Looking for Work in a Pandemic

It looks as if BC will be relaxing some of the restrictions around businesses being locked down relatively soon. Will you have a job to go back to? Are you longing to get back, scared it might be too soon, somewhere in the middle or both at the same time? We will each have our own way of dealing with what happens going forward, both as a worker and as a citizen. The only right timing is your right timing. 

If the fallout has you looking for a new job, the landscape of possibilities will have shifted substantially from what it was like in 2019, before the world twisted and turned into this new normal. More than ever, it will be essential to stand out from the crowd in some way. This is the time to hone in on what that is for you, to ramp up your confidence and self-awareness. If your self-marketing does not demonstrate who you are and what you have to offer, your chances of inspiring a recruiter to invite you in for an interview are slim to none. Their attention span is only a few seconds, so make those seconds count! Sending out résumés without taking the time to target them reduces your chances and increases the amount of time it takes to land a great job - in these unprecedented times, perhaps ANY job.

Looking for a job is hard work, as you know. It is definitely worth the effort. Explore your own career as if it were a movie with a plot twist at the end, an interesting theme and loads of character development. Recall the why, the when, the where and the how. Acknowledge your mentors, bosses, co-workers who supported you. Give your Academy Award speech to your family. There are lots of resources available online to help you out. Check them out; WorkBC and ALIS are a couple of my go to places for self-exploration and YouTube has loads of how-to videos. If you prefer to make it easier on yourself, consider hiring me!

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