I’ve been Furloughed – what next?
There are many people now working from home, with some on Furlough or completely laid off work, it is important that we make the most of what might be perceived to be a bad situation. If you have some time on your hands and are looking for other ways to enrich your day that doesn’t include exercise, baking, gardening, looking after kids and other fun activities, perhaps enrolling on a course isn’t such a bad idea?
There is a plethora of free online training available on the world wide web, to suit every need (literally everything)!
In this instance, I’d like to focus on Human Resources. The importance of gaining both HR qualifications and hands on experience is key, my clients frequently request a CIPD qualification on job specifications when recruiting for HR roles.
On any given week back in the normal world, I would meet with a number of candidates, and often our discussions would lead us to discussing professional development, or perhaps moving their career in a different direction. In nearly every conversation, the candidate I was chatting to would cite the struggle to find time for professional development on top of their regular jobs and family commitments. Therefore, perhaps there is no better time to commit to improving your skills and chances of securing your next role.
I have found a number of different online courses that I wanted to share:
If you are interested in pursuing a career in HR, and would like to explore this field further, there are a number of free online courses covering HR Fundamentals that last between 4-7 weeks:
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/hr-fundamentals
https://www.cipd.co.uk/about/media/press/070218-futurelearn-partnership
Alternatively, if you already working in HR and are interested in learning more about management, leadership, teamwork and diversity, the following last around 4 weeks:
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/people-management-skills
https://www.bolc.co.uk/free-online-hr-courses-with-certificates.html
https://www.oxfordhomestudy.com/courses/hr-courses-online/free-online-hr-courses-with-certificates
If you’ve been furloughed perhaps now is the time to explore using your skills to volunteer. Whilst you can’t provide your expertise to your existing employer you are able to support other organisations on a voluntary basis. There are a huge number of smaller organisations who are very likely to have lots of HR questions right now.
However you spend time during the Covid-19 outbreak, most importantly look after your well-being, keep active, socialise with your friends and family via the numerous online platforms and keep smiling.
Please get in touch if you have any questions about your career path, CV advice or remote working, we are always happy to have a chat.
