Finding work in a socially distant time

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How do you find yourself a new job or job hunt in a period of uncertainty?

Although the current situation is having a substantial effect on all aspects of our lives whether social or economic right now, it has also increased the requirement for certain types of jobs.

Whilst your Campus Jobs position may not be possible right now, or you may have had to shorten your hours and work from home, there may be other options available to you.

We would urge you to not forget about other roles that may still be live on the Campus Jobs system such as Unibuddy Ambassador or Calling Campaigns, these types of campaigns can be done remotely as long as you have access to an internet connection, laptop/computer and telephone.

We still recommend keeping track of the Campus Jobs social media and communications in the meantime and we will endeavor to let you know as soon as any other work opportunities become available over the coming months.

But what else could you be considering whilst spending more time at home? Here are some of our suggestions:

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Staff Needed

 

Supermarkets!

If you have found yourself out of work whilst back at home, or struggling to make ends meet, we would recommend contacting your local supermarkets, many are crying out for new staff for handling stock and shelf filling as well as checkouts. All the major names such as Aldi, Lidl, Sainsburys, Tesco, Morrison’s and Asda have all posted online that they are recruiting for thousands of new temporary workers during this unprecedented period.

Think local

Alternatively if you have a clean driving license you may want to consider being a delivery driver either for a supermarket with the increasing demand for home deliveries, or for local pubs/restaurants and take away providers who are having to adapt now that they cannot stay open to the public. We recommend checking the job description for delivery positions as there may be particular licensing requirements. It may be worth calling your local businesses such as pubs/shops/restaurants to enquire if they are in need of delivery drivers.

Volunteering

Now is also a good time to consider what you can do to support your community voluntarily, whether you are able to deliver essentials to vulnerable people at their homes, or are able to pick up prescriptions from the pharmacy to deliver, there may be somethings you can do to help. Social media is a hive of activity for posts sharing requirements for volunteers right now, particularly for organisations like the NHS, so keep a look out.

For more information about volunteering in general and to find local opportunities, you can visit or contact your local volunteer centre. Alternatively, you can visit the NCVO (National Council for Voluntary organisations) web page ‘I want to volunteer’ for everything you need to know to get started or you can also search for volunteering opportunities in your local area on the Volunteering Matters web pages. Please also note, all of your Volunteering, whether remote or on-site, will continue to count for the Red Award.

Internships

Did you know that the Reading Internship Scheme has “virtual” internships available during the summer months, these will be 4+ week placements whereby you will assist a local employer virtually with any particular projects they need assistance with. Applications are still welcomed through My Jobs Online.

Future of Job Roles

If the period of social distancing measures continues, we envisage a rise in virtual roles becoming available, such as a rise in the need of online home tutoring support, or call centre/ online agents available to answer queries online ( you may have noticed that many retailers and banks already do this function alongside the option of face to face customer service).

What else should you do in the meantime?

Now is a really good time to perfect your CV and to include any new work experience or achievements you’ve had whilst at University.  You can still liaise with the careers service virtually for appointments or for CV workshops, so why not get a careers consultant to help you make your CV stand out.

To view the careers online resources and find out how to interact with their team virtually go here.

Don’t forget to keep your LinkedIn profile up to date, and monitor updates from organisations and businesses by following their pages, the Careers team and Employer Engagement Team are also active on LinkedIn sharing any opportunities they come across.

If you’d like some tips on utilising LinkedIn to your best ability and perfecting your profile, why not listen to the recent Campus Jobs Podcast – “Glow Up Your LinkedIn” where Sadie spoke to Daniel Mitchell from careers about all things LinkedIn. Listen here.

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Some of our top picks for your job search are:

And finally

If you have any queries or need some further advice regarding your job on campus please do not hesitate to contact us at campusjobs@reading.ac.uk or if you need assistance with your job search at home, securing an internship or perfecting your CV please contact careers using their virtual platforms above or emailing careers@reading.ac.uk

Stay safe and stay well and we hope to see you all soon!

Careers Team & Campus Jobs

Written by Rachel Jeans, Campus Jobs Deputy Manager