Working from home has become the new norm for many of us during the pandemic. It may be that you had never worked from home before and have had to adapt to this totally new way of working. As lockdown and restrictions are lifted, it is likely that more and more of us will gradually start to return to the workplace. This may not be done instantly, instead it may be a slow process in which more and more people are bought back in over a set period of time.

When working from home it is vital that you stay focused and ensure that you can work efficiently without getting distracted. It is often very easy to get distracted when working from home as you have outside factors that may influence you such as other members of the house, noise from TV’s, radios or even your pets. You may also get distracted by the arrival of the post and before long have gone way off track with what you were supposed to be doing. Depending on what your job is, you may then have to make up this time or complete the work in the evening or at the weekends.

If you have been out of work over the last year due to the Covid pandemic and lockdown then you may find it hard to get back in to it. Some people have in fact lost their jobs or their business has not been able to survive, meaning that they may need to go through the whole recruitment process again. Others may have been on furlough so although they still have their job, they may not have had to go in to work or have had to work from home. adapting back to a usual way of working is going to take some time but there are steps you can take to help the transition. If you have been working from home or furloughed and you have been asked to start coming back in to work, try and get yourself ready beforehand. You may need to get back in to a routine of getting up early and you may struggle to remember how long your commute will take. Give yourself at least a week before hand where you can get up early and see how long it takes you to get ready, You may even wish to do a practice drive to work to see how long you need to allow. This will all help give you confidence when you do return to work and not worry about being late on your first day.

If you are having to look for a new job, then don’t lost hope. Although it may seem like there are not many job opportunities at the moment, it is likely that the situation will change when more businesses start to pick up and people can resume normal activity. Use this time to prepare for finding work. Ensure that your CV is up to date and that you have got everything you need to start applying for jobs. Think carefully about what it is you want to do and if you are considering changing careers, be sure that you have all the experience and qualifications needed to apply. If you do not have the qualifications needed then you may decide to go back in to education first.

It is easy to think that you cannot afford not to work and to return to education but there is often financial help and support out there to enable mature students back to education.

If you are looking to progress up the ladder in your current job then you need to ensure that you are proving yourself to be a valuable member of staff. Often the people that get promoted quickest are those that go the extra mile to prove their worth. It may be that you stay late and work extra hours as and when we required to ensure that all the work is done, or maybe you have pulled in some great contracts and earned the company a lot of money. There are a number of reason why you may be picked for a promotion.

If you have been in your current position for a feel and would like to be promoted then you may be able to ask if there is the possibility of a vacancy coming up in the near future. If not then it may be that you have to leave that position and move to a different company to get the job you really want. At this moment this may be quite difficult as lots of companies are not hiring anyone due to the situation with the Covid pandemic and the uncertainly that this brings to many.

If you are a business owner or manager who is in charge of recruitment then you will probably already know how time consuming it can be. It may be that you have different staff members in charge of different processes within recruitment and you need to manage these effectively.

There are numerous recruitment software packages out there that help make the whole process much easier to manage. If you are recruiting for a number of posts at the same time, his handy tool can allow you to keep track of the progress on that particular job post. It can also allow you to create posts and upload them to many jobs boards in the click of a button. This massive uploading to the job sites can save you hours of time and you can then keep track of which ones you get the most applications thorough. Often this recruitment software is free for a limited trial and then you will usually pay a monthly or annual subscription fee. Sometimes they create several packages so you can choose one that beat suits you and not have to pay for things you are not going to be using.

Finding work after you have decided to leave the armed forces can be hard. For some people, they may have no idea what they want to do and it could be that they have been in the forces since leaving school.

It may be that you have been in a very active role and need to find something that will keep you busy and allow you to be challenged as a desk job just may not suit it and you may find that you simply cannot stick at it. It is important to listen to what your head is telling you and don’t just go for something that you don’t feel passionate about. Obviously there are times when we simply just need to bring in a wage, but even if you have to take a job in something that you don’t enjoy, don’t stop looking for other work in the meantime.

Depending on what you want to do, you could do some voluntary work in a few different industries to try and establish what you will get fulfilment out of. This way you can try many different job roles before committing to long term employment.

