In May this year, more than 20 million people in the US were reported to have lost their jobs. With one business closing after the other, the working class's fear of waking up one day with no job to go back to is entirely valid. People around the world fear now is the possibility of not making enough to feed their families. The same is true for headhunters and recruiters.
Even if they have access to companies, start-ups, and individuals looking for top talent, they can't stop the current health crisis's economic repercussions. If brick and mortar stores, restaurants, malls, hotels, restaurants, and other non-essential businesses won’t start operating again, chances are, more and more people will be out of work. Though there are promising breakthroughs in finding a vaccine for COVID-19, going back to our “normal” lives is not something we ought to hope for in the foreseeable future.
Let’s be clear on this - we cannot starve ourselves until the world finds a vaccine. If you’re a job seeker, it’s time to reevaluate your skills and see what other services you can offer. If you’re a recruiter, shape up and study what types of services the market needs now. The only consolation you have is you know exactly what paths to take. Your goal is to protect yourself and your family from the virus while also earning enough to pay the bills and feed them. To help you survive this crisis, here are some tips you can check out.
3 Tips to help recruiters and Job Seekers survive a crisis
1. Focus on Your Strengths as You manage your weaknesses
This may sound cliche, but it’s definitely true, especially if you’re starting over. If you’re a job seeker, the first thing you need to do is to evaluate your skills. If you’re not good at anything that requires management, be honest about it. If you’re skilled in troubleshooting, capitalize on that. The point is you need to be real with yourself.
You can do this by getting a piece of paper and dividing it in two. On the left corner, write all the skills you’re confident about - your strengths. On the other side, write down your weaknesses.
The same is true for headhunters. On the left side of the paper, write the services and industries you’re comfortable and capable of handling. On the other side, enumerate the services and initiatives that are foreign to you.
Once you’re done listing these items down, think about what kind of service or industry your skills match in.
After that, look for companies that are looking for new employees. Know their job openings and study the job description, along with the skills required to qualify. After that, go back to your list and check what qualities you already possess, and which you need to work on. Capitalize on what you already possess and find ways on how you can improve your weakness. Say, for example, you’ve attended recruitment training, you can highlight which key skills you have gained from that training and how you’re able to apply what you’ve learned.
2. Continue to look for better opportunities
If you are a headhunter and you’re not only catering to a single client and applicant, you need to widen your pool. As you send your proposal to your prospective clients, emphasize what you can do differently from other recruiters in the market. How can you add value to their business? Empathize with them by letting them know that you will help take care of their business by finding and hiring the right people.
As you please your client, don’t forget to also bag the best deals for your applicants. We are all in the same predicament; hence, we all need to make the most out of our current situations. You can only gather and bring the best people to your client when you’re prepared to offer decent and equitable employment conditions.
For job seekers, this means that you should not rest on your laurels. While you look for better opportunities, don’t also forget to improve yourself. Take online courses. Learn new skills. It won’t hurt if you invest aggressively in yourself. So, when the right job offer comes, you are more than confident to show your company what you’ve got.
3. Mind your mental health
Aside from your physical well-being, you need to take good care of your mental health. Since the lockdowns have been imposed and social gatherings have been regulated, people have been feeling isolated. .While some people took this isolation well, many of the worldwide population have been struggling to cope. Even the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have warned about the psychological effects of COVID-associated isolation. Depression and anxiety are common these days, so you must keep yourself in check.
If you lost your job, or if your company closed down, don’t lose hope. Think of this as an opportunity for you to go out of your comfort zone, learn new skills, and seek better pastures. No matter what you’re going through right now, know that it’s not permanent, and help is always available. As we’ve said, we all share the same predicament. We have the same plight. The whole world shares your fear and worry. Though it’s valid to be scared, the healthcare community, along with the government, researchers, and experts, are working round the clock to find a vaccine. This should be reason enough for you to relax and focus more on how you can land a job or client. Your best contribution now is to be able to make yourself useful to your future employer or client.
Our takeaway
In times of crisis, you have to acknowledge that what happens out there is beyond your control. What you can control, however, is your mindset and how you respond to the situation. Instead of complaining, fearing, and confining yourself, explore other possibilities, and improve.
Embrace the fact that the past is long gone, and the future is uncertain. But, despite these uncertainties, one thing’s for sure - the crisis will eventually end. This is something we all should look forward to. So, don’t just sit the pandemic through. Make yourself productive and find the best gig or full-time job that fits your skills or forces you to go out of your comfort zone.
About the Author: Angeline Licerio is a content writer for Elevate Corporate Training. Like the rest of her teammates at Elevate, Angeline believes that she can help create better bottom lines, happier and healthier staff and build communities where people engage with each other in high functioning relationships.
