Guide for students to achieve careers goals despite COVID Impact

As most college activities are on standstill due to COVID-19, most students are concerned about its impact on their career dreams. Fret not; proper planning and preparations will fetch the students’ fruitful results. Here are a few measures suggested by Dr Vijaya Kumar, Principal, Vogue Institute of Art & Design towork towardsyour dream job:

Up-Skilling

Look for job opportunities and read the list of skills required for your preferred job. Introspect if you have all the skills needed for the job.

• If you have the skills, work towards excelling in it and create a project portfolio that can visually showcase your skill sets
• If you need more skills to match the job requirement, it’s time to work on it and make yourself job ready
• There are many online courses available for every domain. Be it Coursera, Udemy, Upgrad or more, you can work towards building your set of skills and making your CV stand out

Virtual networking

Start building your network on prominent platforms like LinkedIn. It can be one of the prominent support systems to make an entry into the industry.

• Touch base with Human Resource teams and employees that work in the domain that you are targeting
• Make a list of companies you would like to work with and build connections with the employees in the firm through social media platforms

Market research

It’s essential to keep yourself updated about the industry on a daily-basis

• Read about the market trends,the current scenario across the globe
• You should be in a position to understand the market before you enter it

Portfolio creation

Work on your resume and project portfolio. Upload your portfolio on jobsites, and LinkedIn to gain visibility among recruiters.

Stay digitally active

It’s essential to showcase your skills on digital platforms

• Regularly upload posts on social media platforms or create a blog that can highlight about your skills, projects and prior work
• If feasible, work on a personal project in your domain and highlightit in your portfolio

Interpersonal development

Work towards understanding your strengths and weaknesses.

• You can even opt for online psychometric assessments to understand more about your strengths and weak areas to work on
• It’s also time to focus on enhancing your communication and presentation skills sinceit isessential to pass the job selection processes

Attempt for virtual job interviews

Be open to explore job opportunities that can be executed virtually, a few companies are trying this option

Stay safe

Until the situation normalizes, stay safe and take all precautionary measures to keep yourself healthy and fit. Avoid walk-in and face-to-face interviews. It’s essential to be familiar with your surroundings and its safety at this time.

The impact is short term

The impact on industry is short term. Chinese Textile and Apparel sector have started working. In a short span of two months, other countries will also start the trade. The stringent measureshave been taken by different countries to stop the Corona.The sector will start the business within a short span. Fashion and apparel design professionals will have better future in the coming years. India has bright future from this corona learning.

Confidence is the key to success. Stay confident and believe in yourself!