After spending a year in a global pandemic, it can be hard to feel motivated or have something to look forward to. Despite the super fast vaccine rollout by our government, it’s easy to get restless and demoralized—especially when it comes to the job industry. *shudders*

That being said, here are some ways to further your career in a global pandemic and before you say it, YES – it is possible. Read along for our top tips and tricks that can help you get ahead of the game all from the comfort of your home. Also, for the cherry on top, we’ve enlisted the help of some people who have extremely valuable experiences—either as young professionals themselves or when they’ve catered to young professionals—to share some advice.

1. Get on LinkedIn! And be active.

LinkedIn is the new Instagram, at least in the professional world. It’s a great way to connect with folks in a more informal way than email and a more formal way than social media––makes sense? Well, don’t worry, it will. LinkedIn will allow you to build relationships with industry professionals, build an online presence in the working world and could even keep you at the forefront of recruiters’ minds when they’re looking to hire.

Co-founder of Level Up DXB––a social enterprise dedicated to personal development for youth, by youth––Haneen Asfour has a little advice to share with you: your network is your networth.

“Continuously expanding your network can land you awesome opportunities! Take a couple of hours a week to grab coffee with someone who seems interesting and who you’d like to learn from, connect with people on Clubhouse and participate in engaging conversations, and send thoughtful DMs on Instagram or LinkedIn to people who inspire you. According to CNBC, almost 70% of people landed opportunities through their networks!” she says.

2. Spend some time sprucing up your resume and portfolio

If you’re finding yourself less busy than you normally are or perhaps out of work, it can be a great time to spruce up your resume and portfolio. Go the extra mile to look over portfolio templates, ask advice from folks in the industry and make sure you’re curating something that you’re proud to send in when you’re applying for jobs.

Our very own Cosmo ME’s Editor-in-Chief, Milli Midwood suggests “If you’re looking at getting into media and publishing, then why not reach out to a couple of editors and pitch a few different stories with the aims of building up your byline?”

3. Sign up for online courses

You have a good amount of free time, access to the internet and a plethora of courses at your disposal––use them! There’s nothing better than expanding your skillset and having more to show for when applying for jobs. With little to no distractions and nowhere else to go, your concentration levels will be off the chart so you’d probably end up finishing your course quicker than you normally would otherwise, it’s a win-win!

“Due to the lack of travel and so many cancelled activities, we’re all finding ourselves with more time on our hands. Use this opportunity to either try and learn a new skill, or to take on some pro bono work that will help you get your foot in the door,” says Milli.

4. Find (online) events to attend

One of the really great things that has come out of this pandemic is the increase in digital events happening and how accessible they’ve become. From workshops to webinars and conferences to coffee chats, there are a myriad of events happening daily worldwide. Some events in the UAE are even taking place in-person (socially-distant, of course)! Do your research, find an event that lines up with your niche and attend it. You might even be able to create a one-on-one connection with a professional that is hosting it.

“Humans are social creatures and in my opinion, a major factor for professional growth is growing your network. Engage with the people around you (for example other Letswork members if you’re working from one of our spaces), strike up conversations, attend events (digital or in-person), ask questions. You can’t expect opportunities to fall into your lap – you need to make your own luck!” says Hamza Khan, Co-founder of Letswork, an app that allows you to find and work at different coworking spaces in the UAE.

5. Seek out a mentor

While this last one is optional and might even be a little hard because a lot of folks are really Zoomed out, it’s still worth mentioning. Having a mentor who can help guide you, provide honest feedback and even aid you in getting your foot in the door is invaluable. While you can definitely seek out someone new and reach out to them on LinkedIn and build a rapport, a mentor can also be someone you’ve worked with in the past! If you’ve ever had a boss or supervisor that you admired or felt like you learned a lot from, reach out to them! You’ll have better luck with someone you’ve already established a relationship with as opposed to a stranger.

So that’s my little roundup of the best tips that I’ve tried and tested. Growth and success both aren’t linear but putting yourself out there is a great way to start.

I’ll leave you with some parting advice courtesy of Omaira Farooq Al Olama, founder of ALF Administration, “Always be humble and never compromise on your ethics. Learn from people’s mistakes but don’t make them the benchmark. It’s ok to fail as long as you aren’t hard on yourself and pick yourself up.”