From Covid-19 to Career
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I have a fun drinking game → every time someone says “these times are unprecedented” you drink. That’s the game.
But seriously, we have never seen anything like this in our lifetime. There are so many layers to how this pandemic is affecting our world - and the economy is certainly a big one. I have had countless conversations with current and former clients about how to approach the job search during this crisis and figured I would dust off the good ‘ol blog section of my website that hasn’t seen much action lately.
Listed below are 3 hacks to keep yourself focused and sane through your job search during COVID-19. Whether you were job searching before the pandemic, or have recently found yourself without a job- no worries, I got you.
Research- So this is something that I tell my clients to do all the time, regardless of global pandemics. The difference is, you should consider different things in your research right now. For starters, what type of company do you want to work for? Right now, there are certainly industries that are being hit harder than others. (Hospitality, certain retailers, airlines) - not to say you shouldn’t apply to those roles anymore, but realistically things might take a little longer for those organizations to rebound and begin hiring again. How are the organizations you are interested in handling COVID? Are they in the press right now? The mission and core values of an organization are that much more important during times of crisis. Is this an organization you want to be apart of? Take this time and really regroup on your value proposition and what is most important to you- this may have changed since before COVID. That’s ok.
Get Your House In Order- Put the Dyson away. I am not talking about your actual house, I am talking about your job search toolkit. This means your resume should be updated. Look, even if you aren’t job searching actively right now, you should ALWAYS have your resume updated with your current role. You never know when an opportunity will present itself, and you should be prepared. Not sure where to start on this? I have a FREE GUIDE available to download that should help you get started. You should also have cover letter templates drafted that are easy to tweak and edit to alleviate any last minute scrambling to get things out to recruiters. Netflix and Zoom happy hours will always be there- get your shit ready to go.
NETWORK- I have a lot of clients asking me what they can do right now if none of the companies they are interested in are hiring. To me, this crisis is an optimal time for networking. Recruiters and hiring managers are home and may have more time to catch up on Linkedin messages and emails / applications. That said, it is time to flex that networking muscle and start reaching out to employers that interest you. Even if there is no active job open, it is a great time to reach out and say hello and offer up a virtual coffee chat. Not sure how to open up the conversation? We are in a global crisis right now. There are a number of icebreakers that you can pull from that, unfortunately. The fact is, when things start to lift and people are heading back to the office, they will be that much busier trying to catch up and get things back on track- so use this time at home to your advantage!
The unknown is scary. We can only do what we can do. That said, if you stay on top of these 3 things, you will be in good shape. Who knows, you could come out of COVID with a new career? Looking for places that are hiring? Check out this list on The Muse as a good jump off point.
Stay safe. Stay healthy. You got this.
