One of the results of COVID-19 has been that people’s ideas of a workplace have changed from the viewpoint of both employers and employees. Work has been done remotely, with meetings conducted via Zoom or Microsoft Teams, work submitted via email, or online services like Google Docs. Additionally, the pandemic has created an opportunity to allow people to examine their careers and what they would like from a job. Work-life balance has been examined by a multitude of workers, leaving many of them unwilling to return to the office after working remotely for more than one year. Additionally, individuals are quitting at record rates in a movement known as “The Great Resignation.”
Why is “The Great Resignation” happening?
Overall, because of the pandemic, people had time to examine their careers in a variety of ways. The quality of a workplace, the balance between work and home, and the benefits of a job were all things that people reevaluated. While the shutdowns have ended and businesses are opening back up, the way some individuals feel about work has changed.
Many people don’t want to go back to having to deal with a long commute and prefer the freedom that working from home has to offer. Others enjoy being able to spend more time with their family. Whatever the case, it comes down to a multitude of people becoming unfulfilled in their current jobs or having a change in priorities, as, according to the Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary, over four million people quit their jobs during April 2021.
What does “The Great Resignation” mean for a job seeker?
With over 9 million jobs being available, this means the market is more geared towards job seekers rather than employers. Potentially, job seekers will have more opportunities and options to find the job that they feel is right for them. Likewise, employers may give more weight to transferrable skills when an applicant is transitioning fields or does not have a clear linear path in their work history.
While COVID-19 and “The Great Resignation” are affecting the way that the workplace looks, it is important to ensure that the job seeker is taking their time to weigh the options of changing careers. This can include working with a professional career counselor to assess the potential jobs that are available, as well as completing career assessments to understand the careers that would be the best fit for someone. While being comfortable with the requirements of a job as well as one’s work-life balance may include having to change jobs or careers, it is also necessary to ensure that the job search process is being done in a way that can prove to be successful.
What to do when actively looking for a new job
If changing positions really is the way to go, there are several things to keep in mind when actively searching for a new job. These things may help to ensure that the job seeker is successful in their attempts to find a new position.
- Identify what you want from a job
One of the most important things is to know what you want from a job. This can include the type of work, whether it’s as a mechanic, teacher, receptionist, or barista, how much you want or need to be paid, and in general, what you want the work environment to look like. This can include the number of employees in a company, how much interaction with others will be involved in the position.
2. Update your resume
An important next step to take is to update your resume. This can include ensuring that all potential gaps in employment are addressed to the best of your ability, that the jobs listed are current. Additionally, it is important to tweak a resume to ensure that it fits your current job interests and reflects the needs of the position that you are trying to land.
3. Network
Networking is incredibly important to find a new job. This can include reaching out to friends and people in the industry or company you’d like to move into. This would help to ensure that the position is a good fit and something that you would like to be a part of. Additionally, networking can help job seekers find a position in a company they may have been aware of.
Having an individual who is already in the field providing a reference may also be beneficial.
Here are a few tips to strengthen your networking.
4. Work with a professional as needed
The act of changing professions or jobs can be a complicated one. Some of the time, it is important for an individual to work with a professional career counselor in order to have a full idea of what potential jobs are out there, as well as what jobs would be a good fit based on an individual’s values, interests, and personality traits.
