11 Tips For Finding a New Job During a Pandemic

In 2020, our life has changed significantly. The quarantine introduced almost all over the world is a unique historical phenomenon. Recent news about the development of a vaccine against coronavirus gives hope that life will return to its previous course, but since the exact date of its release is not yet known, the existing restrictions are the only way to protect the population from a sharp jump in mortality. This also indicates that the conditions of the labor market have changed, and the question of how to find a job during covid is one of the most urgent.

The coronavirus has plunged the global economy into its worst recession since World War II. And even though the labor market has begun to recover, many people still struggle to find work. That’s why we prepared this guide to help job seekers to take all the necessary steps and significantly increase their competitive advantages in employment. Study the 11 tips below to know how to hunt for a job during a pandemic.

#1 Maintain confidence in your career

It is natural if your self-confidence has suffered to some extent during the pandemic. Recent research has shown an increase in covid-19-induced depression, anxiety, and other distress. Since psychological aspects are also important when hunting for a job, building confidence in your career opportunities is worth concentrating on. One of your primary concerns in this area is to focus on your strengths and accomplishments instead of converging on your failures. Your weaknesses are not a ballast that drags you down but an opportunity to develop and improve yourself. Stop comparing yourself to others. It is a road to nowhere. Psychologists repeat that comparing yourself to other people is a destructive process while comparing yourself to "yesterday's self" is a good opportunity to consider your success.

Regaining Confidence podcast was created precisely to help professionals believe in themselves again. Regardless of what happened in your career, you will receive powerful information about recognizing positive qualities and learning from previous mistakes. In the podcast, you will also hear answers to real listeners’ questions about how they fought with confidence. In general, this resource will be useful to applicants of any skill level.

#2 Be more open to new opportunities

Since the beginning of the quarantine, the world has changed. We had to accept some reforms to survive. And at such times, openness and flexibility are essential when considering job offers. Flexibility means it's worth looking into career opportunities that you overlooked before. Any person's career growth is associated with improving skills and acquiring new professional knowledge. There are 3 main types of career growth. Let's look at their features:

• Vertical - occurs within one company by moving to higher positions. It has several benefits because the employee is valued within the team and has higher loyalty or efficiency. But at the same time, managers are very well aware of all the advantages and disadvantages of an employee and are not always interested in promoting them. It is not uncommon when, in this type of career, professionals are faced with a "glass ceiling" where top management roles are not available to them.
• Diagonal - a specialist continually rises to the top, moving from one company to another, with each transition resulting in a higher position. In such a situation, occupation advancement is more dynamic, but career growth can outpace professional development, which reduces the employee's efficiency.
• Horizontally - usually expressed as a salary increase without a promotion inside one company or moving to work in another organization. In this case, promotion is slower but allows the candidate to be absolutely prepared and competent for the new position.

Many employees strive for diagonal career extension, while horizontal type within one company is an excellent opportunity to build a confident career. This idea should be considered as an opportunity to reduce workload and stress when looking for new vacancies during the quarantine.

Another factor to consider is working in an industry in which you have not been involved before. Lockdown has shown that information technology, e-commerce, research, and science are more resilient and flexible in relation to global changes. Beginning to work in these areas can be an important step towards building a successful and stable career.

#3 Polish your resume and cover letter

Regardless of the world’s situation and the job market, your professional resume and cover letter are two powerful tools for getting the position you want. When writing a resume, you should focus on your professional qualities and abilities. With this document, you will demonstrate your qualifications. While preparing your cover letter, you talk about why you are best suited for the position. The truth is that it is not the most experienced applicant who gets the invitation to interview, but the one who has prepared the best self-presentation.

Here are some fundamental rules for producing powerful documents.

1. The resume and cover letter should be no more than one page each. About 50% of applications are rejected because a resume is more than 1 page.
2. The document must be aimed to meet the Applicant Tracking System standards. ATS is software designed to make life easier for hiring managers, which helps them save a lot of time reviewing candidates by automatically rejecting incorrect documents. Before an employer sees your resume, a machine will analyze it. The ATS rejects about 75% of applications.
3. Customize your application for each position.
4. Any errors in the documents will also lead to the application being rejected.
5. In the absence of experience, focus on your enthusiasm.
6. If you are a college graduate and worked during your studies, pointing out this experience as transferable skills will also increase your chances.

Writing a professional resume and cover letter can be a real challenge, especially if you've never done it before. But the GetCoverLetter editor is designed in such a way as to draw up high-quality documents that successfully pass through the Applicant Tracking System.

#4 Attend Online Professional Events

Another tip for job search during coronavirus is to increase your online presence. Many offline events have been canceled, but this paves the way for more online meetings. Grow your professional network on Facebook and Linkedin. How does it work? Join professional groups relevant to your industry and skills. Chat with like-minded people, post your opinion and ask for their advice. This will allow you to be always up to date and increase your influence. Participate in online conferences to gain new knowledge and learn about open positions or opportunities. The current situation has developed in such a way that the online world provides many possibilities for employment. The main thing is to monitor conditions and events at all times.

#5 Prepare for the interview

Compliance with quarantine measures has led to the fact that most employers conduct interviews via video communication. Although you will be "meeting" the hiring manager from the comfort of your home, prepare carefully. Ask in advance who will interview you and find out more information about this person or people. Prepare answers to potential questions.

