6 Job Search Tips for the Coronavirus Era

Lisa Rabasca Roepe


As companies move to remote work to fight the coronavirus pandemic and an increasing number of workers are being laid off or furloughed, you might be wondering if you should continue to send out resumes or just assume that no one is hiring for the foreseeable future. It’s true that economists are predicting a recession, but career experts say it’s best to keep networking and applying, provided you change your approach a bit to acknowledge these are uncertain times. 

“Companies might not be hiring today, because they’re trying to figure out how to do business virtually, but they will be hiring,” says Danielle Beauparlant Moser, managing director and executive coach with bltCareers in Asheville, NC “The people who continue to relationship-build and share their ideas will be in a better position when companies start hiring.”

Most HR departments and managers are just getting everyone up to speed on the logistics and daily routines of a fully remote workforce so it might be difficult to reach people in the first few weeks of the transition, says Kathleen Landers, executive director of SEQUENCE Counseling and Consulting Services in Silver Spring, MD. Plus, “people have a lot of concerns—they might have elderly parents, relatives in other countries, young children to take care of, even their own health issues.” 

Be prepared for job openings to be put on hold or disappear, even if they’ve been open for a while. That doesn’t mean they won’t open up again in a few months. Landers admits she herself was getting ready to hire someone but decided to put that on hold for a few weeks. “If I can tell my business will maintain the same level of income and consumers will still want the product, then I will move ahead,” she says. 

With all that said, you can still be actively working on your job search. These tips will help you navigate the process during the pandemic and the accompanying economic slowdown.

1. Consider How Urgent Your Search Is

If you can afford to put your job search on hold, you may want to wait it out, Landers says, because it could be challenging to get on a hiring manager’s radar right now. “If you’re currently employed, think about how to make your job more palatable,” says Nancy Halpern, founder of Political IQ, a Manhattan-based leadership-consulting firm focused on developing emotional intelligence. “If you’re not employed, don’t think of your next job as the perfect job. It might be short term.” 

While many industries have and will continue to be hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, others are still hiring. If you’re unemployed and need a stopgap, consider looking there or wherever else you can find an opportunity that makes sense for you—and pays the rent and puts food on the table—in the meantime.

6. Boost Your Skills

Now is the perfect time to work on bolstering your qualifications, Moser says. Analyze job descriptions by listing each required skill and experience. Then consider whether you have that exact skill, if you have the skill but haven’t used it in a few years, or if you’re lacking the skill entirely. Use that information to determine what you need to brush up on to make yourself an even better candidate when the job market picks up again. 

For instance, if you’re applying for social media or marketing specialist positions, the listing will likely require experience with Google Analytics and Hootsuite. Being certified in either or both would make your resume stand out. 

There are plenty of free online course including MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), EdX classes (featuring free courses from MIT and Harvard), and free Microsoft training and tutorials. (Find more sites that offer online courses here.)

If you’re not sure where to start, check out these classes for digital marketing, coding, and data science.

During an economic slowdown, it’s important to focus on what you can control—improving your skills and reaching out to your network, Parsont says. “You can lay the groundwork now so that when the crisis is over you have opened doors and rekindled relationships.” 

See all 6 tips and the complete "The Muse" article

3 Pieces Of Career Advice Your Parents Gave You (That Are Total Crap!)

Shivani Vyas

Parents, we appreciate you. We know you want your kids to succeed and reach great heights. But the truth is, your career advice may actually be hurting them. 

The job search methods you were once trained on are no longer relevant. The safeguards you've placed for your children are counterproductive. Basically, the professional world you were once in is over. Non-existent.

Now, Indeed job searches are here. Job hunting has morphed into this paper-hating, competition-filled, digital black hole where Skype interviews are the new norm. Yes, say goodbye to the 90's and to mailing resumes.

Kids, no matter which age range you fall into, chances are you've received boundless pieces of wisdom from your parents on how to conduct the best job search and achieve career success. We're here to tell you that most of it is crap. Utter crap. The kind of advice that will leave you jobless for a very long time.

Here are three common pieces of bad career advice your parents have probably given you, and what you should do instead.

1. "Find A Job, Any Job!" 

We know that jobs provide you income, but in today's world, you shouldn't just be getting a job just "to have a job," unless your personal or professional circumstances are forcing you to pick up something temporary.

A job is part of a bigger picture—your career. The amount of jobs, kinds of jobs, and length of time you stay at any job says something about you.

If you're job hopping too much, for example, it could come off to an employer as you being unreliable.

If you are choosing all sorts of jobs in all kinds of fields, you can come off as being unfocused.

The key here is to hone in on what you love to do. What career would you truly be happy in long term? When we say long term, we mean 3+ years. Once you get clear on this part, start searching for jobs that help you build and grow in your chosen career path.

