How to use your time over the next 30 to 90 days – from a career standpoint

I’ve lived by the motto that the value of time is the value of life. The late Arnold Palmer once said: “You can let things happen to you or you can make things happen.” Say nothing about the past three weeks, the next 30 to 90 days will arguably be the most unique period any of us will likely ever experience in our lifetime.

From a career perspective, years from now, each of us will look back and ask ourselves – how did I use this time? Years from now, we will also ask ourselves – did I use my time effectively? This second question is not just for those now out of work, or with your income reduced, or worried you may soon be laid off. It’s also for those of you unclear about your professional direction or where you might be professionally in six months or a year. All the while please deliver thanks however/whenever you can to those on the front lines – they are the real heroes.

Now while you may not fall into the one of the three categories below, here are things you should be doing now – from a career standpoint – so you don’t have regrets years from now about how you used your time (or didn’t) during this rare moment in history.

Disclaimer: I am not a Financial Adviser or a mental health expert, so please contact experts in those fields in you need help in either or both of those areas. I am a Career Coach. If you need help with your career or have questions, please feel free to call me anytime at 858-531-7128. I’m happy to help. You may also connect or email me on LinkedIn. If you’re a small business owner that needs help on how to be spending your time now before re-launch, please read Category 1 below and feel free to reach out to me if I can be of further assistance or if you have questions.

Category 1 – you’ve been laid off or had your hours cut from a job you love – and can’t wait to get back to full-time work and doing what you love. This category also applies to those of you currently working full-time in a job/field you enjoy:

Tip: use this time to learn a new skill or multiple skills pertaining to your career. We can pick any career field here but here’s an example: say you’re a Server in a restaurant with a goal of one day wanting to manage or open your own restaurant. Use this time to learn the skills needed to be successful in that future endeavor. Read books from the experts, take online tutorials – but most importantly – network/contact those that have already been there and done that. This will benefit you in two ways: 1) you will inevitable learn something new 2) you will likely secure additional key contacts by asking – yes, ask – for a referral to speak with another leader in the profession. Be thirsty for knowledge and open minded.

Let me give you a specific example of what I mean. One of the best things I did very early in my professional career was just this networking situation I describe above. I had just moved to San Diego and was curious about a career in public relations, having started my career in journalism. A mentor gave me the phone number of a person that owned a public relations agency. I spoke with this person, asked him about how my journalism skills might be an asset in this industry, learned something new and at the end of the discussion asked “Is there a colleague in the industry you know that I might be able to speak with so I can learn more about if this field is right for me?” And, boom, I had another contact. Long story, short (or longer, as my friend says) – all this networking (e.g., asking for and then speaking with more and more decision makers) – eventually got me a job. Even though most of my professional life has been as a Career Coach – I haven’t worked in PR since my 20's – this early experience is still invaluable today and so I share it with you here.

Translation: put on a journalist hat of the career that you love here – and be a journalist of your own career. So, things are down right now. But this is temporary – so use this time to invest in yourself. Knowledge is power. And there is no substitute for education. Ask questions. Be curious. And think differently. And ask, ask for referrals.

Because make no mistake, there will likely never be another moment – NEVER (CAPS for emphasis!) – in our lifetime when so many decision makers are A) this widely accessible by phone and/or email B) with time on their hands they usually literally almost never have under ordinary circumstances. Because they’re likely at home, just like you and me!

Another tip: if you haven’t already, brainstorm ideas with your boss and colleagues – yes, even with those colleagues who also just got laid off with you. When the business comes back (the one you got laid off from) – and it will (it’s just a question of when) what could you and your team members be doing – right now virtually – to make the business better once it returns? In other words, when the business comes back, introduce a new product or service? Offer special promotions? How could you persuade your target audience once business re-opens – to return? Or perhaps reach a new audience upon re-opening? Put another way, how can the business, collectively, use this time – right now – to outsmart your competitors when life returns to normal? Today is an uncanny moment in history to be forward-thinking and brainstorming – and sharing ideas virtually. Remember, you’ll be competing with other businesses when things open back up – so use this time to differentiate, out-plan and outsmart your competitors right now. Don’t wait.

