Be Properly prepared and load shedding will not shed darkness on the Career path to the job you want
Be Prepared to fight for your dream job
WE as a country have managed to battle through what we hope was the worst wrath of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now with load shedding rearing its ugly head again, we at Datafin believe we are more resilient and equipped to deal with crisis situations. And only adequate preparation will keep the light on your dream job when it comes to dealing with power outages. Job hunting and having job interviews can be trickier to navigate when the lights are out but preparation with a capital P, will see you through.
Surprise power outages affect us all
When load shedding will hit, is still mostly unpredictable and it greatly impacts businesses, homes and you as our candidates seeking a new work environment or a more challenging role.
Preparation is crucial to continue applying for jobs
Being prepared and equipped when dealing with power outages or any unexpected eventuality, remains key to ensuring you don’t miss out on bagging the career you have been waiting and working towards. This preparation not only keeps you from being interrupted on your course towards the job you want but keeps you positive at a time which could otherwise have proved more stressful.
Here are our top 5 tips to keep your dream job “LIT” during load shedding
1. Check the Stage of Load shedding
Immediately when news breaks about the next Stage of Load Shedding try checking with a reputable news site or the Eskom or City of Cape Town website to ensure you have the correct stage and from what time it will commence. Depending on where your interview will take place, if from the comfort of your home or the company’s premises, be sure when exactly power outages will occur at the specific location. If it’s a face-to-face interview, ensure you make provision for extra travel time as there may be non-functioning traffic lights.
2. Confirm if the interview will go ahead
If Eskom announces there will be load shedding on the day of your interview, immediately contact our Recruitment Consultant handling the process to confirm whether it will still take place as planned. Especially if you have established the power will be out at the company during the time frame when the interview will be conducted. PS. If you need to iron your interview outfit ensure this is done ahead of load shedding, you wouldn’t want to rock up all wrinkled.
3. Charge necessary devices
If the interview will be remote whether video or just a telephonic, ensure all laptops and mobile phones are sufficiently charged. A nifty tip is having a portable charger at hand as well just in case your phone loses battery life. Ensure that once the portable charger is charged fully that you turn it off and only back on when you need it.
4. Use your hotspot, download, and have enough data
When an interview will still take place during the period of the electricity being off, you can utilise your personal hotspot on your mobile phone to ensure you have internet connection. Please see that you have enough data. For a virtual interview, ensure you have MS Teams / Zoom / WhatsApp, or the applicable online platform downloaded on your PC and even on your phone as a backup. An additional tip if having a video interview is to try and sit where there is appropriate lighting so the person interviewing you can see you properly or perhaps select a neutral background pic to apply.
5. Plan when to complete assessments
If you’re able to, try and do the assessment at a much earlier time before load shedding will start. Alternatively, do it after the power cut so you don’t end up in a panic when the electricity goes out and you’re only mid-way through the assessment.