What happened? Find a job in the midst of a pandemic

In my career, I was laid off from my job a total of 6 times in 30 years. At one point, I was laid off 3 times in 5 years. All but one of these layoffs happened during downturns in the economy and/or the company being sold.

Make note – if your company is being acquired, polish your resume.

The final layoff happened because the company needed to downsize because of a lack of work. In all these cases, there were usually hundreds of folks let go on the same day.

I’ve also experienced being the survivor – the one that wasn’t laid off because of my specialized skill set. Quite frankly, I’m not sure which is worse – being the only one left in the department with the work still needed to be done – for the same or a lower salary – or the one at home collecting a pitiful unemployment check and working furiously to find something else so we could eat and have a roof over our head.

If you’re out of work because of the recent COVID disaster, I understand that it’s a stressful time. Particularly if you didn’t – or couldn’t – put enough resources aside to get through a 6 – 8 month job hunt.

And if you’re over 50 – I can totally relate. This is not an easy road to travel.

Here are some tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years. Maybe they’ll help you.

Get Used To Rejection

Finding another position in this situation is going to be a slog. Companies are scared to spend any money and oftentimes find planning and project management to be easy to cut because management needs instant gratification.

There are companies out there that appreciate and understand the benefits of great project management. Your new job is to find those companies, make contacts, and offer your services.

Go to the library. They have databases full of companies you can search. Once you get a list of prospects, start looking at websites. Check reviews. Ask your network their opinions.

Most of all, use your best judgement as to whether this company is a good fit for you.

For you, there probably won’t be any instant gratification. As salespeople learn, every “no” or “not now” is one step closer to “yes.” Most of this rejection is not personal. The person at the other end is probably waiting for the axe to fall as well.

Keep going.

Network, Network, Network

For most of my layoffs, there was no LinkedIn or Facebook. Your network was contained in an address book of names, addresses, companies, and phone numbers. After the crash in 2000, you might have also had an email address – but it was probably the company address. Hopefully, your contact was still there. Not everyone had a cell phone.

Today we all have at least one personal email address and a personal cell phone. Anyone who’s serious about their career is on LinkedIn. Find those folks you know from school, church, and especially folks you knew that moved to different companies and offer to connect. Comment on their posts and offer insights. Email or message occasionally. Show you’re paying attention.

When you contact them, don’t lead with your troubles. Offer to be available to help. Catch up and don’t dwell on your job hunt. When they ask, be very clear on what type of job or responsibilities you are looking for. Avoid “Any Project Management job will do.”- even if that’s the case. Now’s the time to be specific, “I’m looking for a job managing technical projects for data warehouses.” Even add a dollar amount if that is relevant. “I’ve handled projects with budgets starting at $1 million.”

Be clear and don’t belabor the point. Nobody wants a sales pitch.

Update Your LinkedIn Page

Your resume is important, but your LinkedIn page is your portal. People think of LinkedIn as a social networking site. It’s actually one of the most powerful databases available for both hiring managers and job seekers. It’s a great place to do your research on a company – particularly by finding people that may need what you’re offering.

If you are unclear on how your LinkedIn profile can be optimized, I can put you in touch with a number of individuals that specialize in this area. The costs are minimal compared to the potential benefits.

If you need more help on how to use LinkedIn for effective networking, there are plenty of classes on that as well. You can get individual coaching or take a class on a site like Skillshare.com or Lynda.com.

Stay Active

It’s tough to look for a job 8 hours per day. Take a few minutes to exercise, enjoy the day, play with the kids, or take the dog for a walk. Chances are, the job hunt is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. Now’s your chance to volunteer at that charity your love or for your local PMI chapter.

Keep your skills sharp be continuing to use them. Maybe you could guest post on a blog like this one or for your local chapter. Offer to host a local meetup to support job seekers.

Get out of your own head. I know it’s easy to worry about the future. Helping other people and staying busy helps keep the worry monster away.

Don’t Depend on Job Listing Sites

I understand that in order to continue to collect those paltry unemployment checks you need to apply for a certain number of jobs. It’s easy to go to Indeed.com and find jobs available. Just realize that unless you have specific, relevant and very in-demand skills, this is probably not where you’ll find your next job.

We all know that the job market, at least in the United States, is very broken and dysfunctional. Your best bet is to do the work finding the opportunities through your network, then get a meeting with the potential hiring manager to display your skills. Even then, there’s no guarantees.

Difficult?

Yes.

Stay With It

There are no fairy tale endings here. In my case, each time I was laid off I was able to find another, usually better, job within 8 months – provided I wanted another job. Your mileage may vary. In my 35 year career, I got a total of one job from a posted ad – and that was in the 90s.

The rest of the positions were found or offered through my network. I did good work and was kind to my co-workers. No one wants to work with a jerk.

Do you think upgrading your skills might be a good idea? Here’s a post I wrote about that: Finding Awesome Project Management Training.

What hints or tips would you give to your peers in the midst of a job hunt? Post them in the comments below.