If you decided to take the time to read this post, chances are you’re currently on unemployment. Don’t worry I think the number one thing to remember about this time is that you aren’t alone. Unemployment is still on average around 11% in the United States, which is insane. There are millions of people who’s lives were turned upside down during this pandemic not only by a deadly pandemic scientists are having a hard time understanding but also by an economic depression no one could have ever dreamed of. I am also part of this unemployment statistic. Just a couple weeks ago I also lost my job due to COVID-19 and I will say it’s been challenging. My daily routine has been turned upside down and the stress of trying to figure out how I’m going to pay my bills is something that weighs on my mind. But these last couple of weeks have also taught me so much and inspired me to look at job hunting and my next career move in a different way. Through these tips, I hope they help you also make the move to the career you dream of.
Be Patient & Don’t Get Discouraged
As I mentioned, you aren’t alone there are millions of people in your shoes right now struggling to find their next career. But this shouldn’t be a source of your stress. Believe me you have plenty of other things to worry about. Be consistant with your search and just be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a day and unfortunately just like you companies are also dealing with these uncertain times and trying to figure out when they can bring on new employees. Just keep looking don’t get discouraged and you’ll find something.
Create the Perfect Resume
To land the perfect job you need to create an eye catching resume that shows the employers you’re creative. Creating a successful resume isn’t too difficult but there are a couple things you should do to make sure your resume is polished and stands out:
Get help: have someone proof read for you, this can be a resume professional, a parent, your best friend or that creative designer you know with an eye for detail. Having someone look for typos, filler words or sentences that just don’t feel strong will help you create something you can be proud of.
Design: It’s also important to add a bit of flare, you don’t have to create a crazy video resume (though I bet that would really stand out) but utilizing a designer or even tools like Canva that have free resume templates to create a unique layout for your resume gives your resume just a little bit of personality. Just remember keep it simple.
Relevant Work Only: Set up multiple versions of your resume for the job you’re looking for. I have a resume for any industry I’m interviewing for. If I want a social media position I will highlight different work from an SEO Specialist job. When you highlight attributes of your experience for what the employer is looking for.
Keep it short: The Rule of a one page resume is something you should try to achieve. Use bullet points starting with action words like managed, analyzed, lead to show off the strength of your work and experience.
Consider Part-Time and Remote Work
We’re living through some of the toughest times anyone could possibly imagine. Your next career during this pandemic doesn’t have to be your dream job but it can lead to that. The telehealth industry is blowing up right now doing work like data entry is also an option, these don’t pay a lot but you can do them in your own time to make some money.
Set Goals
Having goals for your job search is so important. Making job hunting part of your new daily routine will help you successfully land a new job. I like to give myself a goal of 5 applications for jobs a week. I will go on to LinkedIn or ZipRecruiter for a few minutes a day to take a look at the newly added jobs and see if anything applied to my job experience. If you do this then you don’t have to spend your entire day sifting through jobs you can chip away little by little and be productive in other aspects of your life. I also think working with recruiters is a great way to take the pressure off yourself and get a little help from some insiders. Find agencies in your city and reach out, put your resume in their hands and let them help.
Build Up that Side Hustle
I’ve talked about the side hustle many times before, and I’m a strong believer in diversifying your income. You can’t rely on someone else’s business these days. This layoff was one of the hardest of my life because I was burnt out in my job and was slacking on the side businesses I was creating because of the poor work-life balance. But now I can add creating new revenue streams back into my life. You don’t have to be a website designer or SEO Specialist like myself to create this side hustle. Walk dogs for people who have to be back in their offices, if you’re a wiz at TikTok or Instagram freelance as a social media manager or if you love writing, there are tons of ways to get your name out there as a freelance writer. Take what you’re passionate about and make it into your next career.
Self Care
Finally, you guessed it. Self care is now more than ever so important to your everyday survival. You need to take care of yourself and listen to your mind when it says I’m not ok. I still try to keep a similar routine to what I was doing at my job. But with a little bit more time for the things I love. I get up, will work out if my body feels good, I’ll make breakfast and coffee. I make sure to sit at my desk for a couple hours to concentrate on emails, and job boards. Going about job searching like it is your job will keep the mindset and keep you productive. I also still love to meditate at the end of my day and will occasionally take the later morning wake up. As cheesy as it sounds life is about balance and now more than ever you need to keep your life balanced.
Did you lose your job during the pandemic? What have you been doing to stay motivated?