Last week’s record unemployment numbers just got obliterated by this week’s surge of more than 6.6 million jobless claims. If you’re among those looking for work right now, there are ways to get a job, but it won’t be easy.
“The first thing I’m telling people right now is we need to be realistic,” said Susanne Maurer, co-founder of Washington Career Services, a career counseling firm. “The reality is companies are trying to figure out what their new normal is for just business and what they need to do, so hiring is really sort of at the low end, what they’re doing right now.”
And that might take a while, but it doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find a job either.
For example, there’s always going to be a need for people fluent in other languages around the D.C. area. If you can work as a translator and help people at doctors’ offices, law firms or other companies, you can still find a demand for your skills.
But, if you’re lacking in those skills, Maurer said you shouldn’t stop applying for what you can do either. “No one truly knows exactly what the timeline is,” Maurer said.
Some fields might need people sooner than later, and “recruiters are saying if you have that work from home, remote set of skills — apply. Make sure you highlight that on your resume because that’s something that we all need and not everybody has,” she said.
People with sales and marketing skills might find demand in the entertainment field, where different streaming services are seeing big increases in usage.
If you have any experience in health care, even on the administrative side, but also on the mental health side, Maurer said those skills will be in demand right now, too.
“Do everything you’re doing, but just know that it’s not about your resume right now, it’s not about your cover letter, it’s not about your networking,” Maurer said.
“You’re doing everything right, so the big thing is when hiring starts up again, whenever that might be, hopefully sooner than later … be ready,” she added. “Give yourself that positive self talk, and make sure you don’t get frustrated with what’s been happening.”
Maurer admitted that, even as an optimist, it’s going to be a struggle for many people right now, and the job that might be available might not be the job you want or are hoping for. But, it also might serve as the steppingstone you need in the future.
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