Laid Off During Coronavirus? 6 Practical Tips to Help
2020 started out as a really good year for employment in the United States. Approximately 273,000 jobs were added in both January and February according to the US Department of Labor. The unemployment rate was hovering around 3.5%, matching a 50-year low.
Then the coronavirus hit, and things took a very quick turn.
The week of March 9th, over 280,000 Americans filed for their first week of unemployment benefits. This was a 33% increase over the week before that the largest number of filings since 1992. The weeks following saw that number grow exponentially. Experts are predicting that the unemployment rate will grow to 9% in the next few months as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic.
If you’ve been laid off or you’ve had your hours reduced, you’re probably wondering if finding a new job is realistic right now. I want to tell you that it definitely is! There are employers hiring right now, and there will be employers hiring in the coming months. To be clear, I do expect that there will be fewer jobs available until the economy stabilizes a bit, but getting hired in Q2 or Q3 is not going to be out of the question for many industries.
Here are a few practical things you can do to give yourself a greater chance of getting a callback for an interview and ultimately, a competitive job offer:
1. Update Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile - A lot of people don’t put enough work into their resume. Think about it: your resume is what speaks for you and gets you an invite into the interview room. Make sure your resume is speaking the language of the recruiters and puts your top achievements front and center. Also, don’t forget about LinkedIn. Over 80% of recruiters utilize LinkedIn as a part of their recruitment strategy. Optimize your profile, then don’t be afraid to reach out to hiring managers and recruiters. Be proactive and strategic!
2. Ramp Up Your (Safe) Networking Efforts - Just because we’re all practicing social distancing doesn’t mean you can’t reach out and network with people. Instead of meeting up for coffee, you may have to have a virtual coffee or a conversation over the phone or over Zoom or Skype. Use the free time you have to make connections with people who have a similar position to the one you hope to apply for. Pick their brain and see if there’s any resources they can share with you or advice they can offer as you apply and interview for your new role.
3. Develop a Game Plan for When Hiring Starts Back Up - Maybe you are trying to find work in an industry that has been especially hit by the coronavirus pandemic. It might not be feasible to submit a resume at the moment, but that doesn’t mean you can’t develop a game plan for when this is all behind us. Make sure you find out who you should reach out to and get their contact information. Connect with people who work at the companies you would like to work for and ask them to help you make connections! This is a great thing to do, even if the person you connect with is not a hiring manager.
4. Take An Online Course or Invest in Your Skills - Use this free time to learn! Many programs are offering free access to their courses. Even universities are doing this! Dhawal Shah, owner of the company Class Central, compiled a list of 450 Ivy League courses you can take for free through the platform. There are also industry-specific resources available for free right now like LessonSpeak for teachers and IntelyCare for nurses.
5. Be Adaptable - With offices closed and employees working from home, in-person interviews will be on hold for quite a while. Recruiters and hiring managers will be using other means to interview candidates, like phone calls and video calls. It’s important to be adaptable and open to these new platforms. Read up on tips to make a good impression over video and practice using the software before your scheduled interview time.
6. Be Patient and Positive - Most of all, it’s important to stay positive and have a little more patience than usual. Your job search may take weeks or months, but don’t give up. There are plenty of industries that are looking for qualified candidates. Develop a list of companies you want to target, and really focus on highlighting your previous successes. Showing how you have solved problems in the past is going to be key as most organizations are going to have lots of unique problems to solve in the coming months and maybe even years. Make it easy for them to say “yes” to hiring you!
If you have specific questions, you can always schedule a free 30 minute consultation call. On this call, we can give you some additional targeted tips to help you land your dream opportunity!