7 Skills to Acquire During Quarantine That Can Boost Your Resume

If you’re one of the millions of Americans who’s been under some level of COVID-19 quarantine restrictions over the last several months, you’re probably starting to feel a little restless these days. You’ve organized the garage, participated in virtual happy hours, and run out of stuff to stream — now what?

Whether you’re on the job hunt after becoming unemployed or you’re just on a mission to find something bigger and better, you’re in the right place! In this post, we’ll show you some ways to resolve both your boredom and ramp up your resume during quarantine. From certificates to skills, read on to find out the top seven things you can do to boost your resume without ever leaving your couch!

Web Design and Management

When employers think about the qualities of a good employee, the words “driven,” “self-motivated,” and “passionate” often come to mind. So, what better way to impress a potential employer than by showing off some self-taught skills? With a little help, of course…

In the digital age, experience with web design and management is an invaluable skill worth reaching for. And thanks to the same technology, it’s easier than ever to learn how to build, design, and launch a website at your own, self-guided pace. What’s more, your practice site can become your very own living portfolio where you can host your resume, work samples, contact details, social media links, and more.

Here are some of the top-rated online web design courses and platforms to choose from:

Webflow University
UDemy
SkillShare
Coursera

If you want to build from templates rather than code your way from the ground up, you might check out user-friendly platforms like Squarespace, WordPress, and Wix.

Visual Design

If you’re looking for a career in the creative realm, a great way to boost your skills is to get hands-on with design. Photo editing, illustrating, and designing page layouts are just a few of the things you can learn using the Adobe Suite program.

Language

Knowing how to read, write, and speak in another language is always a great skill to have, no matter what kind of work you do. In fact, many workplaces will pay employees more if they know a second language, especially if it’s a language commonly used in the region.

What’s more, learning a foreign language opens the door for more travel opportunities and could even present the option for you to work abroad if you’re interested.

Thanks to the convenience of mobile apps and increasingly easy user interface, learning a new language while you’re on-the-go or at home is fun and easy to do. Check out these popular apps to get started:

Duolingo
Babbel
Busuu
Memrise
HelloTalk

ProTip: As you start to learn the foundations of a foreign language, you can start to expand your learning tools by watching foreign films or television shows, cooking from foreign cookbooks, or reading books in a new language. If you’ve been looking for ways to stay entertained during quarantine, learning a language is one of the best (and most productive) things you can do!

Social Media Management

It’s no secret that social media practically runs the world as we know it these days. From Instagram and Snapchat to TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook, there’s a social network out there for everyone; there are even social networks for career seekers. Heck, you might even be a member of all of the above!

Whether you’re in the marketing and communications world or just have a passion for social media, there are plenty of ways you can leverage your social skills in the workplace. Learning how to craft custom content, engage with users, and monitor performance can open the door for new job responsibilities and give your resume the added edge it needs to make it into the final round.

The best part? There are tons of free resources out there to help you get started:

For video storytelling, check out Social Creators
For social media and digital marketing in general, try Acadium
For help with Facebook ads, visit Facebook Blueprint
To learn more about ad performance, use Google Analytics Academy
To learn the foundations of content marketing, check out Hubspot Academy
For information on scheduling content and increasing engagement, try Hootsuite Academy

UX/UI

UX, or user experience, applies to a lot of different industries and professions, including web design, software development, and product design. In essence, UX is the practice of improving a user’s experience with a product, whether that means button placement or page hierarchy on a website, the functionality or packaging of a product, or some other aspect that alters how a customer interacts with a product.

Interested in UX or UI? Check out these resources:

DesignLab
Xterra
Career Foundry
Interaction Design

Public Speaking

Almost nobody likes to do it, but nearly every employer is looking for someone who’s good at it. That’s right, we’re talking about public speaking. No matter what field you’re working in, chances are, there is some element of public speaking necessary in one way or another, whether that’s through in-house presentations, project proposals, PR, or just team collaboration.

If you’re not ready to jump up in front of a classroom of people, learning the foundations of public speaking online may be your best bet! Coursera, Forbes, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning all offer virtual courses in public speaking.

Bonus: Not only will public speaking skills set you up for success within a workplace environment, it can also help you gain the confidence and knack to nail your next interview.

Wrapping Up

While life in quarantine seems to only drag on as the months move by, there are plenty of productive things you can do with your time. By working to build your professional skills online, you can ramp up your resume, increase your value as a professional, and keep yourself occupied and engaged.

Feel free to use these seven tips and resources as a guide to get you started, and don’t forget to share your experience in the comment section!

Sophie Sirois is a writer based in San Diego, CA, currently writing content for 365businesstips.com. With her Bachelors of Art in Strategic Communication behind her, Sophie began working in the content marketing sphere and has been crafting unique, informative, and click-worthy content ever since.

Skills That You Can Transfer From School To Work

Resume Writing

Getting a job is hard. It is even harder when you have just graduated and have little or no work experience. In this case your education and your skills will say more to your potential employers than your small amount of work experience.
The skills you gain at a job are very useful in other jobs and therefore are good to put on your resume, but what about the skills you have gained while at school? Well, there are many that are just as useful in the work field and you should let your potential employers know that you have those skills. Here are some examples of skills that will help improve your resume:

Computer Skills: Knowing how to use a computer is pretty much a necessity nowadays. Luckily, you can learn those computer skills at most schools and therefore you can put those skills on your resume. It will make your employer’s life easier if they don’t have to teach you the basics of computers when they hire you.
Teamwork and Leadership Skills: Whether you were on a sports team, student council, choir, band, or involved in theater, you probably gained some very good skills in working with other people and being a leader. This is important because you will be working with all sorts of new people and eventually leading people and the fact that you know how to work with and lead people is important to your potential employers.
Various Field Specific Skills: Depending on what you are applying for you may have some skills that are more specific to that job. That will be up to you to decide which skills are applicable and helpful in landing the job.

Now you have an idea of what skills you have and which ones you can bring to the table even with little or no work experience.

Showcasing Your Computer Skills

Job SearchProfessional ResumesResume KeywordsResume WritingResumes

I really like doing my work on a Mac, and if you are lucky enough to be able to choose your computer platform, showcasing your computer skills on your resume is an easy task. Whether you have a professional writer help you build your resume, or you choose to do it yourself, getting familiar with how your word processing program works, quirks and all, on both platforms will make your life easier.
More employers operate on a PC platform than on a Mac platform. So if you are a Mac fan like me and looking for a job, getting to know both platforms will be a big plus. Unfortunately, Windows Vista was such a buggy system that many PC users like myself bailed out and bought a Mac. Fast forward to now. Windows 7 has been a relatively stable environment, and if you have been away for awhile, learning Windows 7 won’t be all that difficult. It builds on computer skills that you used when you were working in Windows XP. There are also apps that will allow you to run a stable Windows environment on a Mac if you really want to stick with your Mac computer. Don’t let an employer catch you unaware, however, if you are a diehard PC fan. Some employers do work exclusively on Macs, especially in design fields such as graphic design and packaging.
Knowing both platforms will help you in your job search. Be sure to list both on your resume if you are up-to-date on MAC and PC systems. If not, look online for free workshops. Windows has gotten much better at providing online training. Apple recognizes that not everyone lives close enough to an Apple store to attend their free workshops, so much of that information is also online. Add any computer workshops you attended to your resume, as well as any computer certifications completed.
Make potential employers aware of your computer proficiencies by listing programs and applications you use on a regular basis on your resume. Most position ads will tell you which programs are required or desired. Check the ad carefully, and make sure you list every program and app required with which you have experience.

Recent Posts