How to Guarantee A Job During COVID-19

Insider’s View: The Host Edition

For the past month, I’ve been posting two videos per week where I interview professionals from top tier companies and ask them to solve the unprecedented problem of getting a job during COVID-19. For those of you unfamiliar with the rules of the game imposed on our guests they are as follows:

-You are 25 again

-You have no professional network

-You have no savings

-You are currently unemployed

*The only things you retain are your degree and your knowledge.

Each guest has laid out a different yet complimentary framework that has proven insightful for many of you. However, the resounding question I received after hosting industry titans such as EY, Huawei, SportlogIQ, KPMG, Rogers, Google, SAP, and soon to be Aurora Cannabis, Loto-Quebec and Merck is what I, Peter Croubalian, would do under the same circumstances.

I admit, I’m flattered that you would care about my POV amid the powerhouses above. But because I'm the host, I’ll take the game one step further. I’m going to tell you how to guarantee a job during COVID-19.

Wait, really?

Yes, it's game-time. Let's go!

Step 1: The Basics of Market Research

A.    Identify the top 5 companies hiring per industry on LinkedIn. Filter by the “entry level” or “associate” segments as they represent the appropriate job segments for new graduates.

Frequency: Daily             Task Length: 15 Minutes

Why LinkedIn over Indeed?

LinkedIn job posts are more expensive than Indeed ones. The more a company invests in their posting strategy, the greater their need. If you do go to Indeed, focus on sponsored jobs.

B.    Task A will show you which industries are ramping up or maintaining their activities. The next part is important: shortlist the companies that you want to work for. Would you want to work for them if a pandemic was not happening? Find 5 job descriptions from those organisations per day that make sense with your level. Save them to your computer.

Frequency: Daily             Task Length: 60-90 Minutes

C.     Hone in on common job titles, skills and deliverables. Make a list or better yet, a spreadsheet. Job postings might seem complicated, but they are relatively simple. If you have at least 50% of requirements, you should apply. Requirements are listed in order of importance. 3 years’ of experience actually means 0-12 months in most cases.

Frequency: Daily              Task Length: 60 minutes

D.    Perform A to C for a whole week. Use the rest of your time to read, take a course, workout, cook and see your family.

Why? Because you need to preserve your sanity and manage your mental health.

Frequency: Once                                Task Length: Week (Excluding time for A to C)

E.     Take your week’s worth of data. List titles, skills and deliverables in order of popularity (duplicates) and according to which are most interesting to you. With both ranked 1 to X, sum both ranks and take the three lowest sums.

Frequency: Once                                           Task Length: 30-60 minutes

Yes, that’s right. It’s the first cheat code. Got your back!

F.     Now use the data. Use those top titles for your job search. Read books or follow gurus specialized in those deliverables. Sign up for courses at Coursera.org or Edx.Org. The single most valuable upskill is an Excel certificate.  

*Why Excel? Find a professional position where mastering Excel is not an added-value or a basic requirement? Good Luck (said in voice from the antagonist from Liam Neeson's movie Taken) People lie about their level of expertise all the time. Silence the hiring manager’s doubt before it ever manifests. Invest 30$ and get the rubber stamp for those V-Lookups and INDEX/MATCHs. Why? You’ll automatically catapult yourself to the lead pack (top 50% of applicants).

Frequency: Once                                Task Length: 3-5 weeks (excluding tasks A to E)

Now that you’ve all had a moment to process that, any questions?

No?

Good, grab some water and let's get back out there!

Step 2: Pick Your Hustle Path

A.    Now, it’s time to grind. I recognize that there is a full spectrum of financial situations amid students and young professionals. Here are my recommendations based on your financial situation.

1.     You Don’t Need Cash Flow.

Volunteer. As of yesterday.

Unless you’ve gone through confinement without internet (insert crying emoji face here), you’ve likely come across a picture of Lauren Duvernay-Tardif, Superbowl Champion and Doctor of Medicine, working in a long-term care facility in his home province. If he is volunteering, you have no excuse not too. That is, unless you are in a better situation than him.

Deliver groceries to the elderly, take care of children of frontline workers, work in a soup kitchen… Do something! A Netflix and Uber Eats does not count.

Now, here’s the second cheat code: practice the skills you are studying.

I know what you are going to say.

“Peter, I can’t practice my Excel, MS Power BI, SQL or other skills while working in a soup kitchen”. 

Well that’s not true, now is it?

Take a step back and look at the systemic view. There is data all around you. It’s raw, but it’s there. Stop waiting for someone to give you requirements. Hunt for them.

