How to Job Hunt During a Pandemic

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

Like 17 million Americans, you might find yourself laid off or furloughed because of coronavirus. On top of the stress that comes with living through a catastrophic global event, unceremoniously being forced out of your job comes with a loaded and stressful problem: how are you going to find a new role?

Find ways to manage your anxiety.

Put your mental well-being first.

Under normal circumstances, job hunting can be stressful, demoralizing and downright painful. Trying to find a new job after being furloughed or laid off during a global pandemic? Even harder. That being said, it’s impossible to bring your A-game to the job hunt when you’re not feeling mentally grounded. Curbing your anxiety will help you think clearly about what’s next, take impactful steps towards finding a new role and eventually ace your interviews.

Here are some articles that might help you find new ways to put yourself first:

• Four questions to ask yourself when you find yourself spiralling
• Three ways a doctor thinks you should be coping with COVID anxiety
• A NYTimes essay on making room for your emotions

Think beyond the current state of the world.

Just because we’re in a crisis now doesn’t mean we will be forever.

As you make decisions now around what your next role might be, keep in mind that ideally you are staying in that new job for at least a year, if not several years. While it might feel urgent to find a new job right away, don’t lose sight of what matters to you in a workplace. Ask yourself (and your future employers) questions about what it would be like to actually build a career there. The only thing worse than getting laid off during an economic downturn is later finding yourself in a job you hate with no way out.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you decide which companies you want to work for:

• Where do you see your career five years from now and how do you hope your next role helps you get there?
• What is most important to you in a company? Elements such as organization structure, management style, team culture, compensation & benefits, etc.
• What did you dislike about your previous role?

And here are some questions to ask potential employers during the interview process:

• What is the company’s promotion philosophy?
• How are you supporting your employees through coronavirus?
• How does the company onboard new employees and how will that be different if shelter-in-place is still being enforced when you join?

Set attainable weekday goals

Hint: “Get a job” can’t be the only goal you’re working towards.

After just being laid off and forced to stay home, the idea of finding a new job can feel impossible. That’s why it’s important to break down your larger endgame (finding a new job) into bite size pieces (everyone loves a good SMART goal).

Here’s a list of one-off tasks you can do to jumpstart your job hunt:

1. Create a spreadsheet that tracks your running list of roles to which you’ve applied, including which versions of resumes and cover letters you sent in.
2. Update your resume to include recent experience.
3. Create a cover letter template to use as a starting point for customization.
4. Reflect on common qualifications you see across job descriptions and look up online classes that might help improve your skill set.

And here’s a list of daily to-do’s that you can use to structure your weekdays:

1. Find 3 new roles to apply to. Look up companies you admire individually or use career sites like LinkedIn, Indeed, AngelList, and more.
2. Look for connections or mutual connections at those companies — if you find one, reach out!
3. Customize your resume for each new role.
4. Customize your cover letter for each new role.
5. Submit three applications.

You might notice that this section specifically says weekday goals. While the days start to blend together and time doesn’t feel real, it’s important to take breaks from job hunting. Don’t force yourself to “work nights and weekends” in order to achieve your goals; it’ll probably have the opposite outcome and lead to burnout. A few hours of focused work every weekday will get you where you need to go.

Get support and advice.

Talk to people who understand what you’re going through and find networks that can help.

While your friends and family mean well, they might not understand the specific chaos you’re going through, nor might they have the tools to help you. Feeling understood is crucial to building the confidence you need to reach out to your network and find a new job. Whether it’s career advice or a listening ear, having people around you that lift you up will only make the process easier.

Here are some ideas for finding community during this challenging time:

1. Reach out to friends who have found themselves in similar career positions and commiserate on the experience.
2. Join a local Facebook group to hear how folks in your area are finding ways to get through this.
3. Use Hone Club to find a mentor who can give you tips and tricks through this process.

Channel all the resilience and resourcefulness you already have within you — you are up for this challenge!

Hone Club is offering a volunteer-based program to help people who’ve lost their jobs in the Services Industry due to COVID-19 fix their resumes and give them overall advice on transitioning into Tech. If you know anyone who might benefit or who could help as a volunteer, they can sign up here: https://www.thehoneclub.com/join