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Growing your career in the time of Covid-19

By Paula Delos Reyes, Contributor

#GrowYourCareer #CareerGrowth #CandidateGuide #JobHuntingTips

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the way we work. The conditions for finding jobs and even its availability have changed. Rest assured that we at Xcruit are committed to connecting employees and employers, and supporting the Filipino workforce in every way that we can.

As the world slowly eases back to life outside, we look at one thing that we learned to appreciate more: job security.

At this time of uncertainty, we saw how offices moved from cubicles to the comforts (sometimes discomfort) of our own homes. (Or as people have shared online, "It is not working from home; it is staying at home during a crisis trying to work.") Organizations and employees braced up to implement business continuity measures. Entrepreneurs, freelancers, and service providers had to find ways to keep life going.

Is it a luxury to think of career growth during a pandemic, at this time when millions of people globally lost more than their livelihood?

We are not always fine, but we need to cope and adjust

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times.
But that is not for them to decide.
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

-J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of The Rings

Our goal as a human race is to survive this pandemic, and to help others do the same. Life stops and goes on at the same time. Our work has played—and continues to play—an essential part in our lives. It’s up to us where we want to take it and how we want our careers to grow.

Acknowledging the importance of our work in trying times

We keep our work to help life go on, and to help others continue their lives as well. Is it wise to change jobs while the world is recovering, and we are looking for certainty and stability? This is where you should be more discerning. Aside from fresh graduates looking to apply for their first job, I think it is safe to say that there are five types of candidates (who have work experience) now:

  • People who need to replace the job they lost
  • People who realized they need more work benefits or need to change the nature of their work
  • People who have been wanting to grow their careers pre-pandemic, it’s just that they were caught in this limbo

In an office setting, growing your career can also mean one of two things:

  • Advancing your career in your current company
  • Moving forward in another company

While the second one might be tricky at this time, it is still possible to find a job. Online job sites in the Philippines (such as Xcruit) have been around for a while, and you can apply for work anytime. If you need to find work now, know that there are jobs available for you when you actively look for it. There are Frontliner Jobs, and there are Work-from-Home Jobs. Companies have now embraced digitally processing job applications, so prepare yourself for submitting work requirements via e-mail and job interviews over conferencing apps.

You can also opt for the first one, which is to advance your career in your current company. How? Show that you are ready to move your career forward. Equip yourself for promotion. Take trainings that can help you achieve the career growth you are aspiring for. You can take certification courses or sign up for free trainings from Xcruit. Check the Xcruit training calendar for the schedule and to sign up for a class.

Careers are essential. Our jobs put food on the table for our families, and roofs above our heads. We grow as a person, and as part of a community, in our jobs. We’ve cultivated some of our most important relationships at work. We also see the value of non-monetary benefits all the more now (such as HMO and paid leaves). Just remember to go after what feels right for you. And when you do, Xcruit is right with you.

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