Developing your career as COVID-19 unfolds

13 May 2020 | Story Ingrid van der Merwe. Photo Je’nine May. Read time 6 min.
Ingrid van der Merwe, head of the Careers Advisory Service, offers some tips to students navigating COVID-19.
Ingrid van der Merwe, head of the Careers Advisory Service, offers some tips to students navigating COVID-19.

Ingrid van der Merwe, head of the Careers Advisory Service at the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Careers Service, offers some practical advice for students navigating COVID-19.

Before COVID-19, when I offered advice on career development, I would encourage students to develop a range of career-focused skills by getting involved in societies and sport, getting work experience or doing community work. Well, none of these are easy options at the moment, so what might you do as the pandemic unfolds? Here are some practical suggestions and food for thought.

We’ve not been here before

It’s good to remind ourselves that none of us have experienced a pandemic of this nature before (unless you’re over 100 and were around for the 1918 Spanish Flu). So, we are living in truly historic times. The pandemic is causing massive shifts in all aspects of life and work. You are living through a historic moment in history.

Go easy on yourself

This is a tough and restrictive situation, but take pressure off yourself if you are frustrated that things are not going according to plan. If you’re worried about not being able to do vacation work this year or start at your first formal job, remember that most students and recent graduates are in this situation too. Gaps in CVs referring to this year will be universal and will be understood by many, including potential employers.

 

“Take pressure off yourself if you are frustrated that things are not going according to plan.”

What the pandemic can teach you about yourself and work

In the future, you may be a leader in an organisation that has to handle a crisis. With that in mind, there is a lot you could learn by just watching and noticing what is happening with the management of the global pandemic. Think of the world leaders and prominent experts in the media. Which ones come across as calm and reassuring? Which ones don’t? What can you learn from them and their style of communication? What has the approach been of different governments to the pandemic?

Think about all the information about the crisis, or other content in the media right now. What you are drawn to may give you clues about what makes you tick. Are you fascinated by the stats? The human interest stories? How businesses have reinvented themselves in response to changed demand? How musicians have written and performed songs? These could be great clues to what sort of context you may want to work in one day and what topics motivate you.

The pandemic is also a fantastic example of how many situations require cross-disciplinary work. Think of all the fields and experts involved: public health, immunology, virology, manufacturing (respirators, safety equipment etc), supply chain and logistics, mathematical modelling, statistics, anthropology, history, journalism, app development … the options abound! Take some time to consider inter-disciplinary options that may not have occurred to you previously.

Reflect on what you are going through

Do you know that regularly applying the practice of reflecting on your experiences can enhance your employability? In advisory work, we often come across students who have developed great skills through certain experiences, but are not aware of them or had not thought to report them on their CVs?

 

“Resilience, adaptability and flexibility are all skills highly valued by employers.”

Resilience, adaptability and flexibility are all skills highly valued by employers and essential to have if you are self-employed. If you take the time to reflect, you are likely to find that you have some great examples of how you have developed these during lockdown. This doesn’t mean you must only conclude that you have thrived in all these adjustments. Reflecting on your struggles is just as valuable. Reflection also develops self-awareness and insight, elements of emotional intelligence, which is highly rated in any work context.

Work on your LinkedIn profile and CV

Thinking about how to present yourself and your experience on your CV and LinkedIn profile is a skill. If you are struggling with data, concentrate on your CV. This is good use of time, so your CV is ready when you need it. UCT students can look on our Vula platform for the Careers Service resources without using data.

Through LinkedIn, you can research what people with similar qualifications to you do for a living. Type your degree into the search field and choose “people”. You will see that people with your degree work in very different contexts. Also remember that if you have a good LinkedIn profile, you may be found by an organisation who is looking for someone like you. This is not a myth.

As a careers advisor, I have assisted many students to prepare for interviews after they were approached by an employer who found them on LinkedIn. The site also has great tips and guidelines on job searching and networking, as well as tips for improving your profile.

Finally, don’t be afraid to reach out for help if you are struggling. It takes maturity to ask for help, so don’t think it is a sign of weakness. One day we will look back and be amazed at what we went through. But until then, strength to you for coping with this extraordinary situation.

To access our wide range of career development resources, visit the Careers Service page on Vula or visit our website.


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UCT’s response to COVID-19

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that caused President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national disaster in South Africa on 15 March 2020 and to implement a national lockdown from 26 March 2020. UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated with the latest COVID-19 information. Please note that the information on this page is subject to change depending on current lockdown regulations.

Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, has in June 2022 repealed some of South Africa’s remaining COVID-19 regulations: namely, sections 16A, 16B and 16C of the Regulations Relating to the Surveillance and the Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions under the National Health Act. We are now no longer required to wear masks or limit gatherings. Venue restrictions and checks for travellers coming into South Africa have now also been removed.

In July 2022, the University of Cape Town (UCT) revised its approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic on UCT campuses in 2022.
Read the latest document available on the UCT policies web page.

 

Campus communications

 
2022

Adjusting to our new environment 16:50, 23 June 2022
VC Open Lecture and other updates 17:04, 13 April 2022
Feedback from UCT Council meeting of 12 March 2022 09:45, 18 March 2022
UCT Council
March 2022 graduation celebration 16:45, 8 March 2022
Report on the meeting of UCT Council of 21 February 2022 19:30, 21 February 2022
UCT Council
COVID-19 management 2022 11:55, 14 February 2022
Return to campus arrangements 2022 11:15, 4 February 2022

UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre

On Wednesday, 20 July, staff from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Health Sciences came together with representatives from the Western Cape Government at the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre at Forest Hill Residence to acknowledge the centre’s significance in the fight against COVID-19 and to thank its staff for their contributions. The centre opened on 1 September 2021 with the aim of providing quality vaccination services to UCT staff, students and the nearby communities, as well as to create an opportunity for medical students from the Faculty of Health Sciences to gain practical public health skills. The vaccination centre ceased operations on Friday, 29 July 2022.

With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.

 

“After almost a year of operation, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, located at the Forest Hill residence complex in Mowbray, will close on Friday, 29 July 2022. I am extremely grateful and proud of all staff, students and everyone involved in this important project.”
– Vice-Chancellor Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng

With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.


Thank You UCT Community

Frequently asked questions

 

Global Citizen Asks: Are COVID-19 Vaccines Safe & Effective?

UCT’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) collaborated with Global Citizen, speaking to trusted experts to dispel vaccine misinformation.



If you have further questions about the COVID-19 vaccine check out the FAQ produced by the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation (DTHF). The DTHF has developed a dedicated chat function where you can ask your vaccine-related questions on the bottom right hand corner of the website.

IDM YouTube channel | IDM website
 

 

“As a contact university, we look forward to readjusting our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in 2023 as the COVID-19 regulations have been repealed.”
– Prof Harsha Kathard, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning

We are continuing to monitor the situation and we will be updating the UCT community regularly – as and when there are further updates. If you are concerned or need more information, students can contact the Student Wellness Service on 021 650 5620 or 021 650 1271 (after hours), while staff can contact 021 650 5685.

 

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