Life can be frantic after you get fired, furloughed or forced to reduce your 40-hour work week. Everything from your attitude to your lifestyle changes, especially if you had no reserve savings to live on.
The pandemic woes of 2020 have affected many households, even some of our Wichita Professional Communicators. Many are making major adjustments.
“With 40 years of professional experience, it’s intimidating to face the job market during this unprecedented time,” said Sherry Smith, a former Wichita resident living in Dallas. Smith was laid off from a Fort Worth, Texas, radio station and is now weighing options to return to Wichita to land a job.
Smith is one of my clients who was served with career coaching and a facelift to her resume and cover letter. This service sells for $150 and will be one of the featured items at WPC’s upcoming virtual silent auction. The virtual silent auction, along with our Oct. 5 mixer, are part of WPC’s annual efforts to support our scholarship fund to benefit college communications students. The package deal comes with a 30-minute mock interview, resume revision and career profile, all done remotely.
Research and interviews with full-time corporate career consultants say today’s applicants should be sharp, look for ways to make their resume sparkle and polish their interviewing skills adaptable to a remote setting. You should expect to have a group interview virtually and be prepared to have a PowerPoint presentation telling how you are the best candidate for the job.
Here are tips offered by WMB Creative Productions to help you jumpstart a job search:
- Learn new coping skills. Sign up for webinars, techy classes and Zoom meetings to advance your experience.
- Listen to career advice offered and support from others like a spiritual leader or counselor. You may have to switch careers or even relocate.
- Stay positive: There’s light at the end of the tunnel and the sun will shine again. Your attitude will be reflected during your interview. Your attitude determines how far you can go.
- Establish balance in your life. That can be walking, exercising, sewing or tackling any hobby or passion that you ignored doing.
- Do mock interviews and polish your interviewing skills. Talk to yourself in the mirror.
- Make a positive impact in someone’s life and even your own life. Then, record that as your volunteer services.
- Be resilient. Never give up.
Remember, you must be flexible, think outside the box and reinvent yourself during today’s job search.
–Wilma Moore-Black