Anybody who suddenly finds themselves out of work will suffer a range of emotions. And one of them will almost certainly be panic, what can they do for the rest of their career?
Many will find themselves in this situation because their sector has been very badly hit by the current crisis. Completely understandable, but if you have always worked in the sector, how can you find work?
The fact is that all of us have skills that are transferable to other jobs. But you might not recognise it.
Perhaps you have been working in the hospitality industry – good with people, used to working long hours. Who needs those other skills?
Or you have been working in a highly specialised engineering environment, what else can you do?
I suppose there are two parts to the answer. First of all, are you looking for a permanent solution, or something that will get you by until we get through this crisis? Because many of the industries that are currently decimated will surely come back in some form or another in two or three years time, perhaps even sooner than that.
And just as many sectors are closing down, others are opening up. You probably do not need reminding that delivery drivers are in greater demand than ever. Or that, with the explosion of green energy projects around, that sector needs engineers, technicians and technical experts like never before.
Or with Brexit on the horizon, the health service and even the teaching profession will be running short of new recruits at some stage next year.
And your transferable skills, whether they are technical, whether they are people skills or your natural competitiveness are equally at home in other industries and other sectors.
And the key skills that most of us have that employers really want are reliability, intelligence and trustworthiness. If they can find the people with the right attitude, they can train in their technical skills. Never underestimate your ability to do a job properly and conscientiously. It is a great starting point for any recruiter.