Category 2 – you’re not happy in your current role and questioning whether you really want to continue with your current employer or even in your current career field:

Tip: I wrote specifically to this category three weeks ago and you can read my article below (click the link). If you’re in this group, review all the things you’ve done (as mentioned in my article) in the past three weeks – are you seeing measurable progress? If not, reassess why that is. Determine what you want to accomplish in the next 30 to 90 days. If you need help or are getting stuck, reach out to me. I'm happy to help. If you haven’t done anything noted in the article in the last three weeks, no better time than to start now. Are you considering changing a career and feeling lost or stuck finding the right option/s? Please feel free to contact me at 858-531-7128: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/keep-calm-wash-your-hands-possibly-reevaluate-career-path-joe-connor?articleId=6644218262563418112#comments-6644218262563418112&trk=public_profile_article_view

Category 3 – you need to work badly now – and I do mean badly, even if it’s something you really don’t want to do or are afraid to do.

Tip: For a job in which you must physically appear in person (e.g., can’t telecommute/work from home), use your location to your advantage by A) walking into that location and asking for the Store Manager or decision maker/person in charge; B) Have your resume with you and tell the Store Manager or decision maker/person in charge you live less than a mile away or within a few miles of the store so you are accessible at a moments’ notice and have the means (transportation wise) to easily get there, whether on foot, bicycle or car; C) look the Store Manager or decision maker/person in charge directly in the eye – and ask for the job right then and there. This is your Super Bowl moment. Embrace it. Food delivery services in your local area may also be hiring. And in addition to working in a customer service capacity in a medical facility, police/fire department or essential retail establishment, if you’re mechanically inclined, think about your leveraging your proximity to offering plumbing or handyman services to your neighbors.

Additional tip: ask the Branch Manager of your local bank if they have a contact that works in the banks’ corporate telephone call center. Many banks may likely hire more call center staff to handle phone calls from customers regarding securing a loan or delaying their mortgage or car payments. The best way to start with a contact is your local branch. And, who knows, you may be able to work in a call center from the comfort of your home, with less risk. State unemployment offices and other companies may be hiring remote call center staff as well. Never hurts to ask and network. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

And here’s yet another tip: ask your local trash collector if they’re hiring. You never know, they might. More people at home equals more trash collection? Never hurts to ask.

And, wait one more tip: it wouldn’t surprise me if grocery stores hire third-party staff to better manage crowds (social distancing in the store), especially if this lingers. Now, I could also be wrong here, so keep that in mind. But why not contact local security service/crowd control companies in your area? Perhaps grocery stores will hire them? You never know.

Finally, know anyone that works for your city, county, state or the federal government? Ask them if they’re hiring – in any capacity. During times of crisis, governments often have extraordinary powers – and potentially funds to pay for resources. I obviously can’t speak for individual jurisdictions, but what’s the harm in inquiring? Answer: absolutely nothing.

In ordinary times, I advise my clients to devote 70% of their job search to networking and the remaining 30% to literally completing job applications online. These aren’t ordinary times. Now, spend 90% of your time networking and 10% of your time online. Unless specifically told otherwise, network first to find out who the decision maker is, persuade the decision maker – and then, fill out the application.

When it comes to networking, live by “I’d rather fail at trying then never try at all” because you have literally nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Conclusion:

We are all creatures of habit and the hardest part is often getting started and then maintaining a consistency and momentum. Because habits are hard to break – it’s just how we’re wired. Ask a psychologist. Changing habits is more than just changing the actual habit however – it’s about changing the mindset/the thinking/ones thought process.

Tip: if your schedule allows, dedicate your precious time (and you should always consider time precious) to what I’ve recommended to first thing in the morning. You may have heard of the expression, “the seeds of the day are best planted in the first hour.” Reasons? You are fresh. Second, you are not distracted – well, at least not yet anyway (speaking of distractions: turn off the TV and only use your phone to make calls, not check the Internet whether the world has finally come to an end). In other words, no multi-tasking. Lock yourself in a room, close the door behind you and have a laser like focus on the task at hand. Third, when you finish, you’ll feel better. Trust me. And then do it the next day. And the next day. And the next day. Momentum is key here. Get locked in. In the zone. Good habits are contagious, too.

All the while please deliver thanks however/whenever you can to those on the front lines – they are the real heroes.

Questions?

Please feel free to call me anytime at 858-531-7128. I’m happy to help. You may also connect or email me on LinkedIn.

If you have the financial means or skills to help others right now – even if in the very smallest way (to you), do it. Because if it impacts just one person, it matters. Especially now. And it will probably mean more to them then to you.

“Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference...and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth.” – the late, great Roberto Clemente.

Hopefully, by July 4, 2020, we’ll all be outside with family and friends celebrating our nation’s independence – including from this damn virus.

I hope to be at a baseball game with friends. By Thanksgiving, the Padres will have won their first World Series.

It takes courage not to be discouraged. Stay safe, be smart – and think different.

This unique moment in history requires you to be a doer – and a dreamer. Me too.