Make sure your tech is working correctly. Take some time to call your friend and rehearse the interview. Pay attention to the camera angle, whether it captures you well, and check the quality of your sound.

Want to know how best to prepare for a video interview? Read the guide about 10+ Best Tips for Your Video Zoom Interview.

Follow standard etiquette during your interview. Also, learn more about the company and show your knowledge. It will flatter the employer and demonstrate your proactivity. Remember to ask questions of your interviewer to show that you have an interest in the job. After your interview is over, send a thank-you letter for presenting you with attention, especially during this difficult time.

#6 Emphasize your soft skills

Many recruits have long indicated that soft skills are no less important for successful job placement than professional experience. This allows us to adapt more quickly to the environment, maintain healthy working relationships, and respond and cope with changes. Trends in 2020 have shown that skills such as adaptability, willingness to learn, emotional intelligence, creativity, problem-solving, and communication are coming to the forefront. Also very relevant are the transferable skills, which are those abilities of the employee that can be used in various positions in different companies. In other words, those that can be transferred from one place of work to another.

The current situation is a good time to determine which areas you excel in and which soft skills need improvement. It is also essential to determine for what purpose a particular skill is suitable to be as prepared as possible for employment and gain a competitive advantage.

#7 Build your personal brand

Since it is unknown how long the world will be in remote mode, social networks are more relevant than ever to increase competitiveness. To do this, you need to build and develop a personal brand. Make sure your social media content is top-notch. According to various studies, more than 60% of recruiters check candidates' social networks before deciding to invite them for an interview.

Steps to build a quality brand

• Good photos on social networks. Forget blurry paintings or party photos. Even your personal page should look professional. The image should be clear and uncomplicated.
• Conduct an audit on Google and evaluate how easy it is to find you on the Internet.
• Consider microblogging. Short posts with your thoughts on professional topics will allow recruiters to learn more about you and your knowledge.
• Learn more about promoting personal pages.
• Update your Linkedin profile so that it also contains keywords that satisfy the ATS.

#8 Take some time to decide on future plans

Finding a job during a pandemic can be a lot of stress, and many candidates jump at any position. But this is not the best approach. After a short time, you will realize that you are getting absolutely nothing you were counting on. At best, you will start a new search; at worst - you will remain in your unloved job, which will continue to drive you into stress every day. Before you start looking for a job, think carefully about what really attracts you. Having received a job offer, thoroughly analyze how much it suits your interests. If this is not exactly what you were looking for and you have the financial resources to wait, it is better not to immediately accept the offer and look for other options.

Consider switching to a similar position that also leverages your skills. Expanding the list of professions to which you can re-hire leads to an increase in your employment chances.

Create a clear idea of where and with whom you want to work. Make a list of the main characteristics of the desired employment and the companies in which you would like to take a position.

#9 Upskill, upskill, and once again upskill

Regardless of whether you are employed now and looking for new opportunities to change your career, or are hunting for a new job, work on your qualifications. Developing your professional skills and knowledge is the key to a successful career in all circumstances. Focus on online learning. Numerous resources, such as Coursera or Harvard University, offer lectures, seminars, and continuing education courses. Among them, there are also free programs. Further education is what makes you more employable and gives you an edge in the job market. Besides, it has a psychological effect, increasing your self-esteem.

If you don't have time for full training, read or listen to business books in your spare time. By studying even one page a day, you are still working on self-improvement, which will bear fruit in the future.

Want to know more about first-class job applications? Read about How Often Should You Update Your Resume.

#10 Be persistent

Many industries and companies have been hit by the pandemic, resulting in them either drastically reducing or closing their recruitment. It's okay if you didn't get a job the first time. Even if you have not been able to get a new position in a month or two, this is not a reason for panic. To get a job during covid, you should be persistent. Continue to apply and be patient even for those structures that have suspended hiring. Eventually, you will be added to the company database, and if your resume and cover letter are effective enough, you will be contacted as soon as the organization resumes recruitment.

#11 Mind the gap

You may hear that job gaps in a candidate’s resume are a big disadvantage from many hiring managers. But in light of the difficult situation in the labor market in 2020 and the wave of layoffs, this is inevitable for many job hunters. If you have been unemployed for several months, take care in advance of how you can explain it. Naturally, recruiters are now more lenient in responding to such nuances in candidates’ resumes, but you can turn this into your advantage. Here are some options that you can use to explain gaps in your career: volunteering, continuing education, participating in online conferences, posting articles on social media, working on hobbies. Important! This reasoning is only appropriate if you have actually been busy with any of the above or similar activities. So if you haven't done it yet, it's time to start.

Conclusion

The world will need a lot of time to recover from the pandemic’s negative impact on economic processes. With all this negative influence, it is worth noting that new opportunities and ways of making money have opened up. As practice shows, remote work helped keep businesses stay afloat, and many organizations adopted this model. The current situation is a sign that we cannot stop in our development and that we need to constantly study new professional information, develop skills, and improve our flexibility. The question of how to get a job during Covid-19 has gained international proportions due to the sharp wave of dismissals at the beginning of the year. In addition to all of the above points, there are several more important nuances that you should definitely pay attention to.

Consider various options for online work, even if you have no prior experience. It is possible that a remote job will be a successful step in your career ladder.

Observe quarantine measures and carefully monitor your health. Your well-being is one of the aspects that influences successful employment.