you do see advertised roles double check these are still available if they were posted before March 2020. If nothing in your chosen area seems to be coming up, consider how you could upskill yourself by taking a short course, postgraduate study, or volunteering.

If you haven’t heard anything, you could contact the company to see what has happened with your application. Be patient though – many companies are still trying to work out how to continue their recruitment cycle.

A number of companies have started conducting their face to face interviews and assessment centres online. Sanctuary Graduates have some tips on how to prepare for a virtual recruitment process. 

If you would like a mock video interview, or to talk through your assessment centre send us a query through myCareer.

The government has pledged to pay 80% of staff wages for companies closed during the COVID-19 social distancing phase - check with your employer whether this will apply to you.

You can be furloughed if you are on any type of contract, including a zero-hour contract or a temporary contract but the scheme does not apply if you are self-employed. If you have been furloughed by your employer you can still apply for jobs and undertake paid work for another employer, but you must be prepared to return to work or training at short notice. More information on the government's job retention scheme.

Furloughed University of Worcester staff

You must obtain consent from your manager if you wish to carry out any paid work for anyone else or on your own account while you are employed by the University and on furlough leave.

You may however, and without prior permission, carry out unpaid voluntary work and/or undertake training provided that it does not provide services to, or involve the generation of any revenue for, the University.

The government has pledged to pay 80% of staff wages for companies closed during the COVID-19 social distancing phase - check with your employer whether this will apply to you.

For new roles, check out part time jobs on myCareer for jobs local to Worcester. If you are interested in working within the health and care sectors, you can search on COVID jobs.

http://www.essentialjobs.co.uk is a jobs board dedicated to advertising jobs in response to the pandemic. 

In addition, think about sectors that require additional workers currently, such as farming, food production and supply. Here are some links to some websites recruiting for seasonal jobs on farming, food production, and supply:

http://www.concordia.org.uk/feed-the-nation/

http://www.hopslaboursolutions.com/

https://www.fruitfuljobs.com/index

https://pickforbritain.org.uk/

Also, large supermarket chains, online retailers and food delivery providers are all increasing their vacancies, often in the thousands. Many of these vacancies are customer service or delivery driver positions. Here are some links to supermarket and retail recruitment pages:

Aldi: https://www.aldirecruitment.co.uk/

Lidl: https://careers.lidl.co.uk/

Waitrose: https://www.jlpjobs.com/waitrose-and-partners/

Sainsbury's: https://sainsburys.jobs/

Asda: https://www.asda.jobs/

Morrison's: https://www.morrisons.jobs/

Tesco: https://www.tesco-careers.com/

Iceland: https://icelandcareers.co.uk/

M&S: https://jobs.marksandspencer.com/

Co-op: https://jobs.coop.co.uk/

Home Bargins: https://jobs.homebargains.co.uk/

Wilko: https://wilko.jobs/

If you have a skill that you can teach online, consider if you could offer this. For example do you have the ability to teach English (or another language) as a foreign language or a musical instrument? Could you teach via an online platform? Could you set up your own virtual school? Many children are now being home-schooled and demand for virtual teaching is likely to increase.

Try to be flexible in your approach. Remember by engaging in work you will be earning money but also developing valuable transferable skills such as enterprise, communication, determination and the ability to remain calm, professional and positive under pressure.

Volunteering is a fantastic way of building your skills and experiences, improving your CV and demonstrating your commitment to future employers. In particular, there are many opportunities to make a difference in your local community to support the most vulnerable members of society who are affected by COVID-19.

Bright Network is bringing together world leading employers and top educators for a series of three-day virtual experiences. Open to students and recent graduates, it’s your opportunity to discover career paths, meet employers and boost your employability.

You could consider try virtual volunteering. Barclays Life Skills offers virtual work experience opportunities enabling users to get a glimpse into types of tasks and responsibilities you could be exposed to in the workplace. InsideSherpa is a free virtual work experience platform providing modules to complete, exposing participants to the type of work graduates could be expected to complete. These virtual experiences are typically based on real-life companies, across a number of sectors including law, finance and a range of professional services companies.

From updating your CV or LinkedIn profile to trying out free online courses or starting your own blog, there is plenty you can be doing to boost your employability whilst at home. Find some suggestions below:

Using lockdown to boost your employability  

Career friendly activities you can do whilst social distancing 

This may be a good time to consider further study options, as these will offer the opportunity to upskill yourself and give more time for the labour market to recover. Research courses carefully to be sure they will enhance your chosen career prospects. 

Alternatively, you may be more interested in a shorter course, and could consider free online learning such as FutureLearn, Coursera, OpenLearn or Duolingo.