Optimizing your career search during the pandemic.

Close to 50% of Canadians have lost work or experienced layoffs due to the COVID19 pandemic. A large number of people temporarily laid off may resume work once businesses reopen. However, those who permanently lost their jobs will join the people who were job searching before the pandemic. Statistics Canada put the unemployment rate in February at 5.6%. Economists predict Canada’s unemployment will top 11% by the end of April. All these indicate that the job market will become even more competitive. 

Most newcomers who relocate to Canada take between six to ten months to find suitable employment. New skilled immigrants who arrived in the second quarter of 2019, were most likely still searching for a job before the pandemic decimated the job market. If you are unemployed, read our post on Canada’s COVID-19 economic relief: What immigrants need to know, to learn about benefits.

In this challenging job market, your job search has to be smarter, more targeted and efficient. This pandemic may have prolonged your job search. We have compiled strategies from career experts to help you optimize your job search during these uncertain times. Optimizing your job search will put you ahead of the competition. You will be well-positioned to seize job opportunities as they come. 

Plan your job strategy around different scenarios

The million-dollar question on everyone’s mind is, “When Canada will reopen its economy”? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stressed remaining cautious even though Canada’s numbers show signs of flattening the curve. We expect the stay-at-home guidance to continue into May 2020. Premier Doug Ford has mentioned keeping Ontario on lockdown until Canada Day in July. Based on research from think tanks and guidelines from the World Health Organization, The National Post has outlined four phases.

• Phase One is slowing the spread and involves physical distancing.
• Phase Two will be to open up province by province gradually. We could return to Phase one if we see a second wave of infections. 
• Phase Three is to establish protection and lift all restrictions once a vaccine is available. We are a year or two away from the development of a vaccine. 
• Phase Four will be to prepare for the next pandemic. 

Aim to plan a job search strategy for each phase. We are currently living in Phase One, where there is a general slowdown in hiring. Now is an excellent time to reflect and evaluate the job market. In Phase Two, you can plan to start attending in-person meetings and networking events. 

If you are still searching for a job in Phase Three, it is time to pivot your search and explore alternative paths. Even though Phase Four is a while away, you may want to incorporate pandemic preparedness into your current research. Bring your ideas and research to your interviews and informal conversations. Demonstrate to hiring managers that you are both aware of current events and focused on future solutions. 

Quickly evaluate your situation 

Evaluate your finances

Make good use of the time you have to evaluate your finances and your job search goals. Evaluate your current financial situation to prioritize your next steps. Ask yourself the following questions to determine your next steps:

• Have I exhausted the finances I need to keep searching for a few more months?
• Do I meet the eligibility criteria to receive Employment Insurance or Canada’s Emergency Response Benefits?
• Have I explored the benefits finder to check if I qualify for any other benefits? 

Once you have assessed your finances, you should know when you will need to find a job. If you haven’t already, you should be actively tracking and analyzing your monthly expenses. You can check out Nerdwallet’s 7 Best Budget Apps for 2020. I currently use TD My spend and Mint to track my spending and budget. 

Set two deadlines to find employment. The first deadline should be one to two months before you exhaust your finances. Finding your ideal job is your primary objective. The second deadline should be within the month that you drain your funds. Once you have reached your second deadline, your focus will shift to finding a safe job. You can learn more about knowing when to compromise and pivot from our blog post 15 useful tips to attain your career search goals.

Evaluate your career goals

In addition to evaluating your finances, examine your overall job search goals. Review whether the companies and positions you initially targeted are still viable options. Find out how the pandemic has impacted your target companies and roles. Follow their announcements on social media and mentions in the news to gather sentiment. Reach out to your connections who are employed at those companies to ask about the hiring prospects for the next six months. If your target companies or roles have been adversely affected, consider pivoting your job search. If you need to go back to drawing board to reset your career goals, get some practical tips on reflecting on your goals from our post on Resetting your goals. 

Build your connections virtually

Another way to optimize your job search during this pandemic is to build a strong network online. Sharpen your virtual networking skills by attending virtual events and streamlining your LinkedIn network. Most in-person networking events have been cancelled or postponed. Many companies have pivoted and moved their activities online. 

