In the wake of the Coronavirus situation, there is a lot of fear and misinformation in the job market right now. I can understand why but it’s not constructive or helpful for those who are looking for jobs. People need real information and they need hope. One of the first pieces of advice when I start working with anyone whose job has been made redundant is not to watch the news while they are doing a job search because it does not help their mindset. I don’t watch the news; I get a daily news email wrap up from a reliable, well written and humorous source – The Squiz (https://www.thesquiz.com.au/squiz-today/).

I’ve been in the Outplacement Industry for 12 years so I’m speaking from experience when I say that fear and misinformation tends to increase when things seem bad in the market. Those of us who have been in the Industry for a while have seen challenging times before. My father founded the Outplacement Industry in 1983, and he supported clients (organisations) and candidates (individuals) through the recession of the early 90’s, which I remember. My first year of full-time consulting in Outplacement was during the GFC in 2009. I also spent a year on a manufacturing site in 2012 which supplied the Automotive industry and so I’ve seen the effects of the end of automotive manufacturing in this country first hand. During those times, I and all of my Industry colleagues can tell you many stories of hope and success. People are very resilient and there is never only bad news in the job market.

When supporting people through a career transition, we have no interest in misinformation or inflamed statistics. We study the market, we ask questions, we remain positive and realistic and we do our research. My father taught me this from a young age and it has served me well. I attended a webinar run by IBIS World just recently which was constructive, well researched and useful. Their economic and industry research and data was through and painted a better picture than I expected. Some of it I already knew, some of it I didn’t. Their theory is that, of course we are going to have a recession, but it will not be like the early 90’s. Some industries will be very hard hit, some are being hit now but will recover as soon as early 2021 and some are in growth mode. Supermarket (especially online) businesses have grown by as much as 50%. Most people already know that the Supermarkets are recruiting not just in store but at the Executive level also and their growth will also have a flow on effect to all of their suppliers, transport companies etc. I also ask everyone I know what’s happening in their organisation, industry and market. I do this all the time but at the moment I particularly want to know. I make it my business to get and understand market intelligence. If you’re doing a job search, you should be doing the same thing.

So, is there any success to be had in the job market right now? Anecdotally, in the past few weeks I have a candidate who has just secured a new role, I have other candidates who have had Zoom interviews for roles, a candidate who has taken the approach of ‘right now’ work and has secured some construction site work (he went and got his tickets so he could work with a friend), has some night restocking work at his local Coles and is doing mechanic work for friends, which was his original trade. He can’t keep up with the demand. He’s still applying for the roles he was originally focused on as well. A candidate who is a PA/office manager is waiting for a role she was about to be offered so in the interim she’s going to set herself up to do some VA work. Another candidate was doing a contract HR role which has been ended about a month early so I have recommended that she upskill in the Government offerings and talk to her network about some consulting work to help them take advantage of those offerings for their businesses. These people are not exceptionally lucky – they have all worked for these opportunities and they also have two things in common: perseverance and a positive mindset. They have also, for the most part, been willing to take a short term approach to the market right now – either slightly changing the scope of their search (for example being willing to take up a contract role) or taking on ‘right now work’ for cash flow while simultaneously maintaining their original job search.

So, if you are in the job market, what can you do right now to increase your chance of success?

Consider working with a career coach. It’s a worthwhile investment, even for 1 or 2 meetings. Our job is to understand the job market and to help you to do a better job search than you would do on your own. The Industry Body for the Career Coaching industry is the CDAA (Career Development Association of Australia) where you can search for practitioners near you. I am also taking on new clients and in the current climate I will not turn people away on the basis of the cost of my services. If you’d like to talk to me about my coaching service, please make contact.

Network, connect and get market intelligence from reliable sources. Please read some of my other articles about networking to better understand what it is and how it works. My earlier reference to market intelligence here gives you some insight – do what I do and talk to people about their company, industry and market about what’s happening. You will soon discover what is really happening – who has opportunities and where to focus. Networking is how you access the hidden job market which accounts for about 60-70% of the actual job market. Do your research as well – understand the real statistics and data from organisations like IBIS world. Get your information from credible sources and not from Amanda on Facebook or Joe next door. If people make statements or give you information that they can’t back up, don’t give it any credibility.

Be creative about what you offer. What skills do you have that people need? I’ve been able to make a suggestion to each person I’m working with about how they could consult or advise people right now – with legal, risk, HR or finance skills for example or do what they do remotely – a PA can do VA work, or how they could take a different approach to their job search. Try talking to a couple of positive, creative friends.

Have a great resume that stands out. The market is more competitive, so your resume needs to be good and it needs to stand out. The first page needs to demonstrate clearly who you are, what you offer – your unique skills and capabilities – and a summary of your experience in a way that makes the reader either want to read on or want to interview you or both. Remember, if you put it out there and you don’t get a response (after a reasonable number of applications) it’s not working and you need to take another look at it.

Believe in yourself. Work on your mindset. Your mind is your most powerful tool in your job search. Be careful of what you allow in, who you talk to, what you read or listen to and what you say to yourself. It’s often the difference between failure and success. Use this time to listen to great podcasts, follow successful people on Facebook and/or Instagram, read good books and fill your mind with good stuff. Be kind to yourself, don’t watch the news, don’t talk to negative people, be really careful of what you look at on social media. I’m finding good comedy on social media is one of the best gifts to myself each day. I have a few great comedians that I follow. Last night I was laughing so hard at a comedy skit I had to pause it for a moment to stop the laughter tears. I can’t remember the last time I laughed that much.

Remember that there are always opportunities for those who work for them. I am often asked what is the number one attribute for success in a job search. My answer is easy. Persistence. It trumps everything.

“Persistence is the single most common trait of the most successful” Grant Cardone

I’m a Career and Success Coach. Career Transition is my specialty – I help people transition between jobs and do a better job search than they would do on their own. If you have a comment about this article, I’d love to hear it.

 

About the Author 

Sarah Felice is a professional coach, with expertise in the areas of career coaching, leadership coaching, career transition and talent management. Sarah is a valuable member of the team at Career Life Transitions.