Example: If you want to be an art director, research what entry level jobs can help you build your skill set to get you to that position one day. Get the facts. Search for the exact job title that fits your dream job and write down what its requirements are.

Ask yourself questions like:

• Does this position require school, i.e. a certain degree or certificate?
• Does the hiring manager require a particular amount of experience?
• What will be my day-to-day responsibilities?
• What soft and hard skills will I need to be successful in that role?

It's all about doing your homework.

Randomly choosing jobs to fill in a gap or get a quick income is not the way to do it. You'll end up making less money in the long-run, and wasting time in odd experiences that don't fit who you are and where you want to be professionally.

See bad advice 2,3 and the complete WorkitDaily article

 

Check out LinkedIn's Interview Prep resources. 26 Questions, Answers, and Frameworks. Videos and More

1) Tell me about yourself.

 

Overview 

A lot of jobs require someone who can think on their feet or present ideas with crispness and clarity. This question provides employers with an early preview of your core skills, your personality and your ability to respond to an unstructured question.

 

4) Why should we hire you?

 

Overview 

This question tests how persuasive you are. Interviewers want to see if you can make a calm, confident case for yourself, even if they’re acting skeptical. They’re looking for factual and compelling answers.

 

7) Tell me about a time you were successful on a team.

 

Overview 

If you can show that you’ve helped a team move through a challenge, you probably have strong communication and interpersonal skills. These kinds of “soft” skills are in high demand and make people successful in their jobs.

 

Read all 26 Questions, Answers,  Frameworks.  Videos and More

 

 

Using Instagram for Your Job Search: Tips and Tricks

By Rachel Jay

Sure, you’ve got LinkedIn covered, but Instagram? Using Instagram for job searching is most likely not at the top of most job seeker’s minds, but it can be a potentially untapped source.



Instagram is a widely used platform. Currently, 1 billion people use it every month, 500 million use Instagram Stories daily, and 63% of users log in at least once a day, spending an average of 28 minutes on the app.

With so many people interacting on Instagram, it can be a great resource in your job search. Let’s go over a few ways you can use this social media platform to your advantage.

Create a Professional Instagram Account

Whether or not you already have an Instagram account, consider creating a new account dedicated to professional use only. This can keep your personal life separate from your work life—think of it like a LinkedIn version of Instagram. Here’s how to make your professional account shine.

How to Fill Out Your Profile

Instagram can be used as a personal branding machine. You’ll want your profile to be consistent with other professional social media accounts you have and clear on what your expertise is and what you can offer to potential employers.

Start out by making sure your new account is public. This allows anyone to see your profile, whether they are following you or not. You want employers and industry peers to be able to easily see your profile.

Next, make sure you add a headshot-style photo—the same one you use on LinkedIn is ideal. Add in a website link too. This could be to your personal website, your online portfolio, or your LinkedIn or Twitter page. In the bio section, you have 150 characters to sell yourself. A good place to start may be to talk about your current job or skills, what sort of new job you’re looking for, or a list of your professional passions.

Search and Use Hashtags

Use the searchable hashtags to find other people who could be added to your network, companies, and even open jobs. This is a great way to uncover companies and jobs you weren’t aware of before.

Some popular hashtags to consider for your job search are:

• #remotework
• #remotejobs
• #jobs
• #jobsearch
• #jobsearchtips

Also focus on looking through the top hashtags for your specific career field. For example, if you’re a virtual assistant or a marketer, these may be helpful:

• #virtualassistant #virtualassistantjobs #virtualassistantlife
• #marketing #marketingmanager #marketingmanagerlife

You should also use industry keywords as hashtags to describe pictures you’ve posted. For example, if you attended an important marketing conference or workshop, you could upload a photo of the event with #marketing and #(nameofconference), or the hashtag the conference is already using.

More Tips and Tricks PLUS the complete FelxJobs article

6 innovative ways to conduct a job search that will get you ahead of the pack

Jonah Malin

There’s nothing more stressful, nerve-wracking, and time-consuming than looking for a new job.

It can take months and even years of daily work to find a situation that is stable while offering the career path that you desire. But the way we conduct job searches is changing. We are no longer confined to mailing paper resumes and “dropping in” to see if there is an HR person or executive willing to hear your pitch. In a highly competitive work environment, those strategies are a thing of the past.

But how are modern job seekers supposed to compete with individuals who understand the market, have more experience, better connections, and deeper pockets?

Here are six innovative ways for you to conduct a job search that will get you ahead of the pack.

• Take a company-first approach

A lot of college graduates are conditioned to look for specific roles that will set them up for fruitful careers. For example, if you have a marketing degree you would be inclined to research entry-level marketing coordinator, associate, and specialist positions. The company doesn’t matter as much because you are just trying to get a foot in the door.

While this approach works for some people when they’re first starting their careers, individuals that are tired of job-hopping should consider conducting a company-first job search.