The silver lining here is that most of these online events are free. Highly attended webinars and online events offer a limited chance of making meaningful connections. However, there are smaller events that allow you to connect with people from the comfort of your own home. While cost and distance may have limited the number of in-person events you could attend, the sky’s the limit for these virtual events. Be sure to take advantage of as many relevant events as possible. ISS of BC is continuing to hold virtual functions to support newcomers looking for work. One event is the Job Search and Staying well during COVID-19. 

In addition to attending virtual events, you should learn about the tools and strategies for hosting such events. This skill and experience will become highly sought after in new job postings as the world will become more digital. 

It is also a good time to streamline your LinkedIn contacts to engage in more focused connections. While actively job searching, you may have added multiple contacts. Posts from numerous contacts can flood your news feed and make it more difficult for you to manage to stay in touch with a broader network. Ben Maden has a great post on the importance of pruning your contacts on LinkedIn. You can streamline your job search to fewer and more relevant connections that will be key in a more uncertain job market. 

Keep your connections warm

Before the lock-down, your focus was on sending as many applications as possible. You now have more time to follow up with connections that may have gone cold. Check-in on your contacts to see how they are doing. They may have lost their job or under increased pressure due to the hiring freeze.  

You would be surprised to learn that people do appreciate it if you are reaching out to check on them and not to ask for something. You can encourage friends and acquaintances who may have recently lost their jobs. You can partner with them on attending events and can become each other’s job search accountability buddy.

Create a daily checklist to stay in touch with your connections:

• Set a schedule for regular check-ins every three to four weeks
• Pay attention to milestone announcements and posts on their social media
• Show your appreciation for their time by sharing your career search progress
• Offer to share your expertise and connections that will be valuable to them
• Set time aside every month to update your contacts

Research companies still hiring

In every storm, there are roles, companies and industries that flourish. Many news outlets and services sites are producing lists of companies that are hiring. Focus your career search on finding companies that are still hiring. If you are using job search sites, be sure to filter your search for postings posted in the last two weeks and verify them on the company’s career sites. 

Consumer Packaged Goods (CPGs) businesses are still hiring, with Walmart, Amazon and Loblaws announcing that they are still hiring. Many Brick and Mortar stores that once relied on store sales are scrambling to build their online capabilities and seeking people with digital skills. IT and Healthcare industries are also experiencing a boom and have ramped up hiring during the pandemic. 

Companies are in the process of perfecting their ability to onboard new hires remotely. As we enter the second month of stay-at-home measures, companies are seeking people who are flexible and experienced. Newcomers have an advantage here as they are more experienced than the positions they apply for and are incredibly agile. 

Enhance and learn new skills

Use the additional time savings from staying at home to enhance your skills. Due to the pandemic, there are several Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) that have expanded their free course offerings. Check out free courses from:

• Udemy
• edX 
• Futurelearn
• Udacity 

In addition to the MOOCs, the top Ivy League Universities are offering over 450 free online courses. In addition to free courses, many online learning centers are expanding discounts, extending free trials as well as putting together COVID 19 response programs.  

Track the most frequently posted job postings and take note of the most highly sought after skills. It’s essential to build on your strengths and focus on transferable skills when signing up for courses. Avoid signing up for a wide range of courses that may be entirely out of your comfort zone. Build a 30-day learning plan around targeted skills from job postings that you fit at least 30% of the requirements. It may not be efficient to learn completely new skills and change careers. As a newcomer, follow up on newcomer and immigrant support services such as Immigrant Support Services of BC, Diversecity, Ymcagta, among others. 

Keep moving forward

As many employers are operating in slower economic times, there have been widespread layoffs, hiring freezes and a reduction in operational expenses. Many companies have transitioned to working from home since the beginning of March. Thus the focus of HR units and managers has been to support their employees in the transition. 

Though companies are being cautious now, many of these hiring freezes could be quickly reversed. Moreover several companies are hiring, and certain positions have become highly sought after.

It’s essential to continue your job search, using these tips to optimize your search in these uncertain times. Focus on building your connections and skills during the lock down, and you will be poised to produce quality applications.