U.S. jobless claims have passed the 40 million mark. An astounding number. Many of the unemployed didn’t see it coming before the Covid crisis hit and it should be a lesson to us all. Everyone always needs to be managing their career. This doesn’t mean becoming a “political animal” and it doesn’t mean focusing on the next opportunity. What it does mean is that things happen that are out of our control and it is imperative to be prepared. That means doing the best job possible in one’s current role. It means documenting and communicating the results of your work in an appropriate way. And it means developing an active network of people you can support and who will support you as needed.
A lot has changed over the past few months including recruiting, how interviews are conducted, and the amount of people who suddenly find themselves in career transition.
The Recruiting World
Recruiting has changed as well. The obvious change is in the way it is done. There will be more reliance on artificial intelligence to identify, assess, and evaluate candidates. Plus, referrals will take on greater importance since face-to-face interactions to assess things like cultural fit are essentially gone.
From the job seekers perspective, most interviews are now being conducted online. This means that demonstrating the ability to communicate effectively, virtually, is critical.
In addition to communicating qualifications for a job, the successful candidate will need to be able to:
- Demonstrate computer savviness or, at least, a comfort level with the technology necessary to do the job
- Provide examples of working effectively remotely. This includes showcasing a professional background/environment
- Give examples of initiative or taking a role or project to the next level
- Illustrate the ability to collaborate with both internal and external stakeholders as needed
- Provide examples of productivity and results
In truth, many of the same aspects of interviewing in the pre-Covid world are the same as they are today. But some of the emphasis has changed and the way a candidate delivers their information is different. The need to prepare remains the same and the winning job seekers will be the ones who embrace technology and communicate their ability to be successful in a remote environment.
If you want help identifying the steps of the process to help you plan for winning your next job opportunity, click here to receive a short guide entitled “The Sher Process to Your Next Job”.
Ken Sher is President of Sher Coaching and he is dedicated to improving individual and team performance by focusing on Executive Coaching and Career Management. If you would like to learn how the TRUST Success Model can help you with your job search or improve your team’s performance, click here and Book an appointment to schedule a complimentary coaching session, visit his website at shercoaching.com or email him at Ken@shercoaching.com
