How has job coaching changed during this pandemic? What are job seekers most in need of now?
We asked our nationwide team of coaches about some of the trends and challenges they’ve seen over the past few months. Some of their answers might surprise you. Here are some key takeaways:
Reignite
The marketplace is changing. Even if there isn’t widespread hiring right now, it’s a great time for job seekers to look at reinventing themselves. Taking classes online or in Bootcamp-like programs during this hiring downtime is a perfect way to reinvent yourself for the next wave of hiring. Coding, Python, and SQL are skills in high demand now. It’s about getting credentials, sharpening skills, and deepening knowledge.
Targeting
Our coaches are advising job seekers to put time into researching which industries are growing and what techniques are working right now. A few ideas:
- Ideating ways for companies to handle challenges can be a powerful inclusion in a cover letter and resume.
- Adapt to virtual interviewing and remote working.
- Practice persistence and patience. Use informational interviews as a way to get in the door if your dream company isn’t hiring. Those who start with informational interviews early on, network, follow up, and take the initiative to reach out will secure a position.
Networking
Networking is always important, but it needs even more attention now, especially because there are few, if any, in-person events to attend. Here are some ideas from our coaches:
- Approach every networking conversation and job interview with an engaged and curious mindset.
- Attend virtual networking events.
- Stay connected to your network with weekly calls to a variety of contacts.
- Grow your network by asking contacts for one name of someone you can network with.
- Use industry-related groups on LinkedIn to build your network.
- Volunteerism can increase your exposure and your social or professional network. Use the downtime to give to the community, being a member of the larger society to ensure its recovery by minimizing the impact.
- It’s important for job seekers to network with finesse during this time by initially connecting with others just to check in. Don’t ask what they can do for you. Ask how they’re doing and if there’s anything you can do for them. Listen to their concerns and build a firm connection for follow-up later.
Interview Prep
In this age of COVID, interviewing has changed. Now, it’s all about virtual interviewing, so you need to not only be spot-on with your answers, but with your presentation as well. Our coaches are advising our clients:
- Take an honest look at how your tone of voice, body language, and facial expressions come across in a virtual context.
- Use human-centric stories to showcase your skills critical for the job to make yourself more memorable.
- The art of storytelling has never been more important. Employers can’t see our body language through Zoom as well as they can in person. So job seekers’ ability to talk about their backgrounds and accomplishments in concrete, colorful, and relevant narratives is critical.
At GetFive, we specialize in helping people in job transition. The job market is challenging, but we’ll help you succeed.
