It's said that the beginning of the year is the best time to look for a role. Vacancies tend to go up, with vacancies in the social care sector increasing by 1.5% within a year. Moving roles to take on a more fulfilling job or changing your career completely often tops the New Year's resolutions checklist.
The good news is that it's a candidates market at the moment. This means that there are more jobs available than there are candidates to fill them, so chances are you'll find plenty of opportunity in your area. In areas where there are skills shortages, you'll find even more opportunity and more competitive packages.
Why does the skills shortage affect me?
When you're looking for a new job, it's a good idea to draw up a list of all your skills, and check them off against your ideal career. Do you have all the skills that you need? Can you learn more? The skills shortage means that if you have a skill thats considered in short supply, you'll be a much more competitive candidate, and find yourself in high demand.
Learning that extra skill that employers are looking for could be the thing that tips you up into the next salary bracket, or what helps you jump into the job that you want.
So what skills do I need?
The skills that you'll need in 2019 will change depending on the career that you want; but the common theme is digital skills. Yes, even in social care digital skills are lacking. Digital skills form one of the core area os skills for social care workers. From sharing personal data to helping people use digital services, as digital skills it become more important to the job, employers will be looking for examples of digital skills on your CV. If you can demonstrate relevant skills on your CV then you'll be one big step ahead of your competition.
Don't forget your soft skills
Soft skills are particularly important in the world of social care. Interaction with people, how you work as a team and how you deal with stress at work are all impoartant skills for people in social care to posess. Whilst the future may well be digital, expert communication skills and the ability to work well across with colleagues as well as people in care are still key elements for a successful candidate. When you're preparing your CV, make sure to include any examples of collaborative work to showcase your soft skills too.
The jobs market in 2019 will offer a lot to highly skilled and motivated candidates, so if a new job is on your to-do list, it's time to dust off your CV and upskill!
To help you on your way, why not speak to one of our consultants? They can talk you through your CV and make some suggestions on the best possible format, and help you think about what skills youll need to make your CV even better.
