Job Hunting. NOW What?
Preparing For The COVID-19 Job Market
LOS ANGLES , CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, March 26, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As businesses abruptly shut down to slow the spread of the Coronavirus, 3.28 million Americans have filed for their first week of unemployment benefits according to the Department of Labor. This is the highest number of initial jobless claims in history topping 692,000 filed in the week ending October 2, 1982.Experts think that the US economy will fall into a recession lasting until later in the year. This news and an overwhelming series of events has laid off workers pondering what the hell just happened to them. Their next steps can be vital in landing a job quickly in the post COVID-19 job market. Here are 3 things that job seekers can do to navigate the process.
Dealing With Emotions
Let’s face the truth and admit that this is indeed a challenging position to be in. Job seekers have experienced substantial change and are subject to experience the five stages of grief i.e. denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Even though no one has physically died in this case, job loss, instability, reduced income and life as they’ve known can feel very similar to it. It’s important to spend time processing these emotions. Quickly working through them will allow candidates to become mentally agile in the job search process.
Fine-Tuned Skills
Skills are one of the most important assets. Fine-tuned technical , soft and transferable skills can give a competitive edge in landing the next job opportunity. Technical skills are the abilities and knowledge needed to perform specific tasks. Some of the most useful technical skills will be:
Big data analytics
Programming and coding languages
Project management
Information security
Soft skills are known as people skills. The term describes those personal attributes that indicate a high level of emotional intelligence. The list is extensive, but here are a few that most employers will be looking for:
Communication
Self-Motivation
Leadership
Growth Potential
Strategic Planning
Transferable skills aren’t seen as relating to any specific job. In the post COVID-19 job search, it will be important to be open in considering other industries. Human Resources leaders will be looking for these skills that can fit within a variety of roles.
Some transferable skills are:
Business Strategy
Business Acumen
Operational Efficiency
Leadership
Take this downtime to leverage e-learning courses, LinkedIn Learning, YouTube and Coursera and develop these most valued skills.
Develop a SMART Search Strategy
SMART is an acronym that has been credited to Peter Drucker in 1955 and is still relevant today. The focus was to break down goals in a framework of specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely.
Each day the job search must align to the acronym in order to be purposeful and successfully yield fruit-landing a job. A wise person once said “What gets planned, gets done”. Developing a SMART Search Strategy will provide:
Clear focus on your desired job, goals and intentions
Writing things down will give peace of mind and motivation
Clarity in knowing that you’re getting closer to your goals
Helps measure the effectiveness of your effort
Ease when communicating your goals to others, their contribution and needed support
A SMART Search Strategy will provide job seekers with clarity when navigating the market and can make all the difference between success and failure.
Even in these uncertain times, job seekers should remain hopeful. Employers will be slowly ramping up their labor force and looking for top talent. Candidates who are courageous in bringing all valuable skills to the forefront while developing untapped potential will be more competitive in the post COVID-19 job market.
Written by Lisa A. Holmes MSHR
Lisa A. Holmes MSHR serves as Chief Business Strategist for Strategic Performance of Los Angeles1. She is a Human Resources Expert, Executive Coach and Author with more than 30 years of expertise.
Lisa holds a Master of Science and Bachelor of Arts in Human Resources from Lindenwood University in St Charles, Missouri, (just outside of St. Louis).
With Lisa’s “keep it real” communicative style and strong business acumen, she is a sought-after executive leader and Consultant by Fortune 50, Fortune 500, privately held and start-up organizations.
In 2019, she released a best-selling career book, Job Hunting. NOW What? Keeping it Real in the Modern Career Search. This practical guide to the modern career search will give job seekers HR insider tips to navigate its emotional journey, create a HR-beloved resume, negotiating a top salary and much more.
Often providing insight as a media contributor, Lisa has been mentioned in Money Magazine, Career Builder, Reader’s Digest, ReWork and other publications.
Lisa Holmes
Strategic Performance of Los Angeles
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