Use Furlough or Working From Home to Boost Your Career

 Throughout the past couple of weeks, I have been catching up with candidates who now find themselves either on furlough or working from home. Both of which, if you’re not used to being in the house on such a regular basis, can prove difficult to adjust to. Whilst the world seems like an uncertain place – with no imminent sign of normality returning – you can take control over one very important thing: your career. It might sound ridiculous – how can you be thinking of job searching or professional development when many companies are likely to be scaling back on their hiring? Quite simply, with so much extra time (whether you’re completely on furlough or it’s time saved from your commute), you can use this as an opportunity to truly reflect on your career path. Here are some ideas as to what you can achieve: Hit the reset button If your usual working week consists of high stress, high volume work and you typically find yourself juggling a precarious work/life balance, now is the time to develop habits that will impact you positively when you do return to work. Whether that’s picking up a hobby like reading, yoga or learning a language, or simply learning to time manage your day a lot better. Upskill yourself That course you always wanted to do – whether it’s entirely relevant to your day job or not – is still waiting. Now is the perfect time to do it – it may even move your career in a slightly different trajectory. Maybe there have been changes in your sector that you have fallen behind with, so take the time to catch up on processes and procedures. Or you can take advantage of platforms such as LinkedIn Learning. Realign your goals It’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture when you are mired in the day to day. Take this time to think about where you want to see your career go – and that doesn’t necessarily mean a promotion or a pay rise, it could even mean cutting down your hours and readjusting your work/life balance. Do your homework Now is the time to do some research as to what a ‘step up’ or a new career path actually looks like. Will you need to earn some qualifications; travel more; manage a bigger team? You could also take the time to see what other businesses are offering in the way of career planning, progression and overall values – something might align with what you’re looking for. Take the time to get inspired. Coat of armour Now, more than ever before, resilience is key within a business and its employees. Sometimes, resilience is defined as the way in which some reacts to a situation and the speed at which they react. What can you do for your current employer; how can you adapt to new ways of working; what suggestions and ideas do you have that will make this situation better for everyone? Now is this time to add value. If you have any recruitment needs within the Scottish Payroll market – or would be keen to find out which roles might match your career plans – please get in touch with me as you normally would. Click here to see my details.