The recession of 2008 changed the job market forever. Before the recession, things like extended parental leave, “job-hopping,” changes in career focus, and entrepreneurial experience were frowned upon in resumes. To very conservative readers, these things showed lack of loyalty. However, after the recession, these became much more widely accepted; some companies even started seeing some of these as signs that a candidate has agility. Facebook, for example, really values entrepreneurial experience among its hires.
It is expected that the recession of 2020 will likely have similar impacts. If you feel uncertain about your career’s projection, growth, or linearity, don’t; we are going through this shift as a nation and like any recruiter glosses over blips, demotions, and gaps in 2008-2010, they will do the same for this one.
Since the economy is in damage control mode, is it still a good idea to continue applying to jobs?
While brick-and-mortar businesses have been hit by the shelter-in-place order, other companies are seeing a surge in hiring activity. For example, Amazon is hiring a second wave of 75,000 people after its first wave of 100,000.
Apple, Walmart, AT&T, Ford Motors, GM, Google, Exxon Mobil, McKesson, Chevron, JPMorgan Chase, Verizon, and many more are hiring actively, well aware that slowing down operations will result in crippling corporate stagnation in the next few months.
Several industries like entertainment, pharmaceuticals, and supermarket chains have also ramped up their hiring efforts at all levels to meet unprecedented demand.
Companies are rapidly adapting to this change, taking this time to strengthen their operations by virtualizing teams and investing in paid training for their workforces to prepare for the inevitable surge in economic activity that will occur upon the reversal of the shelter-in-place order.
So, what does this mean for your job search?
Now, more than ever, you need to focus on agility in your job search. Here’s why:
- Stopping your job search will shrink your chances of getting a job to zero. You don’t apply, you don’t get found – simple.
- It’s only a matter of when this pandemic will be over, not if, and if you delay your search now, you will lose a position that you would have gotten otherwise through your preemptive application and networking efforts.
- Networking online is easier than ever now, with everyone at home, connected to their devices.
- It only takes a couple of minutes per day.
Due to the change in hiring strategy and with more people looking for work, competition has increased. You must continue your job search to have a better chance of success. Having a structured approach towards the job search is important to get ahead of the massive curve. Here is what you should do next:
Quick side note: I’d love to offer you my two-page, annotated resume cheat sheet that will definitely improve your job search and create the perfect first impression once you land your target position. It breaks down exactly how a marketing manager was able to get her dream job AND double the initial offer they received. Get your own copy by submitting your information right here:
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1. Focus your search on just one or two functions
You may be tempted to apply to a wide range of openings, but if you do this, you’ll be faced with one of the two scenarios:
- You’ll have to customize your resume to each position you apply to beat applicant tracking systems, which takes a lot of time and energy. If you’re sticking to just one or two functions, editing your resume and cover letter shouldn’t be taking you more than 10 minutes per application.
- You’ll use a one-size-fits-all resume, which won’t get you results. Your resume should make it immediately relevant to your reader what position you’re a good fit for and how you’ve excelled in that position in the past. This will be difficult to do if you’re “distracting” your reader with content that isn’t immediately relevant to your hiring needs.
2. Make your resume relevant to the reader
If you’re considering changing industries, now is a great time to do so; ensure you maintain focus on one or two functions to avoid overwhelming yourself or unnecessarily elongating your job search.
You may be interested in positions that are different from those that you held in the past. However, your experience has still helped you gain some extremely valuable transferable skills. Just ensure that your resume focuses on those primarily in order for you to get those interviews. We’ve helped hundreds of professionals make very dramatic career changes just by ensuring their resumes were hyper-focused on their goal.
It is also very important that your resume reflects achievements, awards, education, experience and any other accomplishments that align with your career goals in an ATS-friendly format; after all, ATS will be one of the readers looking at your resume. Another reader will be an HR person, who will look at your resume for only about or so seconds. Within those six seconds, you have to ensure relevance by focusing primarily on the reader’s hiring needs.
