Save Yourself From The Second Wave Of Hiring Freezes With These 7 Steps

We’ve all been in this weird shade of darkness, a period of mass mourning in the wake of the global pandemic. 

Unfortunately, the recession is only in its first stages and we are likely to see darker times. 

But right now, might be the brightest time we’ll see in a while. Why? 

We are in the middle of a hiring boom. 

Countries are beginning to open up, but it will be brief. Which means all the hiring that happens throughout the year or towards the end of the year needs to be stuffed into this summer, in this time of more certainty. They need to hire, train and acclimate new employees in the next six weeks, before the second wave comes. 

This is your best chance to get a job in 2020. 

I know it’s summer. It’s a time usually reserved for relaxation and vacations before the big fall rush. 

That may be what everyone else is doing. But this is not the time to relax. In a few weeks many countries' stimulus packages will run out. 

When the weather begins to shift, when the stimulus comes to a halt, people will flood the job market. Competition will go up, job prospects will go down and PhDs will be competing for positions with people less qualified and less educated than they are.

If you have a PhD. You know how to push through and meet a deadline. This is your deadline. You must get a job offer in the next few weeks to protect your career and your future. 

Companies know the second hiring freeze is coming. This is your time to prepare.

The 7 Steps To Take Before The Second Wave Of Hiring Freezes

1.You need to commit 

PhDs are great at committing to a project, to reaching deadlines and analyzing data. But so many PhDs fail to transfer this same level of commitment to their job search. They fail to commit to themselves. This is your opportunity to commit to your career and to your future. 

Showing commitment conveys certainty and reduces hiring anxiety. Recessions create risk and anxiety for companies.

During uncertain times, companies will commit to candidates that represent less risk. 

2. Broaden your job search 

Don’t think of broadening your job search as a means to not get your dream job. This is your opportunity to understand the options that are out there, to learn the intricacies of industry. PhDs are isolated into very narrow fields and are expected to perform every job within a project. 

This is not how it works in industry. If you like the research you are doing, know there are many jobs that are involved, from the scientist researching the product to the marketing team that promotes it. 

Figure out what aspect of your PhD you’ve really loved and explore all the roles where you can apply that skill set in industry. 

3. Create an industry savvy resume

Having a bad resume is the #1 reason PhDs do not get hired into industry. 

The best format to use in a recession is a combination style resume. This format discusses top industry skills and the results achieved. 

The job market has shifted and transferable skills need to reflect this transition. This includes adding transferable skills like virtual communication and collaboration as well as autonomy and flexibility.  

This makes you less of a risk to the company and shows your up to date with current trends. 

4. Stockpile your connections

There has never been a better time to connect with people remotely. Many people have faced a new surge of free time and have adjusted to remote work. Meaning many of the technical problems with setting up remote meetings have been removed. Everyone's lives have shifted in the past few months, and people love talking about it. Pandemics and recessions are great conversation starters as they impact everyone in different ways making it perfect for informational interviews. Informational interviews can quickly turn to referrals. Referrals are your fastest track to getting hired and being happy at your new job. 

5. Learn the Hiring Process 

Each career track will have a slightly different hiring process. Being prepared for these tests will make you a stronger candidate and reduce your own anxiety about the job search process.

The Cheeky Scientist advance programs go through the specific hiring process for each career.

But there are some universal hiring processes to know. The most obvious one is interviews are now done 100% remotely. Here are 5 tips to best prepare for the remote interview process: 

1. Do a trial run first. Ensure everything looks OK, including your background.
2. Set up your camera and microphone and figure out how close you need to be to be heard. 
3. Dress professionally. It doesn’t matter if they can only see you from the waist or shoulders up, dressing nicely will make you feel more confident and will improve your posture.
4. Know your body language. Wild hand gestures can go in and out of screen and can be very distracting.
5. Engage with everyone you are interviewing with. It’s easy to gravitate towards one person but they all may make the decision on who to hire.

6. Identify pandemic proof positions

There are positions that not only survived but thrived during the first hiring freeze. These fields will survive the second hiring freeze as well and any future recessions. It is no coincidence that these positions are directly associated with the Cheeky Scientist advance programs. These are positions like data scientist, medical writing, project management, and research and development. 

Focusing on these careers is a great way to boost your likelihood of getting hired and staying hired when the next wave hits. 

7. Apply to many jobs at once

This may seem obvious, but the more jobs you apply to the more chances you have at securing an offer. Job search strategies are as much about quality as quantity. It’s a numbers game. You want to apply to as many jobs as possible. You will face rejection, but if you have other applications out there, this rejection won’t feel so debilitating. As an added bonus having multiple applications could result in multiple offers, giving you the choice of the best job and the leveraging power in salary negotiations.

Concluding Remarks

So in conclusion the 7 steps to saving yourself from the “second wave” of hiring freezes are to:

1. Commit
2. Broaden your search
3. Create an industry savvy resume
4. Stockpile your connections
5. Know the hiring process
6. Choose pandemic proof positions
7. Apply to more than one job

Are you a PhD?

If so, are you prepared for the second wave of hiring freezes? Have you committed to you job search?

Tell me in a comment below.

To learn more about transitioning into industry, including how to gain instant access to industry career training videos, case studies, industry insider documents, a complete industry transition plan, and a private online job referral network for PhDs only, get on the waitlist for theCheeky Scientist Association.