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EURES (EURopean Employment Services)
News article21 August 2020European Labour Authority, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion

How to prepare your CV for a job search after COVID-19

As the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, employers will be looking for certain skills when they recruit new candidates. When preparing your CV for your next job search, check out our top five tips that will help you stand out.

How to prepare your CV for a job search after COVID-19
EURES

Include a variety of digital skills

The more digital skills you have, the better! Businesses around the world shifted to remote working almost overnight to protect their employees from COVID-19. They relied on technology more than ever and this isn’t expected to change following the pandemic. The more digital skills you have, the more likely you are to be successful in your job search. Employers will value experience with new online tools as well as the traditional Microsoft 365. Make sure you know how to share your screen and familiarise yourself with popular online collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

Highlight your ability to be flexible

To survive the pandemic, businesses had to be flexible. They adopted new ways of working in a very short space of time. Some businesses stopped making their normal products and started producing something else to meet new demands, such as face masks and hand sanitiser. Their flexibility enabled them to continue to pay their bills. As many businesses have had to change, they will be looking for people that can adapt with them when necessary. They’ll need people that can learn new skills, overcome challenges and embrace different working environments.

Demonstrate good communication

Face-to-face communication is becoming less common as remote working becomes more popular. With more opportunities for flexible working, good communication skills are essential. It’s important to demonstrate strong communication at every stage of the application process, starting with your CV. Your skills and qualities should be presented in a clear and formal way. Your CV is the perfect place to list the methods you use to communicate, including online tools. If you have any experience using online communication tools, be sure to include them!

Show emotional intelligence

As remote working increases, emotional intelligence has become more important. You need to be able to manage your emotions and motivate yourself (and sometimes others) when you are out of the office and away from your colleagues. Showing that you can build relationships and support your team when working remotely is a big plus!

Prove that you can think critically

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that critical thinking is a key skill to have. In uncertain times, critical thinkers have proven to be valuable employees by finding solutions to unexpected challenges. Even in unplanned situations, it’s important not to panic and make rational decisions.

So there you have it, our top five tips for preparing your CV for jobseeking after COVID-19. For more useful tips on remote working, see our How to be productive when you’re working from home.

In partnership with EURES, the European Job Mobility Portal.

 

Related links:

Microsoft 365

Microsoft Teams

Zoom

How to be productive when you’re working from home

 

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Articles are intended to provide users of the EURES portal with information on current topics and trends and to stimulate discussion and debate. Their content does not necessarily reflect the view of the European Labour Authority (ELA) or the European Commission. Furthermore, EURES and ELA do not endorse third party websites mentioned above.