"Stop! If you are trying to impress me, you already have! You're hired!" My perseverance to find a job amidst the 2020 COVID-19 job loss pandemic.

On April 3rd, 2020, like thousands of other people, I lost a job that I was truly passionate about. It seems this always happens on a Friday, right? And you think, Yay, me! I now don't get to enjoy my weekend! After a few hours (as we all do) of internally questioning why ME and doubting myself, I immediately started pursuing my next career, my next journey. I rushed to get my old resume topped off with my last position, jumped on Linkedin, and went to work. My job, for now, was to do nothing until I found a new career but I vowed not to pay the slightest interest in anything at all unless I knew I was a 100% perfect fit for the company. I wasn't going to rush into something just to make ends meet...at least not yet. I always look for a company I can grow with, learn from, and, last but not least - add to my arsenal of experience. That same day, I was at it. I gathered myself mentally and emotionally. With my wife's help and undying words of positivity, I once again picked myself up, dusted myself off, and got to work. Let me be clear: I have done this before alone, but I have been lucky enough to marry a real-life Wonder Woman in every sense of the word. My children are old enough to remember that I have done this before and will do it again. Now that they are 14 and 18, they even said, Dad, you got this! The next thing I did was make a post, as I had noticed many of my peers had done on LinkedIn. You know, the infamous posts we have all seen that start off with something like, As of today, I lost my job...I want to thank the company that I worked for...; you know how it goes. I started going through all my contacts, my emails, and my LinkedIn messages to start making a list of key people I wanted to make contact with in the industries I was most interested in (health tech, SAAS, and any sales director position, manager position, or account executive position, if I felt there was a good chance of advancement) that I believed may help employees either on the job or help them to enjoy their career more, once they return to work. I have developed a passion for changing how employees are treated and retained and finding how to make employees motivated to WANT to go to work, not just HAVE to go to their job with feelings of dread. I have been in positions where I liked what I did, but I have also gotten out of bed some mornings and just couldn't stand going to work, as we all have. I wanted to do something where I felt like I was easing that melancholy feeling all of us have gone through at one point or another. How great does it feel to wake up wanting to kick ass, loving not only the company you work for but feeling supported and being able to have that true, unrefined, and sincere care for your team and the people for and with whom you work?I have also been in positions where I felt like I made a difference in other's lives I have led. More than anything, I love to train people and make them see the vision, not just the corporate-defined vision of the company, but the vision that they can do my job, too. That they can do more than they ever dreamed possible. Seeing someone go from timid to the person who comes to you for the first time saying, I got this! and knowing they do. Knowing you were the catalyst in that light bulb going off. I find that to be one of the best feelings in the entire world. More so, looking back and seeing those same people succeed and lead others throughout the last 20 years, I guess, is the closest thing this guy could ever come to the feeling of true purpose in life. I truly embrace and am driven by one key thing: compassion and empathy are everything. It saddens me to hear people say, Why are you helping me? when you are reaching out your hand. Which is actually an indirect way of them saying, What are you getting out of this? It truly shows me each time it happens that we, as humans, as much as we are evolving, are sadly dwindling in the most important instinct and impulse. Compassion and empathy are the ancient characteristics that separate us from almost all animals. When I have to explain myself as to why I am helping someone, it makes me want to help them more. I have had instances throughout life where I have helped someone, and in time I notice that person reaching out and helping others whenever they can as well. It is infectious. I am trying to say that we need a pandemic of compassion and empathy. We all desire that feeling of waking up each morning or lying down each night with the absolute belief that someone, even if it is one person, can be counted on and care for us, no matter what. So this is the reason for writing this article. From day one, I reached my hand out to help my friends who also got laid off. While I looked for a job, I kept my peers who had been laid off as well, in mind. I was not only looking for a job. In the back of my mind, I was scrolling and thinking, He/she may be good at this, and he/she may be good at that. Eventually, taking it a step further by reaching out to the LinkedIn members who had lost their jobs, telling them it was going to be okay, and asking them to send me their resume in case I came across something in my workday finding my own job. I say this not to brag. Looking back now I was also doing this for me. It was a way to feel like I was doing something positive to drown out the negative. It gave me something to think about when the computer was turned off, and I was