Finding a job in Malta in 2021
Oof, this year has been a tough one. Worldwide, unemployment has grown significantly and I see so many people looking for new jobs in Malta. Many companies have closed down entirely due to the pandemic, many positions have been laid off or, like in the case of NetEnt, massive mergers have meant hundreds of people were let go or made redundant from one day to the next.
During a global pandemic, 3 weeks before Christmas has to be the worst time to be looking for a new job in 2020, so I’ve writing this post hoping to offer some tips and advice on what to do next.
Looking for a job in Malta
Step 1: take a breath
Whether you’ve been out of work since earlier in the pandemic and are struggling to find something new, or have just been made redundant, you might be panicking. You might be thinking the worst, focusing on the worst and generally spiralling, which will not help you when applying and interviewing for jobs. I know it’s easy for me to say when I’m not the one worrying about rent or kids or Christmas, but it’s so important to give yourself a moment, take a deep breath and tackle this from a place of calm rather than a place of chaos.
Step 2: update that LinkedIn
If you’re not already on LinkedIn, sign up. If you are, make sure your profile is up to date and really focuses on the experience that is relevant to the jobs you’ll be applying for. LinkedIn has a few premium options that you can usually get a free trial for so use that free trial! They have some options tailored to sales and leads but some tailored to job hunting and recruitment. Check out the options and make as much use of it as possible: https://premium.linkedin.com/
Something I find really good is that you can search for jobs on LinkedIn and it’ll tell you how well you fit the job advert. It’ll take keywords and skills from the advert and tell you which ones you have and which you don’t. This can be really useful to know what info to add to your profile. If all the jobs you’re interested in list ‘communication’ as a skill, add that to your profile and touch on it in any cover letter or interview.
Step 3: post on LinkedIn
Once you’ve set it up or fixed it up, USE IT. Spend even a few hours a day researching companies in your area, following them, checking their employees, connecting with people, liking and commenting on relevant posts. The more active you are on LinkedIn the more likely that recruiters and hiring managers will see you and you’ll stick in their minds. Keep the posts you write and the posts you comment on relevant. If you’re looking for a job in sales, comment on sales focused posts and your name + sales will be forever etched into those that see the activity.
Step 4: reach out to recruiters
Love them or hate them (and I go back and forth!) reach out to some recruiters on the island. There is a HUGE selection. Some companies have a particular focus (such as Betting Connections) whilst others are more broad but will have divisions with a more specific focus. For example Conexus Group is a huge group of consulting and recruitment and they have various focused divisions. Head-count is their recruitment company that focuses specifically on payments and fintech whereas Pentasia focuses on iGaming.
Recruiters can help you with CV advice, interview tips and tricks and cover letters so sign up, answer the phone and let them help you.
Recruitment companies in Malta
Headcount - fintech + payments
Pentasia - iGaming + online gaming
Betting Connections - iGaming
Konnekt - all round recruiter
Broadwing - all round recruiter
Reed Global - all round recruiter
Ceek - all round recruiter
Mrecruitment - all round recruiter
chef jobs in Malta
bartender jobs in Malta
accountant positions in Malta
Vacancy centre - all round recruiter
Financial Services jobs in Malta
Legal & Compliance jobs
Gaming & IT jobs in Malta
Administration recruitment
Sales & Marketing jobs in Malta
People - all round recruiter
Energy
Retail jobs in Malta 2020
Manufacturing positions in Malta
Life Sciences jobs
Medical
Legal jobs in Malta
Jobs in Malta - all round job board
Supply Chain vacancies
Transport jobs
Warehouse jobs in Malta
Skilled jobs (electrician jobs in Malta, mechanics, drivers etc)
Step 5: ask for help when you need it
At some point, if you have been out of work for a while, or have just been made redundant but don’t know how you are going to pay the bills, me telling you to ‘take a breath’ isn’t going to cut it. You might seriously need help.
Food banks in Malta
Reach out to Foodbank Lifeline or Food Bank Malta to see if you are eligible for help putting food on the table. If your kids are hungry, if you live alone and are hungry, it’s not OK. Don’t suffer in silence, ask for help to tide you over until you find a new job and get back on your feet.
Apply for benefits in Malta
Read up on and apply for unemployment benefits in Malta, even if you’re an EU national, providing you have a work history in Malta.
Get help from charities in Malta
Depending on your situation you can reach out to local charities for help.
Interview tips in Malta
I wrote some interview tips a few years ago but I read over it and the world has changed so much since then (especially this year!) and my experience has grown so what I look for in an interview has definitely changed after many years of hiring and firing.
Check the tech
Right now, most interviews are going to be virtual. Zoom, Skype, a telephone call. I think more often than not they’ll be video calls rather than just a phone call, but make sure you know in plenty of time and can check the tech works. I always add a Zoom link in my calendar invites when I send out to candidates along with a short agenda of how the interview will go. Most people manage fine, but once or twice I waited for 15 mins on a call and the candidates didn’t show up, only to email me a day later asking where the video link was. Check the invite and if it’s not there, check in with the hiring manager the day before at the latest. Make sure your sound words, try with and without your earphones, make sure you have a stable internet connection, decent lighting and the correct app downloaded.
Read the calendar invite - is there a video call link?
If unsure, contact the company no later than the day before to clarify
Download the video call app/platform in plenty of time
Test the video, sound and internet connection
So many times people arrived on time for the call, only to discover their headphones weren’t working, or their webcam is poorly placed (or broken!), or with such a poor internet connection we spend the whole call talking over each other.
2. Listen!
I hate it when people don’t listen. I will have to train you and work with you so I need to know you are capable of listening. When candidates ignore the question I answered and answer the question they wish I asked, it drives me insane. You’ll have time to highlight the things you want to highlight but if I ask a direct question, don’t dance around it or ignore it entirely.
Take in what the interviewer is saying and feel free to ask questions or clarify or probe deeper to show that you are listening, you understand and are interested.
3. Tailor for the job you’re applying for
This goes for anything from cover letters to CVs to the discussion in the actual interview. If your experience is a dead match for what I’m looking for, then great. But often your experience will be similar, or in another field entirely. It does not mean you can’t apply for the job and wont be great at it, but then help me understand why you think you’re a good fit for this job.
I was hiring for some Sales Managers and had someone send in their CV- no sales experience, in a totally different industry and their cover letter talked about their experience in Engineering, but without tying it in to why it’d help in the role they were applying for. Sure, talk about Engineering, but in a way that helps me understand how it’ll make you great for THIS job. Maybe it taught you to be persistent and see a deal through to the end, maybe it means you pick up technical and product knowledge quickly which means you can be a product expert to shine in sales. Tailor your offering and keep it relevant.
4. Care about more than just the job
This comes down to personality and culture a bit I think but I love it when someone has done a bit of research on me and/or the company beforehand so they can mention a few things they saw or liked. Perhaps the tone of the company blog posts really appeals to you, maybe you read a thought piece the hiring manager posted and liked X, Y or Z paragraphs. Ask questions about the culture, the team, the management style. I also like it when they know what they want from a company and try to get that information, without being cocky, but interested. Some nice questions I had recently were things like:
How have you found onboarding new employees remotely?
How do you keep the team connected? (in our case, we’re based in 3 locations and mostly working from home)
We’re all a little vain and we love it when people take an interest, so make sure to ask at least a few questions that show you’ve done a bit of research and care about what it’d truly be like to work there.
