For Many, New Jobs Will Be a Step Down

From shattered career prospects to pay cuts and sudden shift work, the pandemic

is forcing skilled labor and middle-class workers into lower wages and gig jobs

by Laurence du Sault at dailydemocrat.com

Thousands of people who weathered the initial storm of pandemic shutdowns have started the hunt for new work. Faced with the most unforgiving job market in recent history, many are turning to the few industries hiring. Often, they’re the ones on the front lines…

    The lucky ones managed a lateral career switch without too much financial damage, but as personal savings and emergency unemployment benefits run dry, an increasing number of middle-income and white-collar workers can’t afford to wait for their old jobs to return.
 

Workers who are older understand the challenges of trying to land a good job. Many employers seek out younger candidates, even if age discrimination itself is illegal.

    In some cases, though, businesses are looking for more-experienced workers to fill certain roles.
 

Some industries are born to adapt, but for many, the changes brought on by months of shutdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic have been too much to weather, and the workforce has felt the impact. 

    While businesses have been scrambling to adjust to change, so must employees.  Whether you are facing a forced career shift, or have taken this time as an opportunity to make a pivot, there are a few key tips to making the change a long term success.

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There’s a lot to keep in mind when searching for a new job. Salary, benefits, location, job function, and issue area are often our main points of focus, and many of us tend to target our search around at least one of the items on that list. But knowing what type of organization you’d like to work for is another critical aspect to consider. The history, mission, and impact of a potential employer will no doubt influence your job satisfaction, and so it’s important to find a way to mine, organize, and analyze all of that information.

    A targeted employer list is a great way to compile the names and features of organizations you’d like to work for.

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We had a football coach in high school who used to say, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”  That certainly could apply to today’s job search.

    Don’t lament that colleague or acquaintance who landed a job through luck.  True, some people do fall backwards into special circumstances, usually though, what you’re calling luck, is actually the result of a lot of preparation.

    More than once (or even twice) we’ve stressed the importance of preparing for a job interview.  That hasn’t changed.  But why not apply that same kind of preparation to everything you do in your job search.

    Rather than banging out a resume, search for resume tips and templates that may, with possibly only a few modifications, make your bland resume into one that gets noticed.  The same holds true for cover letters.  The same holds true for your LinkedIn profile.  Do a little bit of research to see what people who are successful through LinkedIn are doing.

    It should not come as a shock that networking is a critical component of any job search.  How do you prepare for a networking event?  How about starting with who will be attending?  Are these your kind of people?  That is, are the attendees at this event people who can help you in your search?

    In addition to knowing who those people are, have you determined up front what you want to get out of this event.  “Well, duh!  I want a job.”  OK, but how are the people at this event going to help you to get one?  Are they from your industry?  If you’re changing careers, can they provide an entree for you?

    Can they themselves do the hiring?  Do they know people who can help you get a foot in the door?  Do they know people who know people?

    It’s all part of the preparation.