Carmen Andreica, Careers and Student Services Manager at London College of Contemporary Arts (LCCA)
Just a few months ago, you may have made plans for 2020, but nobody could have predicted that a global pandemic would occur, and everyone would need to make major adjustments to their lives.
Whilst this is not an ideal situation, we need to look at the positive side and make the most of what we are being offered. One of the beneficial aspects of the current crisis is that people have more time on their hands, which can be used constructively. Now is a good opportunity to learn new skills or improve existing ones, read and research and develop ourselves personally and professionally.
Recruitment may have decreased across various industries, but social distancing restrictions will eventually come to an end, and you need to be prepared for employment, post-pandemic.
There are numerous free resources available online that will help you gain the technical and soft skills needed for various professions. Online self-learning is an excellent way to advance your knowledge and develop new skills that will help you boost your career prospects, and now that you’ve become acquainted to studying online, you may as well take this a step further and explore online career-boosting tools.
There are great online resources that you can utilise, platforms that provide university-affiliated courses from leading institutions across the globe, taught by experts in the field. Websites such as EdX, FutureLearn and Coursera have a wide range of courses – whereas others – Moocs, Skillshare, Codingnomdas, LinkedIn Learning and YouTube – offer alternative content and ways of learning.
This might also be the ideal occasion to refine your online presence. Social media is a very important tool that employers use to conduct background checks on their candidates and it’s important to have content that reflects professionalism and trust. It would be especially beneficial to create a good LinkedIn profile (if you do not have one already) and start exploring companies and network online, as there are countless careers opportunities, and great industry information can be found via this channel.
It’s also a good idea to research online and keep up-to-date with the latest trends and technology in your chosen field, as well as practice the soft skills needed in your desired career. Prospects is a great platform to use for exploring career options, job roles, alternative career pathways, industry information and other useful referrals.
As a student, you should also feel encouraged to contact your college careers service for advice on how to plan your next career move. There, you can find upcoming employment opportunities and get information that will help you prepare and get ahead of the competition when pursuing your career goals.
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