We know that job hunting is stressful. However, middle-of-a-pandemic job hunting is taking it to a whole new level! You’ve had to learn to compete with other candidates on a scale you’ve never experienced before — as well as how to manage virtual interviews with understandably wary employers. And whether you’re after permanent or temporary jobs in London, job hunting right now is pretty stressful.
We’ve been chatting to some of our recent candidates, who we’ve placed through our London recruitment agency, to discover how they handled the pressure.
The uncertainty has been painful
Gabe says that uncertainty was the hardest part of his job search: “I actually started looking for a new role when the word ‘furlough’ was new to us all. I’m glad I did because I was made ultimately redundant, but I was prepared. However, the uncertainty of the last year has really taken its toll. It’s been a new playing field for everyone, and feeling like I didn’t know what I was doing was horrible! It really helped being supported by Love Success as I felt like we were navigating it together!”
There’s been a lot of frustration
Ruhan was looking for office support jobs in London when the first lockdown hit. He ended up taking a temp role and has since been given a two-year contract. “It quickly became clear that Covid was going to make job hunting harder,” he said. “I had a hopeful interview cancelled right at the beginning, and it was a sign of things to come. I would apply for roles and then discover the employer had changed their minds. There was so much frustration. Everywhere I turned, people just sort of shrugged their shoulders and muttered, ‘Coronavirus’. I found my Love Success consultant was the only one who genuinely got how frustrating it was. They helped me see that some things were in my control. That’s why I moved over to looking for temporary jobs instead. It was the right call.”
I’ve been so bored
Betty was furloughed early on and kept holding out for her return to work until finally deciding she needed to take control in the autumn. “To begin with, it was fun with lots of baking, reading, gardening and sunbathing,” she told us. “I was able to ignore the gnawing sense that my career had stalled. However, I’d only come off furlough for a few months before I was back on it again. This time I thought ‘no, this is boredom, and it’s no good for my career or my mental wellbeing’. So, from furlough, I started looking for jobs outside of my industry. Having the time to complete applications, send off CVs, and attend virtual interviews gave me inspiration. I handed in my resignation during the pandemic — I didn’t think that would happen!”
It’s been incredibly nerve-wracking
“I’ve never exactly liked interviews,” says Alice. “But that first time doing a virtual interview was so nerve-wracking that I was almost sick. There was so much invested in this slightly disjointed chat in my living room. It felt surreal and so important at the same time. After that first time, which I admit was a disaster, I spent some time with my Love Success consultant practising. The difference was enormous. I was then calmer and succeeded in getting a job I’m now really enjoying.”
Take a look at our latest available jobs. Do get in touch, and we’ll help you through the stresses and strains of this particularly tough time for candidates.
Love Success is a leading London PA & office support recruitment agency.
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