​The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the employment landscape and fresh graduates are now faced with an uncertain path ahead.

Finding a job in the current job market situation is challenging – headcount freezes, layoffs and high unemployment numbers mean competition for jobs is higher than ever. Without much working experience, fresh graduates will need to differentiate themselves from the pool of job applicants and secure the job they want.

Here are some tips that fresh graduates can use in their job search during a pandemic:

1. Build your online presence

With more people working online, using social media to build your branding online can help you gain more visibility among potential employers. LinkedIn – one of the world’s largest professional networking site for professionals – is a great place to start. You should optimize your LinkedIn profile in your job search so that recruiters can reach out to you for suitable opportunities. You can also use other platforms like Facebook, Instagram and even TikTok to build your brand. For example, if you are a graphic designer, you can upload your artwork on Instagram to showcase your work. Aspiring content creators can post their video creations on YouTube or TikTok which can be used as portfolio of works.

2. Expand your network

Building networks, both online and off, can help make your job search more efficient and contribute to your career growth in the long run. Connect with prospective employers and recruiters on social networking sites like LinkedIn to market yourself and learn about job openings available. Besides networking, you can join groups or pages dedicated for job seekers on Facebook or LinkedIn to learn about new job vacancies and get acquainted with fellow job seekers. Our LinkedIn page, where we share career tips and latest job opportunities, is a good place to start.

3. Upskill yourselves

When countries started imposing lockdowns and movement restrictions, many learning organizations started opening up their online courses to the public for free to encourage people to stay home and learn. Fresh graduates can use this downtime to learn new skills that can complement their existing skillsets so that they will be better positioned when more opportunities open up in the job market. You can learn for free on ManpowerGroup’s online learning portal powerYOU, which has over 10,000 technical and non-technical courses available in various languages. What’s more, you can include the certificates acquired from the online classes in your CV.

4. Practice for Online Interview

With movement restrictions and other safety measures in place, most companies are conducting job interviews virtually. Master video interviews by first familiarizing yourself with common video conference tools such as Zoom and Webex. Even though you’re not meeting the interviewer physically, you still need to make sure you are dressed professionally and prepare for the interview by practicing your answers to tough interview questions.

5. Be Open to Opportunities

Job opportunities are hard to come by during this pandemic. Instead of waiting for your dream job to appear, be open to taking on other forms of work to develop transferable skills that are in-demand in every industry, such as communication and analytical thinking, and gain the exposure and experience that can help you move on to a better role in the future.

Finding a job during the current health crisis will be tough, but do not give up. Keep working on things that you can control and make use of this downturn to prepare yourself for when opportunities return.