The coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on the global economy. It has caused stock market volatility and hurt profit potential across industries. Some small businesses have been forced to close temporarily and large businesses have also been affected by the strain of losing business, moving to remote work, and disrupted supply chains. The Trump administration has warned that the unemployment rate in the U.S. could reach 20%, according to NBC News reporting.
Some companies have responded to the health crisis with layoffs, furloughs, cutting hours and overtime pay, and implementing hiring freezes. Other companies are actively hiring and posting new jobs daily. It is too soon to tell what the national and global impact will be on hiring, but there are ways you can stay positive and proactive about job searching during this tumultuous time.
Apply to more jobs than usual:
There is more competition for jobs, so to more jobs than you might otherwise. Prioritize jobs that have been recently posted because it is a sign that the company has a current role that needs to be filled. If a posting has been up for months, it may be less of a priority for the company. Be confident when you are reading job postings. Remember that you can get the job even if you don’t meet all of the job qualifications. Use your resume and cover letter to show you have the transferrable skills needed to be successful.
Customize your application for each job:
Spend more time on each cover letter and resume so your job application gets seen. It takes more time to modify them for each job application but it is necessary. When you apply to a job online, your application often goes into an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), software that reviews elements of your resume to determine how well you’d fit the requirements of the job posting. The secret to getting past the ATS is written in the job posting. The software sifts through job applications based on the keywords in the job posting such as the job title, responsibilities, and skills. Don’t copy everything word for word, but make sure a majority of the most important aspects of the job are in your resume and cover letter. Nearly 75% of resumes that go through an ATS are eliminated because they don’t meet the requirements the hiring manager specified, such as the right skills, education level, or job titles, according to Monster research so it is key to getting your resume in the hands of a hiring manager.
Engage your network:
People understand that this is a difficult time and they want to help however they can. Let your friends and family know that you are job searching and tell them about the types of jobs you are looking for and your target companies so they’ll be on the lookout for openings, notify you if they hear of anything, and email intro you to people who work at the company. Those email intros, or having people in your network send your resume and cover letter on your behalf, can get your application to the top of the pile even if human resources isn’t done sorting through the applications that come in through the ATS. Reach out to former colleagues and bosses if you see openings at their company. They are more likely to hire you than the competition because they know your skills and work ethic. Even if they aren’t hiring, they can be references for your other applications. Since they are in the industry, they may hear of other jobs through their network and they can recommend you.
Master phone and video job interviews:
Now that many people are working remotely, job interviews are being done by phone and video instead of IRL. It can be more challenging to have a phone interview because it is harder to interpret someone’s reaction and have a conversation that flows naturally. It can be trickier to have a video interview because it can feel awkward to be on camera. You’ll stand out if you learn the ins and outs of phone and video job interviews. And we’ve got the phone job interview and video job interview tips and tricks you need to know.
Take on temp and freelance work:
If you don’t currently have a job, apply for temp and freelance work to pay the bills. It could lead to a full-time job with benefits when you impress your coworkers. It is also a great opportunity to get one of the skills that is suddenly paramount — the ability to be successful at work while working remotely. Employers are looking for people who are self-disciplined enough to work from home, have the excellent written and verbal communication skills necessary to communicate with colleagues and clients remotely, and are organized and efficient.
