You’re probably up to your ears in grim COVID-19 news. Yet one thing has become evident throughout this pandemic: everyone needs to adjust to the new normal and must address new challenges as they come. For employers and for the workforce, life must continue in a new way. At TalentReach, we’re looking at what this means for our customers and clients. We want to share some positive news for a change: challenging times create new unlooked for opportunities and it’s a great time to reassess some priorities. As far as job searching, this is not the time to put on the brakes – in fact, this is a great time to continue a job hunt. Here are a few reasons why.

It’s a great time to refresh that LinkedIn profile. Everyone should always have an up-to-date LinkedIn profile, whether you’re looking for a job or not. It’s your professional face to the world. LinkedIn changes things up periodically – have you checked out your profile? Maybe it’s time to update that photo. That “About” section should be built out. (Hint: it used to be called “Summary”). While you’re there, do some looking around at the profiles of folks who have your dream jobs or work at companies you’ve been thinking you’d be interested in.

You’ve got time to pick up some new skills. You’re at home, and you’ve already finished procrastibaking. How about gaining some new skills while you’re home? There are so many resources online, and right now, lots of them are free or low cost. You’ve already watched that YouTube on how to grow a sourdough starter. How about learning some coding? Honing some sales skills? Learning how to use some software tools like Tableau that would help you in your job – and might be listed in the job descriptions of roles you might be interested in.

Lots of companies are still hiring – and they are in great shape. While some industries like hospitality, retail and travel have been severely impacted by the pandemic, others are struggling to keep up with demand. Facebook and other online platforms have been scrambling to meet new levels of usage – and who isn’t on a teleconferencing call these days? It’s a good time to move to a company that is primed for business in this new era. While some people might be tempted to play it safe, it’s a great time to jump to one of these businesses.

It’s the time for reflection on your job satisfaction. This time has given us the unexpected opportunity to reflect on what is really making us happy, and that includes our job. We spend the bulk of our waking hours most days at our place of employment. Working from home (or not working) has really focused us on what exactly is the core of our work and reduced it to its most essential elements. Is it what makes you happy? Are these the people you want to spend your days on Zoom with? Or is it the time to try a new opportunity?

The Seattle tech industry is uniquely resilient to pandemic impacts. Seattle has been incredibly fortunate during this pandemic. While hit early, Seattle also reacted early, and began social distancing early. Our tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon were the first to go to mandatory work from home, and so much work continues remotely. Besides having world-class health care and research guiding our local leaders’ responses, the beating heart of the economy here is tech, and the opportunities and hiring continue here, much more so than other cities. 

Long term changes are definitely in store for hiring. Remote working, teleconferencing, and video interviews are probably here to stay as mainstream practices. But one thing remains the same: hiring the right employees is the most important business decision an employer can make. They are what will get a company through challenging times. In fact, the new go-to interview standard might be, “Is this someone I want to guide my company through a global pandemic?” For candidates, ask yourself, when you’re no longer on a stay at home order, does going to work fulfill you? If not, take this time to look at opportunities. There is lots of good news out there! 

Want to talk to one of our consultants? Give us a call or email us for a personal consultation.