Recent times have been challenging for the whole world due to the shutdowns created by the COVID19 outbreak – and the UK is no exception. Reports suggest that the pandemic led to a 9.9% shrink in the UK economy.
This has also had an impact on job creation and recruitment. With challenges hitting from every direction, most companies faced an economic crunch and deliberately avoided recruitment during the pandemic – and now, the state of recruitment itself in the UK has also changed. Let’s have a look at how candidates can best present themselves to attract an employer in the new world.
Increase Your Value On LinkedIn
Recruitment, Employment and the recruitment methods in the UK have changed during the pandemic as, like everything, recruitment switched to online. This has increased the value of LinkedIn more for both recruiters and job seekers. LinkedIn has evolved and candidates can use their profile and their updates to present a positive impression to both recruitment agencies and in-house recruiters. It can offer exciting opportunities if used well – however think carefully about what you post, it’s a professional platform, not social media, so present a professional image.
LinkedIn provides both parties with an easy and smooth user experience. Job seekers are presenting their CVs on this platform in a very creative way – although candidates can also actively use the platform to search for jobs. This is being actively encouraged by specialist recruiters like, Lightning Travel Recruitment. So, if you are searching for jobs, then having an outstanding CV on your optimized LinkedIn profile may help you.
Online Recruitment : Get Creative with your CV
The world has moved on from a time when job seekers just wrote a quick summary of their career on a simple page in an easy format. The world has changed and become more creative, and in the digital age candidates can use their creativity to help their CV get noticed – as well as a perfect introductory email, presenting your CV in a creative way will help you stand out from the crowd.
Being creative in preparing your CV will help illustrate your creative skills to a potential employer right at the initial stage of the recruitment process, the most crucial one. Whether it’s linking to a short, online video statement or using sparkling copy to show your creativity, or an unusual layout, you can make your CV stand out from the crowd.
However, don’t go too far – your potential employer will still expect to see your employment history in chronological order so as to to highlight your most recent achievements. Be creative enough to stand out, and keep your CV simple enough to retrieve information quickly. One last tip: Creativity may extend to copy and layout but DON”T be creative with the truth! Be honest, professional, and present your best self.
Shaking Up The Recruitment Process
The pandemic has changed the scene of recruitment worldwide; the UK is no exception. While pre-pandemic years saw recruitment boom, post-pandemic we have seen a shake up, with rising unemployment, but also a shift in sectors which are hiring. The hospitality industry is struggling to find talent, with staff having left during furlough, meanwhile, new employees in other sectors are looking for hybrid working opportunities, but tech sector talent continues to be prized and the best candidates will go to the employers who have the best EVP.
The route to employment has changed, with video interviews, a wider talent pool thanks to remote working, and the best candidates will work with the best recruiters. Some companies still haven’t changed their strategy of having a three-round interview that most candidates couldn’t withstand during pre-covid times, and they will not do it now either.
When we look to what has changed post-pandemic, the desirable candidates with the highest skills will still find themselves in high demand – maybe more so now that distance is no longer a barrier to employment. However, in order to attract them, recruitment agencies need to work with employers to help them get their EVP right.