Job Hunting Tips During Social Distancing
While some of us are lucky enough to be working from home secure in their jobs, that’s unfortunately not the case for everyone. We feel greatly for the people who’ve lost their jobs during this time, which is why we dedicated a Virtual Coffee Date for the Job Hunting Gals. We brought in a few pros: Erin Andersen (Brand to Paper), Nicole Amos and Lauren Diego, to talk best practices for job hunting and what you can be doing even when companies may not be hiring during this time. Below are the notes from our hour long discussion.
Be Open To New Industries and Contract Positions
OK, most companies in your dream industry issued a hiring freeze, what do you do now? Think broadly and focus on the industries that ARE hiring. This is a better time than ever to explore different industries and be open to new opportunities. Those industries include Technology, Logistics, Supermarket Corporate, Ecommerce, Payments, Media, Online Learning, Communications and more. Your dream position could be within these industries and you don’t even know it yet. Plus, these companies may even offer better pay and a better culture. Another recommendation: keep an eye out for contract positions. Lauren explained that companies may still be hiring contractors, because that comes from a different budget! These positions may be temporary, but you never know what could come from it.
Reach Out For Informational Interviews
While companies may have stopped interviewing, that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t interview them! Informational interviews are SO important, now more than ever. You should take advantage of any possible way you can get a tiny foot in the door. So, how do you make it happen? Send a message on LinkedIn, slide in a DM, send an email. As for what to say, Nicole says to introduce yourself, explain that you want to learn more about their position/company, ask a few questions, drop your calendar availability, and recommends to maybe even mention a few ways you could help them! Format your email to express that you are seeking their advice and that you’d love to learn from them. Flatter them! There’s a good chance they’re much more likely to say “yes” when working from home because schedules may be more flexible. Not to mention, once the company is ready to hire or set up interviews, you may get an internal referral from this person if all goes well.
LinkedIn Tips From Brand to Paper
Headline | should not be what your title is, make it something creative that draws the reader in, utilize all 120 characters.
Background photo | a lot of people don’t have background photos so add one! Make sure your profile photo is representative of what you do and professional, depending on your industry.
Summary | Think of this as your extended elevator pitch. Talk about all of your accomplishments, associations.
Job descriptions | should not be bullet points, 2 sentences per job.
Volunteer | include every organization, make sure the organization’s icon is linked as opposed to just the company name.
Open to New Opportunities | Include #ONO in your headline if you got laid off, furloughed, or openly searching for a new job. If you’re still at your job, but still open to new opportunities, put #ONO further down in your summary in case you don’t want your current company to see it openly.
Resume | If you’re looking for a job, don’t link your resume on your LinkedIn - give the recruiter/company that time to contact you and ASK for your resume. PLUS, that will give YOU the time to tailor your resume to the job.
Get comfortable with using LinkedIn “filters”. Don’t set your search to just “jobs”, broaden your search to individual’s posts. Some companies can’t afford to actually post their positions, but companies’ employees may be spreading the word that they’re hiring through their individual page.
Time To Skill Up
Lauren mentioned that SO many companies are offering up a helping hand with free trainings, webinars, etc. Now’s the time to skill up!
· Adobe Portfolio and Adobe Talent on Behance free until May 31
· Adobe Summit has gone digital with free access
· Creative Cloud integrations help you work from home
Stay Connected
We all agreed the importance of staying connected online. Join FaceBook groups for your industry and connect within them! Other than our ATL Girl Gang Members group, we recommend:
We hope you found these tips helpful. If you’ve lost your job during this time, we feel for you AND we’re here for you! Stay positive and know that good things are ahead! For more tips on getting hired, check out more tips here.
xx,
Girl Gang