Decide what interests you most about your “dream company”. A few important things you should think about are company size, location, benefits, and longevity (startup environment vs industry leader).

Obviously, modern job seekers are also invested in company culture, so consider the values that are most important to you and how you work best. Some people prefer large group settings while others like to slip their headphones on and zone in for hours at a time, undisturbed.

Then make a list of companies that fit what you want and keep an eye out for job openings. If nothing in your field is available, don’t be afraid to send in a detailed cover letter and resume explaining why you’re a great fit!

• Remember that social media matters- use it to your advantage

When we think of “job search” and “social media”, the obvious choice is LinkedIn.

You know, the platform that was built for employees to network and find new companies.

But we often forget that a lot of people are also on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

If you want to get a unique jump on your competition, make it known on more personal platforms that you are currently on the hunt for a new opportunity. Share things you find professionally relevant to your job, find the latest job openings by searching on various social platforms, link to your portfolio, and develop high-level relevant content that companies may be interested in.

If your social media pages are full of memes or anything that an HR person may find offensive, it’s probably best to cleanse your pages. Social media should work for you not against you.

See all 6 innovative ways and the complete theladders article

12 Things to Never Do During A Phone Interview

by Julia Malacoff

These days, phone interviews are an unavoidable part of the job interview process, and for good reason: They save everyone involved time and effort. But that doesn’t mean that phoners require zero energy on the part of the candidate. Yes, you should spend more time preparing for an in-person interview, but many companies treat phone screens as the official first round of the hiring process. That means candidates are expected to go into them prepared with as much information about the company, position, and their own skills and strengths as possible. 

 

We asked HR pros about their top phone interview pet peeves, they had no shortage of advice to offer. Apparently, it’s quite easy to mess up your phone interview. But here’s the thing; it’s also not hard to come across well if you keep some key things in mind.

1. Never Take The Interview Somewhere Noisy

It might seem like common sense, but you’d be surprised what interviewers say they can hear in the background of their phone interviews—everything from barking dogs to screaming children. “Prepare for the interview by securing a quiet space in advance, even if it means escaping to your car parked in the garage,” advises Chere Taylor, founder of Fulcrum HR Consulting. “If you can lock your home office door, by all means do it. We’ve all been there and sometimes things just happen, but the more time spent anticipating what could go wrong, the better prepared and organized you will appear to the interviewer and the greater likelihood of success.” That doesn’t mean that if your washing machine beeps once in the background all hope is lost, but the more effort you put into being in a quiet place, the more focused you’ll be.

3. Resist The Urge to Multitask

It might be tempting to cross something off your to-do list while on a phone interview, but recruiters and hiring managers can easily tell if your attention is elsewhere. “My number one pet peeve is people who decide to multitask while on the phone interview,” says Dan Krupansky, Talent Acquisition Manager at PrimePay. “I have heard candidates washing dishes, making lunch in the microwave, going for walks, letting their dog out, and grocery shopping during the interview. I even had one person use the bathroom and flush the toilet while speaking with me.” Needless to say, this doesn’t reflect well on your level of interest in the position you’re interviewing for.  

See all 12 things and the full glassdoor article

4 Mistakes To Avoid In A Job Interview

Ashira Prossack

No matter how qualified or talented you are, there are a few mistakes you can make in a job interview that will reduce your chances of getting a job offer. 

1) Making a less than stellar first impression. 

Your job interview starts the second you walk through the building doors. Be polite to everyone you meet, from the doorman to the people you ride the elevator with. Remove your headphones and put your phone away when you check in with the receptionist. This shows respect and also ensures that you won’t be distracted by a notification when someone is speaking to you. 

Companies are starting to enlist the help of their teams to help choose candidates. This means that your interaction with the receptionist is actually part of the job interview, and you’ll be judged by how you treated her or him. Same goes for the doorman – did you say thank you when they opened the door or did you just walk by? The way you treat people when you aren’t being watched speaks volumes, so treat everyone you meet with respect. This extends far beyond just job interviews – we should treat people with respect at all times.

4) Not being prepared. 

It’s not just talent and credentials alone that get you hired. It’s how you show up to the interview. The hiring manager wants to see that you’ve researched the company and the role. Know the job requirements and how you can add value specifically related to points mentioned in the job description. Practice answering mock interview questions to get over any nerves you might have. 

You also want to have well thought out questions to ask at the end of the interview. This of course helps you get to know more about the job and the company, and it also shows the hiring manager that you’re truly interested in pursuing the opportunity. 

When hiring managers find multiple qualified candidates, it’s the mistakes that are made that set people apart – but not in a good way. Avoid these mistakes and end your interview on a high note by giving a sincere thank you to the hiring manager. Thank them for their time, the opportunity, and reiterate your interest in the job. 

See mistakes 2,3, and the complete Forbes article