3. Online Networking
One of the best ways you can act during times of uncertainty is building your connections. The more connections you have to rely on, the more actionable information you have at your fingertips, and the more flexibility you can show at a time when flexibility is critical to career growth.
For that reason, I’d like to share my networking tutorial with anyone who would like access for free. Normally, this course costs $39, but since it doesn’t cost me anything to host it, I’d like to share what I can. Here’s the link.
Here is the complete table of contents:
- Lesson 1: The Six Biggest Networking Mistakes You Could Be Making
- Lesson 2: My Two Favorite Networking Principles, courtesy of Benjamin Franklin
- Lesson 3: “But I Don’t Have a Network!” (How to Identify Your Contacts)
- Lesson 4: How to Reach Out Without Coming Across As Clingy or Needy
- Lesson 5: Conducting Informational Interviews and “Converting” Your Contacts
- Lesson 6: Dealing with Objections and Following Up
- Lesson 7: Bonuses — Networking Events, LinkedIn, and Foreign Students
If it asks you for a password, please use “captainjs”.
Feel free to share my networking tutorial with anyone you know that is going to be in the job market.
My tutorial focuses almost completely on online and telephonic interactions, so you can act on these items while still practicing safe distancing. Here’s my favorite part of the tutorial — Questions that you can ask new connections on LinkedIn to get them to engage immediately. The questions are on page 9 of the document.
Please notice how different this approach is than “Hey, here’s a copy of my resume — do you have any open positions?” which doesn’t allow people to help if they don’t have access to open positions! Instead, this approach helps people help you with knowledge, connections to decision-makers, and critical feedback! Therefore, it doesn’t “waste” the value that someone could be offering.
4. Use LinkedIn for at least five minutes a day
LinkedIn hosts more than 575+ million professional profiles, which makes it even more important now that everyone is practicing social distancing, and companies are adjusting to the remote work environment.
Last week, my colleague Hajra surveyed a few dozen recruiters on how this virus has changed their ATS usage. Nearly all of them have said that they rely heavily on LinkedIn, even when candidates reach out using just their resumes.
Having a LinkedIn profile that has speaks to recruiters and compels them to contact you is more important than ever. You won’t be able to take advantage of LinkedIn if you don’t optimize it. Your LinkedIn profile must highlight your strengths and accomplishments. Make sure your experience section is complete and toggle the “Let recruiters know you’re open to opportunities” option to “on.” Jump back to point 3 if you need additional pointers on connecting with fellow professionals on LinkedIn.
5. Use the downtime to enhance your skill set
If you’re in an impacted sector, it’s a good idea to think about diversifying your skill set so that you can apply for jobs in more stable industries. According to IBISWorld models, these are the fastest growing industries in 2020.
Coursera and a number of other online learning platforms are also offering their paid courses for free. I highly recommend searching online to see if your courses of interest to you are being offered for free.
6. Follow up
Given the current situation, HR departments are swamped with job applications. It’s a good idea to send a follow up email to check the status of your application if they’re unresponsive. However, expect the process to be slower than usual, but do be extra responsive. Because of the increased competition, it’s easy to miss an opportunity if you don’t respond promptly.
7. Be prepared to interview virtually
With all the social distancing guidelines in place, online interviews are the new norm. Be prepared. Dress as you would for the in-person interview and find an appropriate spot with good lighting for the interview.
It’s a good idea to download the video conference software like Zoom/Skype in advance to make the process seamless.
Related reading: 3 skype interview disasters you must always be prepared for
These are trying times, but if you have a strategic approach to making the most out of this situation by focusing on what we can control, you’ll come out ahead because you’ll have a few weeks of preparation on everyone else.
Writing your resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn can be an overwhelming process. If you are unsure if your accomplishments are being highlighted accordingly, upload your materials below for a free review by ATS experts.
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