Tips for rebuilding your confidence when you’ve been out of work

Words by Liz Sebag‑Montefiore

Young people and new graduates entering the labour market were hit particularly hard last year as recruitment stalled. Now, the market seems to be on the upturn and there will be better employment opportunities for young people and although the jobs market remains tough, students need to work on their interview skills and engaging with employers.

Working from home has also meant a difficult start in professional life for new graduates who secured roles during lockdown. It’s hard to build relationships, find your place in the bigger picture and ask for help and guidance in a remote working situation.

These are my top tips for jobseekers as we return to the office in the post-pandemic world.

Network, network, network

In the virtual recruitment environment, using your network is crucial for getting ahead in your career; 80% of jobs are secured through a network connection so it's well worth making the effort. 

Proactively network with everyone who might be able to help you; this may include ex-employers, suppliers and customers, friends from the gym or from volunteering, tutors and other contacts - your network can be as wide as you like. 

Cultivate your network using the digital resources that enable easy and simple interactions so that you are regularly checking in with contacts. Whether by email, exchanges on social media, setting up a virtual coffee, or allowing a little social time in a virtual meeting - our increased ease with online media facilitates natural and spontaneous exchanges.

It’s a good time to build new contacts which are meaningful because of the value you bring to them; contacts who will stay part of your network even if you change jobs. These are the contacts who impact your ability to source new opportunities and share knowledge.

LinkedIn for success

Join LinkedIn if you're not currently on it and segment your network - this will mean you can target your networking activities more efficiently. Then ensure that your key contacts are on message with your plans and arrange to meet up with them as soon as you reasonably can. 

Review your LinkedIn profile and skills endorsements, make sure they are appropriate and aligned with what you are telling your network about your future plans and aspirations. If your profile looks a little sparse, ask for endorsements, post some comments and articles, and share information. Engage with LinkedIn - there’s no point being on LinkedIn if you don’t do anything with it!

Approach recruiters and employers using the LinkedIn platform, it’s the biggest job board on the internet with more than 250 million personal profiles. Initiate conversations with contacts to increase your chances of securing an internship or place on a graduate scheme, make sure you are in the know about current business activities and opportunities in organisations you have on your target list.

The elevator pitch

Put together an elevator speech around 1-2 minutes in length which outlines who you are and what you're looking to do.

This allows you to introduce yourself in a way that will impress anyone you meet in a professional situation, whether at a networking event or with the hiring manager at the company where you really want to work. When you introduce yourself with confidence, the other person will want to know more about you. It's not just about what you say, but how you say it. 

Prepare your pitch in advance and practice it assiduously. You will need to tailor your delivery to the circumstances of the meeting, but the overall goal is to establish a confident and conversational tone.

Plan ahead

Take the time to think ahead. Where do you see yourself in three or five years’ time? A broad brush career plan gives a good basis for further exploration of the options and possibilities that may be available.

Write a career plan for the next 12-18 months; all the research shows that if you have a career plan, you're much more likely to achieve your goals. It is not set in stone - it should evolve as circumstances change. 

If you already have a career plan, then take a good look at how close you are to achieving your objectives and set some targets for the coming year. A strategic career plan will enable you to thrive in a dynamic work environment.

Pay it back

Help people when you can, look out for your contacts and pass on news or information that will add value and be useful to them. Networking is not simply a personal process but a communal system, the more diverse your relationships, the more diverse are the potential options and opportunities within reach. Key to advancing your own ends is to share with others; networking is meant to be reciprocal.

Invest in other people, because unless you make the effort, you won’t get the help you need. Reach out and connect with others; proactive networking should be considered an investment that will pay off in the future.

Say thank you to people who give you their time and assistance and let them know that you appreciate them.

Audit your skillset

Look beyond your chosen role and sector to explore how the market is moving, challenges in the sector, and disruptive technologies that may affect your career. Do some horizon-scanning to work out where you could strengthen skills or close a skills gap. Don’t forget that you also need to develop the soft skills that make an effective manager and leader.

Decide on a skill you are interested in and work out how to develop that skill and spend more time working with that skill. To be successful you need to embrace digital transformation, build new skillsets and capabilities and seize opportunities to transition into roles that use your skills and meet your aspirations.

You should be able to describe work-specific and employability skills and be prepared to answer interview questions about your abilities; prepare interview responses that are robust, concise and positive to tell potential employers why you will be a good fit, and why your experience makes you the best candidate for the role.

Focus on feedback

Seek feedback; ask what people like about you and what you do, and then ask what they think you should work on.

Self-aware professionals know that feedback is an essential component of effective learning. It’s key to how we improve our performance - constantly thinking about how we are doing and questioning ourselves as to how we can improve.

If you are ambitious to do well, you have already made a commitment to personal development, and this means you are prepared to engage in introspection and reflection. Use feedback to examine and analyse your behaviour, attitudes, and values.

Find a mentor

Identify someone who looks like you on LinkedIn, someone in a similar job, either in the same or a different industry and reach out to them; see if you can arrange to do some peer to peer mentoring.

A mentor helps by asking questions and challenging assumptions; providing guidance and encouragement. This enables you to explore new ideas, issues, opportunities and aspirations in a supportive environment. Mentoring aims to make the mentee more self-aware, responsible and purposeful.

Essentially a mentor is there to help you evaluate viable options and realistic approaches to securing a specific outcome. It’s aimed at developing the confidence and courage to apply agile and innovative thinking and deals with a multiplicity of challenges in a challenging recruitment environment.

Take heart

Logistics, healthcare, medicine, and retail (particularly online retailers) are busy and actively recruiting both apprentices and graduates. That said there is still competition for many roles, so it’s important to differentiate yourself when making applications in order to secure an interview. 

Don’t be too set on specific role; be flexible in terms of career pathways. When starting out it might be smart to take a chance on an internship or short-term placement; these positions may not be permanent, but might potentially open doors you may not have considered. If the industry where you want to work has been affected, consider a temporary role for the time being.

Remember that we are all adjusting to the changes engendered by the pandemic. Employers are adapting recruitment processes and working arrangements but there are still unknown aspects as to how the situation will develop, so recruitment may take longer than usual. Be patient but don’t be afraid to follow‐up to show you are serious about an opportunity.

Flexibility, agility and mobility will allow you to empower yourself and make informed choices for your future. The other key quality that will help you is resilience which will enable you to adapt to change, to adjust your plans and expectations when needed, and meet challenges head on.

Keep your options open so that as your work experience expands and you embark on your career path, you are able to exploit your career mobility. Stay on top of job alerts, regularly research competitive salaries and network proactively to ensure you don’t miss any opportunities. 

Liz Sebag-Montefiore is the director of 10Eighty a career and talent management consultancy.