Plus 5XP is all about the tactical. In keeping with that spirit, here is a quick draft of what I would do.

Things Peter would include in a soup kitchen spreadsheet:

What is the volume of clients per day?

How are they divided according to gender, age or any other impactful category?

What does each variable consume compared to the other?

Which type of food is preferred by each variable?

At what time do the clients arrive?

When do they leave?

How long does it take for each person to get their food and sit down?

How many people have to stand to eat?

Are there specific times of the day where all the seats are taken?

Each question you gather data for has the potential of improving the soup kitchen’s operational efficiency. With the added complexity of COVID-19, wouldn’t it be valuable to propose a data driven schedule to respect social distancing norms while serving a maximum number of clients? Wouldn’t clients feel more empowered and dignified if they all had access to a seat to eat their meal?

Experience = using the skills you learning to create value for yourself, an organisation or a client.

Start gaining some. Volunteering experience will go toward work experience if you approach it in the same way. One of my Talent Acquisition friends likes to say: “Great, you volunteered, but how impactful were you in a way that can translate to the business world? I want to hear that story”. She’s smart…I would take her advice.

B.    You need cashflow. ASAP!

Apply for a service job. Any of the following will do just fine: Walmart, Home Depot, grocery stores, banks, telecom call centers… Pick something that will guarantee your needed paycheck. Most new graduates hired right after graduation often have this type of experience listed as student employment. You’re allowed to extend that for a few extra months.

Note: Apply on Indeed, company websites or present yourself in person (extremely effective for the retail or food industries).

Check your ego at the door. Be humble, learn and then hunt for problems.

Obviously, do the job you are being paid for, but if you don’t understand something (a process, a layout etc.) ask a question – politely. Be reasonable in your daily volume of inquiries. Start piecing together requirements, the workflows, the value streams and how your, as well as your manager’s KPIs work.

When your shift is done, take a mental step back and ask yourself: “What would make my manager’s job easier?”. You read that correctly. Not your own, your manager’s. Why? The right mindset + your degree + your upskilling = one of the most competent employees on the floor. Your are the secret weapon. Use it!

Competitive advantages to utilize:

You have performed the job, not simply observed it unlike the head office continuous improvement teams. You can positively influence and garner the trust of your colleagues instead of corporate imposing a new process on them. You can experience firsthand customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction. You are privy to all the shortcuts your colleagues use to get things done. 

And the best part?

You will likely be the only employee on the floor playing this game. Your education has equipped you for this sort of big picture thinking. When your plan is ready, make a one-pager (google it) and present it to your manager. *Note, make sure it has value for them individually or it is possible they will not support it. It is also crucial to offer it as a suggestion. Remember, you are talking to a first-level floor manager, not the CEO of the next unicorn start-up. Keep it simple and effective.

Getting it accepted will likely prompt a stronger professional relationship with your manager. It’s likely they will come to you with other issues (these are called stretch assignments, take them!). Eventually, this should lead to a promotion. In a customer service setting, this will likely occur sooner rather than later. Seek out other opportunities for improvement. It’s literally a gold mine for a young professional.

Frequency: Continuous                       Task Length: Until you get promoted & repeat

Step 3: Make your brand shine!

A.    Remember those common job titles I made you put into a spreadsheet in Step 1? Let’s kick it into overdrive. Take the titles, keywords and skills you found and embed those you have (don’t lie or embellish, frame) into your LinkedIn Headline and your About Me section. Why? Because those are the words recruiters use to find candidates. It will improve your chance of appearing in their searches.

*For more details on how to attain an All-Star profile status (yes, that’s a real thing), write to us at Plus 5XP. We host seminars on how to create your online candidate brand. We’ll forward you the details. Again, we got your back!

In the meantime, I’ll share the starter kit below.

The Starter Pack to Creating a Candidate Brand

Produce content about your volunteering or service industry gig. The first day announcement is guaranteed to garner some attention but take it further (you want to stand out). Talk about the opportunities you are identifying and the solutions you are proposing or promoting. *Make sure this information is not confidential or linked to IP. In the beginning, your encouragement might be complete and utter silence (insert crickets chirping). It’s like old school dial up. The internet needs a minute to acknowledge you exist.

B.    While you wait, start following people working in your industries of interest and comment on their posts. Comments are the ideal way for a newbie to ease into the professional social media landscape. Avoid the Hallmark well wishes. “Congrats Gary,” does nothing for your brand. It’s also a suggested response provided by LinkedIn for any announcements, but mainly promotions. Everyone knows that.

