The past few months have seen a period of stagnation for many people as they are confined to their homes for much more time than usual. However, the internet makes it easier than ever to boost your skills and your career prospects without setting foot outside your front door. Using this time wisely can seriously help your career as we enter ‘the new normal’. With this in mind, here are a few great tips that will allow you to boost your career prospects online.
Reconnect with Previous Contacts
Think back to some of your previous roles and the people that you worked alongside. How long has it been since you last got in touch with them? Now is a fantastic time to send them a message to see how things are going. Not only do you get the pleasure of reconnecting with old friends and acquaintances, but you may find out about new career opportunities. Alternatively, you could try networking with some people who work in a field that you would like to get into. It is easier than ever to make contacts through services like LinkedIn, so try reaching out with some messages. Many people are happy to be asked about their area of expertise and may well give you some beneficial advice.
Develop Your Online Presence
Employers often do a Google search to find out more about their prospective candidates, so it makes sense that you tidy up your online presence. The most obvious place to start is to give your LinkedIn profile a refresh. Still, you could also check your other social media accounts to make sure that there is nothing potentially embarrassing on there – or you could at least update your privacy settings! If you work in a creative field, it is a useful activity to create an online portfolio where you can display your work. Using a design program to give your resume a refresh can also help you to stand out from the usual cut-and-paste templates. You may even want to go a step further in enlisting the help of a professional designer, web developer, and/or a professional photographer to give yourself the edge over your competitions.
Research Your Industry
With continuing rapid improvements in technology, many industries are advancing at a fast rate. If you don’t keep up with the latest trends, you are in danger of getting left behind. Therefore, now is an excellent opportunity to delve deeper by checking out blogs, trade publications, and the latest news about your industry to help you stay on top. Alternatively, if you are thinking about entering a new field, now is the time to do some research into it to help you make the transition. One of the best forms of new media available these days is podcasts, which are often free and packed with useful information. Other options include watching TED talks and webinars and attending conferences. Of course, if you prefer to do things the old-fashioned way, you can’t go wrong with a good book!
Take an Online Course
The range and breadth of online courses available these days allow you to study all manner of useful topics to improve your skills. Whether you want to learn something simple or you have a specific career path in mind, such as becoming a nurse practitioner, you can do so with courses like PMHNP online programs. Perhaps you want to learn something that is not directly related to your career, such as a new language. As well as accredited qualifications, there are also plenty of useful free courses out there. The more skills you have, the higher the number of career prospects that are likely to be available to you.
Join Online Groups and Forums
Rather than just allowing your learning and development to be passive, you can take an active involvement in your field by joining and contributing to groups and forums. As well as being a useful idea-sharing platform, you can also use them as a networking tool to make new connections and contacts. Many people tend to scroll through forums without contributing, but it is worth trying to contribute yourself as you get an entirely different experience.
These few steps are easy to undertake for anyone, but they can make all the difference when it comes to progressing your career and achieving your working goals. Plus, they can all be undertaken from the comfort of your own home, which is essential in our modern world.