watching the clock tick by, waiting for my phone to ding with an email from a company to which I had applied. On April 4th, one day after my post, I had a CFO of a company reach out to me. I also had a few others reach out, knowing as we all do that some of them are bogus as we start to become hardened by these glimpses of false hope. This particular CFO told me to take a look at his company and that they may be a good fit. I researched this company, as I did with anything and everything that was sent my way. I realized this is an environment I want to be a part of - selling a product I can believe in, bring my knowledge to, and grow within. I researched the company like a PI. Are they publicly traded? How is their stock doing? What is their annual net income? How long have they been in business? What service or services are they providing? Does it help people? Who are their competitors? Are there a ton of them? How long have they been around? How many employees do they have? Switched to Glassdoor to read all the employee reviews. Were these employees happy? What are their opinions of the CEO? Is this a long-term service that will be necessary for years to come? Can they adapt and change as the climate changes? Did they lay people off during COVID? Can I grow with them? Can I learn from them? Back to LinkedIn. Who works there? What is their background? Can I learn from them? I live by what my father says: If you ever feel you are the smartest guy in the room, you must find another room. This company checked all the boxes for me. But again, I was doubting myself a little and thought, There is no way I found where I want to be on the second day of being laid off. I reached back out that day via LinkedIn messenger and told the gentleman I was interested. He told me someone would contact me the following week for an introduction. I still kept looking for other positions. I wasn't going to put all my eggs in one basket! No one in their right mind should. So I spent the entire weekend and all the next week sending my resume to every company I had compiled that was of interest to me. Even if the job wasnt showing that they were hiring - I reached out to the CEO, HR, Recruiter, etc. I reached out to anyone I felt could push me in the right direction while letting them know I understood they weren't hiring right now, but to keep me in mind. I want to mention one thing that I think is a game changer that many feel is not as important. I had a friend send me their resume, and as soon as it was open on my screen, before even reading it, I thought, WOW! I got to step up my game. I worked diligently to get my resume to have that same WOW factor. I wanted to feel like if someone were carrying 100 resumes through an office and dropped them all on the floor, mine would stand out when they went to pick them up. I personally felt it was important. It is the first thing anyone sees of you. It's not just about what you have done. It also indicates your work ethic, how you present yourself, your writing and communication skills, and many other things about you at a glance. It's not just about your accolades and what you have accomplished. So, if you feel that because you have achieved a lot and that all you need to do is bullet point your accomplishments in black and white, I personally think you are mistaken. I want to see what you have done, but I also want to see the kind of people who will put their name on your work ethic. I'm talking about references. References are key when hiring people. This is not just what these references have said about you but also where they have made it in their journey through the corporate world. So, after sending out countless copies of my old resume, I had to double back and send them all my newly reformatted ones. I have to admit that it was weird to send it again, but I felt that it would be understood that people are human. Those receiving my reformatted resume would know I had just lost my job and wanted to get them my old resume as quickly as possible. However, they would see I had worked on a new one in the meantime. I am very glad I did that. I had companies calling me after sending my new resume that hadn't called me before. So, with that being said - get your resume not only up to date but also make it something you would be proud to frame and put on your wall. After multiple interviews in Week One and conversations with recruiters who were not only inundated with resumes but were limited as to the positions available, I finished the week with a couple more interviews lined up for Week Two. Then I circled back in my mind to the company that first reached out to me and thought, Man, I didn't hear back from them; I'll follow up Monday morning, which I did. A couple of days went by, and I didn't hear anything from that follow-up. Then I got a message from the CFO, after sending him my updated resume on Monday, that he really liked my background and would like to speed up the process. I had a phone call on Friday, April 17th, with the recruiter to set up a meeting for my next interview the following week. During that next interview, after the typical questions and mid-sentence through pitching myself, I was told, Stop! If you were trying to impress me, you have. This is the most prepared I have ever had anyone be for an interview in my life. We don't even have a position for you now, but we will make something happen where everyone on the team will be happy. I know that when you have someone in front of you that you know is good, you make it happen. I was astonished! Taken