The duration of the job search process varies from person to person and is often dependent on the company and the industry that you want to work in. Unfortunately, sometimes, it can take a lot longer than you expect to search for a job but we have some top tips to help you use this time wisely...
At Europe Language Jobs, one of our favourite mottos is to 'Never Stop Learning!'. Even if you are extremely experienced and advanced within your career, it's important to keep learning new skills and to keep working towards a better version of yourself.
During your job searching period, you may find that you have a lot more free time than usual and if so, this is the perfect opportunity to learn some new skills that will improve your employability!
If you're craving more tips on how to boost your employability, check out our webinar with a professional career coach!
Basic Computer Skills
Due to the rise in technology, new job roles and ways of working are constantly being introduced. There are so many job roles that exist today that hadn't before, from Cloud Architects, Social Media Assistants, SEO Managers, Email Marketing Executives, and many more!
Within each of these roles (the less-technical ones too), you will need a selection of computer skills and although they may seem obvious to some of you, not everyone is familiar with them!
The type of programs and applications you use will depend on the company you work for and their preferences, but we recommend familiarizing yourself with a variety of different programsto boost your skillset!
1. Email & Scheduling apps
If you are searching for your first job out of college or university, it is completely normal to feel inexperienced in certain tasks, from writing emails to using the different calendar and email applications.
But don't worry - you can use this job searching period to familiarise yourself with these different activities and enhance your employability! Some of the commonly used email apps and calendar apps are Google, Apple & Outlook.
2. Microsoft Office
Microsoft Word and Excel are a staple in many offices. You might think that Excel is full of functions and formulas that are too complicated and irrelevant for many positions and industries, but it is also one of the best tools to make lists and filter large amounts of information.
3. Gsuite
Google docs, Google sheets, slides, forms, apps etc.- they are all essential for modern job roles. These programmes have multiple functions and are accessible to all, so make the most of them!
4. Presentation Software
Powerpoint and Prezi might not be used on a daily basis in any job position, but they can be a great add-on to your skillset.
For example, when you're giving your annual report in front of your boss and colleagues, it will be so much easier to digest when paired with an aesthetically pleasing presentation that helps to visualise the data.
5. Video conference tools
Especially nowadays, when working from home is becoming more common abound companies, it is essential to be able to connect to your colleagues.
Zoom, Google Hangouts, and Microsoft Teams are popular choices among companies, but WhatsApp, Viber, and Slack are also commonly used.
6. Image editing tools
Yes, Adobe Photoshop can be a hard thing to learn! The yearly subscription is often considered too pricy for a non-professional user to afford.
However, you can try to familiarize yourself with Canva, a very user-friendly software that not only offers great versatility in terms of design templates but also allows for intuitive image editing, enabling you to enhance visuals with ease.
7. CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tools
These are a category of software that helps companies track interactions with their clients or collaborators. Features include logging in calls and emails, keeping a client profile, and following up on historical communication with the client.
Some companies have CRM tools made especially for them, and some use commercial ones such as Salesforce and HubSpot CRM.
8. Project Management Tools
Asana, Monday, and Wrike are online platforms that help teams delegate and follow up on different tasks and projects.
Language Skills
Learning a new language can seem like a daunting and difficult task, but it's one of the most sought-after skills in employment. Of course, you can't just learn the ins and outs of a language in a couple of weeks, but you can at least start!
Learning a new language in your free time shows your motivation and dedication to self-teach, and it most certainly helps you to stand out from the crowd! According to studies, multilingual people earn 8% more than their monolingual fellows - along with other benefits.
Learning a language doesn't have to be a time-consuming and expensive process. There are fun ways to learn through courses, apps, and other training methods.
We highly recommend registering with the ESL Language School. This is a fun and informative method of learning and a nice way to meet new people along the way.
It might also be a good idea to do some research in advance about which language might give you the most prospects. You can ask yourself questions like:
- Which languages are in the highest demand in the market you are interested in?
- Which language do you feel most passionate about, maybe because it’s close to your native one, or you have simply always wanted to learn it?
An easy way to take the plunge with a new language is to use an app on your phone and learn on the go, especially if you are a beginner. Apps like Duolingo, Memrise, Babbel, Busuu, and Lingopie can be your first steps to success.
By learning a new language, you show potential employers your determination and motivation to learn things outside of your career. By becoming multilingual, you are opening the doors to other opportunities around the world!
In like manner, your CV language section becomes more impressive and appealing to companies and recruiters. To ensure that it is, it's also important how you write your language skills in the resume. It is a sure way of boosting your employability!
Many find it a lot easier to learn a language after they have moved to that particular country. For this reason, we highly recommend moving abroad for a language course or relocating for a job, it's the best way to immerse yourself into the culture and start learning!
Learning Platforms
As we have mentioned earlier, it is important to make good use of your time during your job search. As well as searching for new roles and opportunities, you can make yourself more employable by earning new reputable certifications in your field, learning new skills, and as a result, becoming more advanced in your career!
These skills don't just have to be digital - you may learn something that can benefit your day-to-day life such as team building, public speaking, or body language training. As we have mentioned previously, no matter how experienced you are, it's important to never stop learning.
You can make yourself stand out from other candidates and increase your employability by taking free (or paid) short online courses and adding the certification to your CV. You may acquire a set of skills that lots of recruiters and employers are looking for!
There are a lot of different websites that you can use to practice and learn new skills online. Here is a very small selection of them;
Consider an Internship
Use this reflection period to define your career path and discover exactly what type of role you are looking for. Internships are not just for students.
By learning completely new skills during this job searching period, you can open the door to new opportunities that you might not have considered before! An alternative yet effective way of gaining these new skills and improving your employability is by completing an Internship!
Internships enable you to 'test the waters' in your desired field before committing to a full-time job. By completing an internship, you can improve your existing skills whilst learning a selection of new skills in a hands-on environment.
Internships allow you to gain valuable experience in your industry, network with relevant people, and 'get your foot in the door' in that particular company or industry.
Networking Skills
Computer and language skills aren't the only ones to consider when thinking of how to boost your employability. By now, you must already know the importance of networking skills and how effective they can be when it comes to the workforce.
Whether you have a job or not, you should master this ability as it will open many doors when pursuing your career.
In order to put your networking skills into action there are a few things you could do:
- Participate in live conferences
- Join university career fairs
- Subscribe to online webinars & workshops
- Browse and connect with relevant companies/employees on LinkedIn
Remember - don't be disheartened if you are having trouble learning at home, the most important thing is that you start the process of learning a language to show employers that you are an active learner.
Feeling inspired? Visit our blog for more career advice! How can you be sure the information we provide is top-notch? We are a group of professionals working with recruiters, career coaches, and HR specialists from all over the world!
Trust our experience and let us help you find a new job in Europe!
Renata Repiska9mo ago
thanks you all for sharing/commenting, just went thru a few comments in this day and learnt and made notes where else to study at this moment the most I do dedicate time is learning American sign language, as PC skill looking into web dev where I can use my creativity, virtual assistance/blogging and also leadership/communication skills
thanks you all for sharing/commenting, just went thru a few comments in this day and learnt and made notes where else to study at this moment the most I do dedicate time is learning American sign language, as PC skill looking into web dev where I can use my creativity, virtual assistance/blogging and also leadership/communication skills