2020 was a year like no other, with work lives across the country and around the world turned upside down by lockdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As you look to the year ahead, now may feel like the right time to reassess the direction of your career and develop new skills. 

Whether it feels like you’ve learned all you can in your current role, or you’re looking to make a change and move industries, here are our top tips to boost your career in 2021. 

1. Decide what you want

When it comes to making the right career moves, the first step is working out exactly what you want. Doing a skills assessment is a great place to start, especially if you’re returning to work or considering changing careers. Online skills assessments are typically in a multiple-choice questionnaire format and can help you find out what interests and motivates you, along with identifying your existing skills and what you can do with them.

Think about your current role, the company you work for and the industry you’re in – is one aspect not ticking the boxes anymore? Identify the aspects of your career that you’d like to change and work backwards to create a plan of action. For example, if you want to take on more responsibility in your role or prepare for a management role, why not put yourself forward to lead on the next project, or arrange to shadow a senior colleague? 

2. Build your personal brand

Today's job market is more competitive than ever, and a recent Aviva study showed that over half (53%) of UK workers are ready to explore their options and change jobs this year due to COVID-19.

Social media is a great tool for growing your professional network and building your personal brand. What’s more, many companies use social media as a recruitment tool for finding and screening potential candidates, and your social media profile can speak louder than a plain CV. Start by updating your LinkedIn profile – sell yourself to potential employers with a great headline, a professional profile photo, and a well-thought-out summary page which highlights your top skills and experience.

Create and share content on your social networks; articles which you’ve created on LinkedIn will appear on your profile, so it’s an ideal way to communicate your professional interests and industry knowledge. Read more LinkedIn profile tips here. 

Along with LinkedIn, you’ll want to polish your other social media profiles too. Your social media presence has the power to help (or harm) your job-hunting success, so keep your profiles consistent and on-brand. Make sure your content is appropriate and check older posts and activity to make sure there isn’t anything which could stand out in the wrong way. 

3. Upskill

Upskilling is the process of improving your existing skills and developing new ones. Upskilling boosts your employability and can give you greater bargaining power when it comes to promotions or finding a new job.

There are lots of ways to upskill yourself, from volunteering, to attending webinars and online courses, taking advantage of resources at work, or taking on projects at work which are outside of your usual remit. 

Start by identifying your aims – once you know what you want to achieve, you can work out what you need to get there. Determine the skills you need to work on, from ‘soft’ skills such as communication, interpersonal skills and time management, to ‘hard’ or technical skills that your job (or the job you want) requires. Looking at the job descriptions of roles that you’re working towards and comparing the required skills with your own is a good way to identify any development areas. 

4. Stay up to date with the job market

Keep an eye on business and hiring trends in your sector – or the one you want to move into. Industry websites, blogs and publications are all good sources of information. Groups and pages on social networks like LinkedIn can also help keep you up to speed on the latest and emerging trends in your sector.

Across many industries, an increasing use of remote or ‘virtual’ work practices is one of the trends spiked by the pandemic but expected to stay for the long haul. In a recent Bullhorn survey, 57% of staffing professionals said that they see remote recruitment (57%) and onboarding (42%) becoming more common, and over 90% of headhunting agencies have adopted video interviewing tools to engage with candidates.

Here are some of the job sectors expected to thrive in 2021: 

• E-commerce
  Research by Barclays Corporate Banking found that more than one in four (26%) of industry leaders believe that the pandemic has sped up a "technological revolution" in retail. Businesses of all types and sizes shifted to a “digital first” mindset, implementing or enhancing online shopping offerings, contactless payment facilities, home deliveries, and click-and-collect orders. The research also found that the boom in online shopping during the pandemic has seen more than (15%) of UK retailers create roles specifically to cater to an increase in digital sales and to boost online capacity. 
  
  By 2024, online sales are expected to make up almost one third (32%) of the UK’s retail sales revenue, so the future looks bright for candidates looking to build a career in e-commerce.

   

• Healthcare
  Hiring for healthcare support staff saw 104% growth in 2020, with demand driven by the social distancing measures put in place as a result of the pandemic. At the same time, a recruitment drive for nursing roles is expected to continue, amid the government's commitment to supply the sector with 50,000 new nurses by 2025.
  
  Other job sectors set to experience jobs growth this year include social media marketing, customer service, real estate, education, and artificial intelligence. According to reports, demand for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) will also rise in various industries, with the increasing use of tablet computers and smartphones a key driver for the AR and VR market.

For more career advice, check out our other candidate blogs here. If you need help updating your CV or to find out about our latest roles, contact your local Adecco branch and connect with a recruiter today!