back. I had read that their process normally is four interviews with a face-to-face at the end on Glassdoor. I was not expecting this to happen at all that day when I woke up. I was absolutely jumping in the air and clicking my heels! I had done it. I had not only once again found my next journey, but I had also done it during the COVID-19 Pandemic while others were waiting even to begin to look for a job until the Pandemic was over. I had more chips stacked against me than ever before, and I did it! Not only did I do it, but I also had other interviews lined up (don't put all your eggs in one basket, remember?) and even some second interviews that I was confident about. That day, April 20th, I was offered the position. In 16 days, I was back in the saddle. I start my job on April 27th and am grateful for another opportunity to work and learn. After feeling that I most likely had done things that everyone does in my job hunt and interview process, I also felt there were some things that people out there looking either may not be doing or took for granted. So, I truly wrote this article to shed a ray of hope and positivity through the clouds of this Pandemic. I truly believe that if I can do it, anyone can. Just like everything, though, you have to want it bad enough. So here are a few key tips that worked for me and some that I learned along the way from others, articles posted on LinkedIn by influencers, and through my own mistakes at first. Right after losing your job * Call your closest mentor first, your friend second, and your family third. Mentors will give you professional help and advice. Your friend will let you vent and get everything off your chest. You don't want to call your family until you have composed yourself and can break the news (which to them can be emotionally devastating - especially if you are providing the primary income for your home) while assuring them everything will be okay.* DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT throw the company you were terminated from under the bus! I have seen this! Do not do it on LinkedIn. Do not do it on Glassdoor (even if it doesn't show who wrote the review) because if you have worked there long enough, people will know who wrote it. The last thing you want to do is burn any bridges. You also have to consider that many industries can be small spaces. In the future, you may be sitting down for an interview with those same people at a different company. You may want to do business with them. You may want to be able to reach out to them for help, not only in your job search and references but once you have moved on to another company. The last thing you want to do is burn any bridges, large or small. I was lucky enough to have loved the company and the people I worked for, so this was not an issue for me. But I have seen this time and time again: do not do it. * Get your resume not only up to date but also have that WOW factor! I was talking about. Don't do what I did and rush out of the gate, flopping that old dusty resume on anyone and everyone you want to talk to. Take the first day, or even a few days, to get it right. I personally believe it is worth every dime to hire someone. If that is not an option, take a look at your mentor's resumes. Really read them and study them. Do not send your resume out one more time without feeling that it is the best resume in the stack the employers are receiving. Kobe Bryant never walked on a court thinking he was mediocre. You can't think that about your resume. * If you were hired at your last position by a recruiter, contact them immediately. Yes, they may not have a ton of positions available, but they have many contacts with people. Let them know what you are interested in. Tell them about the companies you're interested in, and even if they aren't hiring, nudge them to send your resume to them if they have a contact there. * Get a notebook! Write down first a list of companies you are interested in, before you even look to see if they have jobs available. Write down a daily log of what you did, who you spoke to, etc. Trust me - when you are interacting with multiple people regarding multiple companies, you will want to have a detailed record of it all. * Remember that sending your resume to one key person at a company that seems not to be hiring is still one more tree branch of opportunity that could grow. Maybe the company hasn't posted a job opening that is available yet. Maybe they like your resume enough to create a position for you. Maybe they hold onto it or get back to you and say yes, but not right now. Maybe they know someone in their circle of friends and contacts that may be hiring. You don't think these key people hang out with like-minded people!? * Go through your LinkedIn messages and see who has reached out to you in the past, even if it has been a year or more. Send them your resume and tell them you are looking. Also, send it to anyone you have possibly made a good professional connection with within your messages or emails. Although you may not be interested in that company, once again, it is another person who may know someone who can lead you to the promised land. Leverage your relationships and contacts. * Check out LinkedIn posts as well as hashtags. For instance, #hiring. * Make sure your resume is not only up to date but it matches the look of your LinkedIn profile.* I got this from someone I follow closely on LinkedIn. Use every character you can in the subtitle under your name on your LinkedIn profile, to tell people your talents and background at the very first glance. Do not put something like I am looking for a job. You don't want to look desperate or imply you would take anything that comes along.