Often you can get the opportunity to do courses or take additional exams to gain qualifications prior to leaving the forces. This can really help you get your foot on the careers ladder.

Moving onwards and upwards with your career is essential if you want to continue to push yourself and possibly earn more money. For some industries, it is easier than others to move up the ladder. Often if you can show that you are hardworking, good at what you do and trustworthy, you will start to move up very quickly. Other careers may require you to obtain other formal qualifications. For example, if you are a nurse but decide you want to be a doctor, you will need to return to university to undertake the official training required to gain the qualifications needed.

If you are happy in the job you do and with the company you work for then you may wish to try and obtain a promotion.

If the business you work for is family run, you may find that the management positions are mostly held by family members and therefore you have little chance of progressing. This is not always the case but you may find there comes a point where you cannot progress anymore and need to go to another company to be able to continue climbing up the careers ladder.

Larger organisations sometimes have set time scales where your progress will be reviewed.

There has been in recent times a vast increase in the number of new houses built in many towns and cities as the Government seek to address the problem of a housing shortage across the country and so an apprenticeship in the construction industry would guarantee the trainee extensive experience in this field.

It goes without saying that to apply for an apprentice position in this trade you must enjoy physical work that will be, at times, outdoors whatever the weather. The experiences you will gain could be anything from constructing scaffolding to plastering and anything in between. Should you have an interest in a particular area of construction such as electrical installations or plumbing it will be a good opportunity to see what the job involves whilst also picking up tips to make the job easier.

If you want to work abroad it is possible to do an apprenticeship with a company that has contracts overseas giving you the chance to travel too.

The financial rewards of working as an apprentice are not huge but should a permanent position arise in the company at a later date, you would in all likelihood stand a better chance of getting a job if you have worked for the company as an apprentice.

At the moment, it seems that a lot of people’s jobs are up in the air and not many of us feel very secure. No one knows exactly how long the current situation could last so it important that we look ahead to the long term.

If you are in a career which you feel you want to progress further in then now may be the time to start showing your worth. Many companies will be feeling the pressure of the Covid-19 pandemic and therefore any employee for goes above and beyond and shows willing is likely to be looked on favourable when this is over. It may be small things like dealing with a query when working from home which is out of your usually working hours or working longer hours or extra shifts if you are classed as a keyworker. Companies are always on the lookout for hardworking, dedicated, and loyal members of staff and if they find one, they are normally very quick to try and hold on to them.

If you want to try for a promotion at work then you should consider how you are going to approach your boss. If there is a position available often, they advertise it internally as well. If there isn’t currently a vacancy that doesn’t mean you can’t ask about one.

If you are looking for your first job after a career break or if you are looking for a change in career then you will need to firstly decide if you are willing to return to education or training or if you want to find a position that you are already qualified for. IF you want to find out more about positions that you already have the relevant qualifications and experience for then you could use one of the job search websites that have a quick quiz. It will usually ask you to list your qualifications and it will show you a number of jobs available to you. If you want something that is a little more specific then you may be better speaking to a job agency who will be able to advise you of positions that they have they may be suited to your skill set. If you are going to use an agency, it may be worth registering with more than one to give yourself the best opportunity to get a job.

Even if they do not have any current vacancies, having an idea of what you want to do can allow you to narrow down your search. You may even take temp work from them just to find out if it is something you would like to pursue.

If you want to progress in your chosen career you will need to be proactive in your approach and make it clear to your employer that you are interested in any promotion that would be available to you. It is a good idea to ask for a meeting with your line manager so that you can discuss your ambitions and ask about any further training that you could undertake to make promotion more likely. If your employer is not able to offer you promotion either because a position is not available, or they are unwilling to consider you it may be necessary to seek alternative employment that offers better progression opportunities.

Some companies have mentoring programs running where a more junior employee is mentored by a more senior member of staff. This is useful as the mentor can act as an advocate in any promotion bid and can offer valuable career guidance.

If you want to be promoted, you will need to show evidence of your success in the company for instance have targets been met or surpassed or have you been able to bring additional business into the company. The idea is to impress those who will make decisions about your future progression.