Losing your job, or the fear of losing it, is now the nightmare scenario for millions worldwide as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
The prospect of finding a new job will become enormously more difficult – perhaps impossible for some – as a result of the catastrophic economic effects now unfolding.
Putting things into UAE perspective, a Dubai Chamber of Commerce survey has revealed that an astonishing 70% of Dubai businesses are expected to close in the next 6 months.
In the past, losing a job for many in the UAE has meant packing up and heading home, wherever that may be, to begin a new job search.
But with forecasts that more than 40 million jobs will be lost in the US alone, and this horrific pattern spreading worldwide, the grim challenge being faced by job seekers is unprecedented.
Many of the employers now being flooded with CVs are in no position to recruit, even if they survive the rest of the year.
There is hope, however, for jobseekers, and it lies somewhere between the certainty that many companies will survive, entrepreneurs are already coming up with innovative ways to launch and drive business forward, and everyone has an opportunity to make more of themselves as a potential employee.
The biggest mistake that many will make is to think only in terms of who they’ve worked for up until now, what positions they’ve held and which specific sectors they’ve worked in.
This will only further restrict their prospects in a world where the candidates-per-job ratio is multiplied many times over.
They key is to take a good hard look at yourself, who you are, what you offer, and what makes you stand out. Identify your main skill sets, what you’re good at, what have been your best achievements, and why you’ll be an asset to a future employer.
This will help you to identify a wider range of potential new job openings, and potentially a new career in a direction, or sector, you’ve never previously considered.
It’s not just a case of rewriting your CV. It’s a matter of changing your mindset.
A friend once asked me to help out a pal who had lost his job as travel manager of a big British football club.
Within weeks he was working for a major airline, where his new job was to manage and negotiate international sponsorships in sport.
In unparalleled times, maybe your time has come.