Many people we are having conversations with are admitting that they are scared of putting themselves back onto the job market, and given the events of 2020, we fully understand the reasons behind this.
But what if we told you that by maintaining this outlook in 2021, you may be limiting yourself and missing out on the perfect opportunity?
Lets take a dive into some of the reasons why …
You are too committed to your current employer
This time last year you may have pondered entering the job market, and then when the pandemic hit you may have simply been grateful to have retained your job. You are not alone here.
Many of the candidates we are having open conversations with feel an extra sense of loyalty and commitment to their current employer, which is causing them to feel hesitant about making the switch to a new business.
We get it. Taking the decision to change roles is a big decision and stability we know is key for candidates looking to move on right now, but that doesn’t have to stop you from progressing your career. We ask you to consider what was making you question staying with the company prior to the events of 2020.
Were you getting the professional development you wanted? Does the company culture fit your values? Was work starting to get in the way of your work/life balance? Or were you simply looking for a new challenge?
If your answer to these questions hasn’t changed, it may be time to take a step back, think about your future and dust off that CV.
You have concerns/feel uncertain about the stability of a new job
We understand you may feel that changing jobs is a high risk move. When things start to look a little rough in the job market often it is wise to remain in a role that feels stable.
But the reality is that many areas of the market have started to regain stability and we would argue that many sectors within it are recovering well.
In the past two months we have seen an increase in demand for digital skillsets, as companies look towards technology for evolution.
This has pushed our volume of social media, paid social, PPC, SEO and developer roles up and we are constantly on the look out for new talent in these specialisms.
We are also seeing a steady rise in more traditional roles, with professionals in PR, account management and creative at all levels highly in demand right now.
I don’t think I am good enough
For many job seekers confidence has been impacted throughout the past year for many reasons; being on furlough, loosing out on professional development or being unsuccessful with applications.
What we will say here is that taking matters into your own hands is key to regaining/developing the level of confidence you may have previously had.
One of the ways you can do this is by taking matters into your own hands. If you feel underdeveloped in a certain area of your skillset, it I can be straightforward to put together your own training plan utilising online courses or training videos.
Alternatively you may want to use your current employers resources to your advantage whilst you are getting ready to look for new roles. Have you considered taking on an additional project in a specific area of the business, or enquired as to whether training will go ahead this year?
Taking matters into your own hands is a key way to gain the confidence you need to take the leap to exploring new opportunities.
Lack of opportunities near me
Locationally, not all disciplines and job levels may have recovered to the same level, making access to some roles, especially those with a more traditional skillset difficult.
Whilst this can be a barrier to wanting to look for a new job, many employers are starting to offer flexible (some only requiring 1-2 days in office) and remote working packages. If you are willing to take a slightly longer commute occasionally, then location should not stop you from looking for a new job.
However, if you are looking for a specific working pattern, we always advise you make this clear during the application and interview stages, to avoid wasting your own and the employers time if it is something they can not reasonably offer.
We hope this blog has helped to reduce your concerns about the current job market, and if you are curious about what is on offer currently you can have a look at our latest roles.
Image credit:
Header: Image adapted from Photo by Louis from Pexels
