What Should You Be Doing Now To Find Employment After The Apocalypse

Many people from across the globe have been debating the meaning in their lives, their careers, and their personal goals as a result of the recent pandemic of the coronavirus. COVID-19 has brought clarity, purpose, and passion to our daily lives. Many have had the luxury of not worrying about searching for work during a time of intense crisis. And most American’s have been enjoying the down time and cocooning for several weeks now – thanks to the stay-at-home order of our president and social distancing practices.

But what about those of who were seeking employment before the epidemic began??? What is happening with the thousands of jobs seekers without jobs to apply to??? What are they doing with their time??? What happened to those applicants who were in the process of interviewing only to have a hiring freeze as businesses began closing their doors and practicing social distancing??? What if you are one of those seeking employment and feeling unsure of your next move??? How do you get a job during a time of apocalyptic viruses and rising unemployment rates??? What should you be doing and what can you be doing to improve your chances of gaining employment when the apocalypse is over???

Even with coronavirus, landing a permanent full-time gig is not as easy as people make is sound. Many well qualified applicants cannot find a job even after months of searching, using temporary staffing agencies, and reaching out to very high-priced headhunters. 

One of the main reasons people struggle is that they fail to understand what employers are searching for, what they see even before interviewing, and how to set themselves up in professional manner.

Yes, cocooning is wonderful. And like you, I am enjoying my time listening to audio books on self-improvement, reading pleasure books (get your mind our of gutter… ?? … I mean something non-educational, religious, business, political, etc.), and spending down time binge watching extra episodes of my favorite shows. However, we should also be doing the things we need to do in order to progress in life. COVID-19 shouldn’t be your excuse to quit on yourself, your goals, or your dreams.

Here are FOUR things you can be doing – and should be doing – while at home practicing social distancing and improving your life for when the apocalypse ends:

1. Work on your resume

First things first, do you have a resume? If not, now is the time to build one. When hundreds of people are vying for the same job, HR personnel can spend as little as ten seconds looking at your resume… For real. Therefore, it’s extremely important that yours look impressive and stands out from the rest – without exaggerating your skills and abilities. By being creative, you can definitely give yourself a competitive advantage. Try different templates. Use a different font. Make sure that your resume represents you in the way you want to be noticed. And spell check, spell check, spell check!!!

2. Stop ignoring the cover letter

Your cover letter is a representation of your personality and recruiters can use it to determine if you are qualified for the job. The way you write the cover letter can spell the difference between success and failure. So, make sure that yours clearly communicates your qualification and passion for the job.

I recommend having multiple pre-formatted cover letters for each area of your career search. One for business management. One for customer relations. One for accounting. And so on and so on… By having multiple cover letters pre-typed, when applying for a job, you simply add in the company details and alter a small section of each resume. This not only saves time when applying, it also saves brain power for all those not-so-silly questions which come with filling out applications. Applications can be tough to fill out. Make it easier on yourself, your mental health, and your time by thinking about your cover letter today rather than when you go to hit "send" for the application and it reminds you to add a cover letter.

3. Emphasize your strengths and accomplishments

Many applicants make the mistake of creating resumes that look like a job description. Spice up your resume by emphasizing your strengths and accomplishments. Increase your chances of being hired by showing in detail what you’ve accomplished while working on your previous job. In so doing, you can make your resume stand out and give the HR manager a sense of what you can bring to the job they’re trying to fill.

Unsure of what your strengths are??? I know, me too sometimes. It can be challenging to see ourselves in a positive light or to give ourselves credit for the awesomeness that we are. My suggestion is to ask your spouse, children, partner, family member, or friend what qualities they see in you that they admire, respect, and find value in. Sometimes all it takes is to hear that we are special, we have talents, and that we are very cool people to give us the extra confidence we need to be successful in finding and landing that dream-of-a-life gig that we’ve been waiting for.

4. Sign up for LinkedIn

If you haven’t already, do it NOW.

Having a LinkedIn profile can give you an edge over the competition. Many recruiters look at LinkedIn profiles when there are available jobs in their company. If you do not have a LinkedIn account, you may be losing out on employment opportunities. Signing up is simple and LinkedIn makes it easy to list your previous jobs, skills, and education – along with other things like license, awards, volunteer service, etc. Make sure your profile is complete. Use spell check (SERIOUSLY cannot stress this enough – as a writer, even I goof things up and write “doe snot” rather than “does not”). After you spellcheck, have someone else proofread your profile for any errors you may have missed. What’s the point of looking professional if your professional profile is full of holes, errors, and misleading information???

Equally as important as having a LinkedIn profile, having a network on LinkedIn of contacts can improve your chances of getting a job. Friends, relatives, alumni associations, and most importantly, someone who’s already working at the company you’re targeting can all provide leads on job openings. Even with the advent of online resources and social media, nothing can replace the tried and true method of a “recommendation” coming from someone who is close to you.

Lastly, the job market is very competitive. If you do not want to be left behind, you need to have an action plan to increase your chances of landing a job. Think of ways how you can impress your ideal employer and grab every opportunity to show them you are the person they need… And keep coming back for more tips and tricks for landing your dream job when the apocalypse ends!!!