COVID-19 and the Hiring Process

Posted on August 04, 2020 by Mark Brenner , One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.

COVID-19 Has Changed the Hiring Process – Part I

Wow! What a strange few months! Four months ago we were all just living our lives – and yes with the ups and downs that come with our daily routines. Who could have ever thought that this routine would be so drastically altered – who would have thought that the movies we see are no longer in a movie theaters (I do miss the popcorn!), that you would have to think about going to a restaurant, or even getting together with friends! But we all need to stay safe and healthy and for the immediate future we must cope with our “new normal.”

To be candid, the employment marketplace has “tanked”! Over 45 million folks have applied for unemployment in the past three months. And to make matters worse, the experts are telling us that more than 40% of the jobs that have been lost or furloughed are not going to return!

Yet with all this there is good news – the economy is beginning to reopen! Restaurants, Bars, Beaches and of course Golf Courses are open or soon to open. Companies are starting to bring back furloughed workers and even open new positions.

As we enter the fifth month of this Pandemic, we must understand that everything about the workplace has changed. From the jobs that are open and need to be filled to the number of employees who can gather in one office to, yes, the hiring process. So, how to we adapt to these changes. What I will discuss today is the hiring process and how to navigate it to get the position you want.

I have discussed in the past the level of importance of an attractive and readable resume. Remember, your resume is simply a tool to get you to the interview stage. So, what is important as you search for a new or next position? First, we must understand what has changed in the hiring process…

First and perhaps most importantly, the job market and the way we look for a job has changed. Therefore, instead of having hundreds of jobs available and very few qualified candidates to fill them we now see an abundance of qualified candidates for very few available positions – in a word – Competition! Second, networking now takes the lead as one of the two most important components in the hiring process for those of you who are seeking a new position. Find the right person to connect with and you can take your search to the next level.

Another important component is altering your mindset. You can no longer assume that getting a new position means “going into the office each day”. So what would it be like to work remotely (work from home). For those of you who have never experienced remote work, it takes some getting used to – from personal experience I worked from home for over 3 years and it was a big adjustment. I have been renting an executive suite and it has been great to have a place to go. Yet now with the onset of COVID-19 and not knowing when and if we will return to normal, I am back again working from home. This time the adjustment was easy!

The secret behind working from home is time management. Make sure that you schedule your day as if you were working from your office. Perhaps the most positive change is that you don’t have to get dressed for work (well, I might suggest that you ware something!). At Brenner Career Management, Inc. we are experts in Time Management. We can show you the secrets of managing your time so that you at your highest level of productivity.

So this begins our journey on my three-part series. Next week, I will be posting Part II with important information concerning the hiring process and how you can successfully navigate the job market. Stay tuned…

By beginning the Coaching process now you can you will be able to secure the position you want! Call us at Brenner Career Management at 818-987-7782 – or email me at: mark@bcm.la