The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) was introduced to minimise the number of people made redundant during the pandemic.

Despite all the efforts, a lot of people will unfortunately still lose their jobs. It is estimated that 42% of gross staffing reductions will result in permanent layoffs.

For some employees that haven’t had the call to return to work, it might be worth it to start considering the possibility of looking for another position.

A lot of companies are hoping to bring the workforce back, but they can’t promise that will happen. So, the safest move if you have been on furlough is to start researching for new positions available. You always have the chance to stay where you are if they offered your job back!

42% of recent furloughs could become permanent

Why does it make sense to job-hunt during furlough?

After all, furlough periods are the best time to find another job as it reduces the financial stress related to unemployment.

Imagine that in a month you are told your furlough is becoming a permanent layoff, what would you wish you’d done during this time?

What can you do to find a new job while on furlough?

Like at any other time, you should start by determining what you have to offer to employers.

Work on your skills: as you are on furlough, you can use it as an opportunity to work on your skills and achieve new ones.
Define your skillset: What skills do you have? Which of your skills is more applicable to the job? Are you including your soft skills as well as your hard skills?
Have a look at the job opportunities available and make a list of the ones that could be the right fit for you.

Before applying to a job, it’s advisable to research the company, their personality and culture. After all, the company has to be the right fit for you too! This will also be extremely valuable for the application process, as you will have a more detailed idea of what they are looking for.
Work on your interview skills. If you haven’t been in a job interview for a while, it’s a good idea to practise in advance. A job interview can make it o break it. You don’t want to blow your opportunities of getting a job in just five minutes, right?

Don’t be scared of asking questions yourself, after all, you also need to find out if the opportunity is what you are looking for!

Get comfortable with the idea of a remote hiring process. Expect to do multiple video or phone interviews, so you might want to explore the most used video technologies and use them to do practice interviews.

Also, check your background! You don’t want your possible employer to see your messy room while you talk up about your organisational skills.

Write your CV

Your CV will highly depend on the job you are applying for, your experience and your qualifications. If you are a highly qualified person with not much experience, you will focus on the prior. If, on the other hand, you have a lot of experience, explain what that’s taught you!

If you already had one CV, update it and tailor it to the different companies and job positions you want to apply for. They will need different information, skillset, tone of voice… Don’t just create a ‘one size fits all’!

Here are some tips on how to write your CV. Once you have that, get in touch for a FREE CV review from a trained careers advisor.