* Make sure that any other job site platforms you are enrolled in are updated with your current information and that your new resume is uploaded to it. Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, etc. * Keep a list of every company you send your resume to, noting who you sent it to, what the position is for, and a brief sentence or two about what the company does. The last thing you want to do is send your resume out to a bunch of people, get a callback, and think, who is this? From where? You want to sound ready for it.* When you start to get interviews, don't jump when they say, Can you meet at 200pm on Thursday? with an immediate yes. Again, I did this out of excitement and goofed up on an interview time I accepted, which ended up overlapping with a doctor's appointment. The last thing you want to do is not be punctual or have to reschedule an interview.* Put in your calendar to follow up immediately next week with each resume you have sent out if you haven't heard back. Just send a quick note that you just wanted to ensure they got it. Keep the bug in their ear and your name fresh in their minds. * Don't stop applying and looking! Even if you have 1, 2, or 10 interviews on your calendar. You want to be in a position where you are choosing who you want to work for and not narrowing your opportunity by holding on to a possibility. The perfect example of building a pipeline.* Workout! You have to take a break, and I feel that working out, especially at an intense level, makes you take your focus off of everything and allows you to clear your mind. It also will make you feel more positive about your own self-worth and value by taking care of your physical well-being. This is very important. Taking care of yourself mentally and physically, outside of work and taking care of your family and others is paramount.

So you got interviews! How do you now Wow them in a brief conversation? * Try to get interviews now virtually. I have even reached back out to people that want to interview me to let them know I would love to put a face to a name, responding with a set up Zoom meeting. I think that in many professions, body language and presence go a long way. It may also be something others will not dare to do. It shows you are a go-getter and sets you apart from the pack.* Always log in to your virtual meeting five minutes before they start. Make sure you look sharp like you are going to work. Make sure your background is on point. Always turn on your camera. Its easier to connect with someone that sees you and it makes them feel more confident. It also influences them to turn their camera on. You want to see them to read their body language.* Research the hell out of the company and the product. Act like you were just given the job today. Train yourself a little. Know key facts about the company and keywords or phrases they use. If you can find their mission statement - write it down. Try to use these keywords and exude their mission statement while you are pitching yourself. Try to bring up exact numbers like stock price, statistics, and why someone would want their product, as well as key contacts that you could share with them that you would get up and running from day one.* Research the hell out of every person who will be interviewing you. Look them up on LinkedIn. See if you can find any common ground whatsoever with them to bring up. This, just like in sales, is very important. You must build rapport. Try to talk about anything unrelated to you trying to get the job. Make them smile and get them to open up about themselves personally a bit. Connection is key. No one wants to hire someone that they wouldn't potentially want to grab a drink with and have a good conversation with. * Create an elevator speech. Be able to tell them in 30 seconds what you do at that job they are hiring you for. If you can't communicate what you will be doing to people and feel comfortable about it, why would they want you?* Be passionate about what services they are offering. Paint a detailed picture of how you could have used that service in the past. Painting this detailed picture is one of the biggest parts of selling yourself. People realize it's much easier to be passionate and good at doing something if you can relate to it. * Figure out how to tell them you feel you are a direct piece of the puzzle that their company needs. Tell them you are not only capable of the position, but sincerely tell them (don't fake it) that you may be the best candidate for the position. You shouldn't be having an interview with any company that you are not truly interested in, so show it. * Have an action plan! Yes, here is another way to make yourself stand out. So many people go into an interview not being able to demonstrate how they can positively impact their position starting day one. I learned this from one of the best and most talented Sales Directors I have ever had. This is another major WOW factor. This shows you put some serious time into thinking about this position. I personally do a 30-60-90-day plan. I write a small paragraph about what I am going to bring to the table and then bullet point what I expect to accomplish in my first 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days. * If you are expected to give a scenario of selling something or doing something, plan for it. Set up your video and make sure it is perfect. I put together a PowerPoint Presentation for a final interview at my last job. I prepared about 15 slides, kept it to 30 minutes, dressed in a shirt and tie, and did the presentation from my living room TV as if I were in a board room. People are then able to see exactly what you are capable of. * Always send a follow-up/thank you email to everyone you interviewed individually right after the interview. It shows due diligence and it shows manners.