Depending on your field of expertise, you might want to try something more substantial like this: “Great post @Gary. With crude oil prices being so low, I wonder how company X will change its business model. They were planning to release products that consume less oil and their business case assumptions no longer apply."

Here come the likes and the replies. By tagging the person with @, they will automatically be notified of your comment. It’s also a call to action for them to continue the conversation with you (on a public professional platform with their entire network watching). No one will check your birthdate. It’s all about content.

Watch your following take off. Views on your comments, posts or even articles will start to grow. People may @you with questions or comments. Interact to the best of your ability. Some more experienced professionals may offer advice. Your company will appreciate you being an ambassador linked to their brand. There is nothing better than an employee creating positive and helpful content. Nurture your new online friends. A network is like a plant: no sunlight or water and it dies.

Frequency: Continuous                                Task Length: Until you get promoted & repeat

Step 4: Eat, Sleep, Apply & Repeat

A.    Now that you’ve attained “dragon” status (Plus 5XP’s affectionate nickname for new grads that kick a** and we're huge fans of Ender's Game too (Dragon Army)) it’s time to breathe fire aka land a job you want.   

1.     Create your resume in accordance with the job description. For the coders reading this, a CV is like module of code. Each module should be ready to go and depending on the issue you want to solve (the focus of the position) place the specific sets of required modules. For the rest of the world, it’s like Legos. Remove and add pieces to your resume depending on the metrics or objectives linked to the business or role you are applying to.

*You should not have only one version of your resume. You get 1-2 pages to catch a recruiter’s attention. Make sure you make your added value clear.

Here is the third cheat code for those of you keeping track.

Business problem + your project or action = added value (reduction of costs or increased revenues) is the ideal formula for your resume. Listing tasks with no outcome is the equivalent of only writing the introduction to your research paper. Most people skip over that anyway to the Findings section.

2.     Apply to the job (ideally through the company’s career website). Keep in mind that some organisations have automated messaging options in their Applicant Tracking System (ATS) (think Salesforce, but for candidates). You need to be in the database. Once that is complete, you want to reach out to the hiring manager, the recruiter and one or two people on the team. Be careful here: do not spam each individual person simultaneously. Approach one person at a time.

The order of importance in terms of establishing contact is the following: Hiring Manager, Recruiter, Teammates. The ease of access is as follows: Teammates, Hiring manager, Recruiters.

Send a short, but customized message when you invite them to connect. You want to be specific and ask relevant questions. “What types of projects is your team currently working on? What do you like about working for X? Is X job considered an entry level position in your organisation?” DO NOT: tell them you are the most qualified for their job or send your resume in the InMail inbox. If they want it, they will ask for it, but only once you’ve had an intelligent exchange.

Here’s an example of how you should approach the situation: “I recently graduated and am interested in your organisation. What are the key attributes you look for in candidates for X type of role?” If you do this without referencing the specific job posted, they will still give you what is top of mind for them (the requirements they look for as well as the company standard).

The fact you applied will organically weave its way into the conversation. Heck, they may even bring up the vacancy on their team themselves. If you are already in the database, all they need to do is provide your name to the recruitment team to get in touch with you. It’s an easy email to send. When a manager wants to interview you themselves, the recruiter phone screen is merely a formality. You’ll get further in the process, faster.

Word of caution: Know when to let go. It’s possible you are not the best candidate for the position. Do not assume that sheer willpower guarantees you a job. Message volume is subject to a carefully balanced pendulum. Go too far and they will refer to you internally as the “kid that is spamming everyone”.

Try again, somewhere else or in another department. Use what you learned the first time.

Conclusion: Make the Odds Favour You

The economy is gradually reopening, and businesses are starting to build their post-COVID action plans. You’ll want to make sure your candidacy is strong and in the hands of your companies of interest soon. As they generate revenue in the next few weeks, they’ll be looking to hire again which means you’ll likely be in serious interview processes by mid-July if you follow the above steps.

All the spring hiring that was suspended or deferred will be lifting off and the good old September 1st start date will come back into play for new roles being created in organisations. Instead of being a green new grad, you will have weathered the most severe storm in recent history, upskilled, learned how to problem-solve and created your brand. You will be more qualified and wiser than if you had taken that “expected” job two weeks after graduation. You’ll also have a story to 2020’s most famous interview question: “What did you do during COVID-19?”

Remember, everything you read is to GURANTEE a job - no matter your degree in university. If you follow each step, you WILL succeed.

Now go out there and execute! I know you got this!