* Here is how to implement what I call The Plus 1 Factor regarding the follow-up/thank you email. Always have a box of Thank you cards. I use these all the time, even when I am working. There is nothing like the feeling you give someone when they open your card and see you took the time to handwrite a genuine note to them thanking them for their time and the opportunity. It also once again shows due diligence and manners. *Lastly, if you do not remove anything from what I have written, take this...The Plus 1 Factor. When I worked at my first corporate job at 21 years old, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, I realized I wanted to do something, just one thing, that would make clients want to ask for me. I wanted them to choose to come back to my branch for me, not Enterprise. I wanted them to think of me when they thought of Enterprise. I also realized that especially by doing this when things went wrong, which they do no matter how well you do your job, it eased the pain and helped with the overall customer service outcome. I crushed it as a Management Trainee by doing this, and eventually passed this philosophy down to the teams that I led there as well as future jobs. I don't care if you mop floors or you are a brain surgeon; you can always think of something your competition and co-workers have not thought to do for the people that you serve. Find your Plus 1 Factor in every interaction. Put your mark on each person you encounter. Apply it, not just at your job but at everything in your life. If John does 10 reps, I want to do 11. If my trainer says stop, I want to go a little further. If my boss says 2.5 million, Im shooting for 3. If my wife asks me to clean the stove, I'm going to clean the rest of the kitchen as well. Don't ever half-ass anything. ALWAYS PLUS 1.To end, I want to say that if this helps even one person get their next opportunity, it is worth a few hours. I also hope, like my goal of doing one thing nice each day for someone, it will bleed onto others and potentially, in some way, influence others to be empathetic and to help others. I want everyone going through this crisis to know that you are never alone and that there are people out there who want to help others. More than anything, I try to remain positive about everything. If someone asks how you are doing, remember you are great. If you are looking at yourself in the mirror as I weirdly do sometimes and talk out loud to yourself, tell yourself, I got this. Tell yourself that today is one step closer to the next journey in life. But more importantly than everything I have said, always remember that compassion and empathy are what separates us from being nothing but animals. If we ever lose sight of these two key features of the human psyche, we will eventually destroy humanity. Be good to one another, look out for one another, and above all else, put someone before yourself. Tell people they are doing a good job. Pat people on the back. Bring them in for that awkward long hug if you feel they need it. Pick someone daily to brag about or write a reference on their LinkedIn page without telling them that you are doing it. I want people reading this to start helping one another and get out of the rat race of corporate chess and politics. Honestly, if you always keep your mindset to do things in life and work with good intentions, pay no attention to those who doubt you. Things will always eventually fall into place. Stop holding back from helping others. We've been told that if there is a loss of oxygen on a plane, put your mask on first before helping the person next to you with theirs. I'm sorry, but I may be able to hold my breath a lot longer than someone sitting close to me, and it is in my nature to try to help. Also, that person I help may remember it and be the one who helps me with my parachute. You never know where the people you help may one day end up. My point to this is I have gotten feedback from friends, family and even co-workers telling me to look out for myself. Asking why are you helping them? That co-worker is your competition. Why are you offering help when you haven't even helped yourself yet? Concentrate on you, fix you first, etc. However, they truly don't realize I am helping myself. Helping others has become a part of who I am, and it is something I personally feel motivates me to want to lead by example. It helps me to change negative energy in an environment into positive energy. It bleeds onto those I surround myself with, and I can see them change, sometimes just a little, and become better team players and better people. It gives me a sense of pride that I not only may help someone, but I also could change someone's life, even if it isn't from the action I take now, but by the actions they may take, from the action that I took first. So if the question is ever asked why I want to help, I can say it's to help me, as well. It's not just for the people I touch. I am getting something out of it. Thank you all for taking the time to read this. Keep grinding a little more than what you think others are doing. Luck is merely the aftermath of persistence. T- Smith