In my last blog I addressed the challenge we are all having related to existing in and accepting the realities of being in a COVID-19 world. Entitled “What if COVID-19 Lasts A Long Time? And How to Plan for It” I encouraged readers to, at least, create a personal and collective Plan B … something that we keep on our shelves in the event that this month … or next … we were still living in our current, tense, worrisome and generally uncomfortable world. If you haven’t read it yet I suggest you do in order to lay the groundwork for what is to follow below.
Dreaming of Possibilities As the Key to Having Control
In taking ourselves into ‘dreamland’ we get to envision what’s possible going forward. The questions haunting many include what’s possible if …
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- I have a job however have to work from home where I am surrounded by family members whose routines have also been turned upside down?
- I have lost my job because my company couldn’t survive without incoming business?
- My home environment is completely unstructured and chaotic … how can I create the structure I need to be productive and successful in the job I’m lucky enough to still have?
- My children are not going back to school for the rest of this current school year and even going to classes next year is in question?
- I am simply very much alone with limited social interaction and both bored and frightened with this reality?
In having had the opportunity to work with people over the past few weeks I am glad to report that forcing oneself to actually dream yields some exciting results. I’m not suggesting this trek is an easy
one simply because we are having to deal more and more with the reality of what’s happening to and with us each day. And yet, it has and does result in some rewarding exploration that leads to our ability to move from being victim to designer of our own destiny. Wagging the tail definitely feels good.
Courses of Action
The following are suggestions and related resources that become valuable when we set out to implement the possibilities that dreamland has provided to us. All will not apply to everyone however the underlaying message is that there are paths available to all of us that can help us embrace the realities that ‘what if’ has put on our plates. They are offered presuming that you have taken steps to bring a more structured environment and routine into your residence as was suggested in the previous blog.
- Take an on-line course that can prepare you to make a legitimate application for a job that is available … or one to simply help your mind stay active and alert.
- With your current job threatened or already non-existent coupled with the practical need and desire to earn money, exploring learning that is available on-line can enable you to make application to organizations currently in need of added help or soon to be once current restrictions are eased. Be it learning to be a bartender, a fitness instructor, proficient in java-script or computer science not only might this enable you to find work in a different field … it might also strengthen your potential value to an organization where you land after this pandemic is under control.
- If you are among the more fortunate who is not financially pressured at least today, doing on-line learning provides diversion and interest to days now being spent enthroned in your residence.
- Create what you will need to be an effective and impressive applicant for a job means doing the advance preparation and thinking that will enable you to make the desired impact on a potential job source.
- Think short-term and think creatively. All companies are well-aware of the situation today and are less inclined to make their decision based on one being ‘over-qualified’ for a job. Rather having you with all of your qualifications allows them to take advantage of your advanced skills for the months that you are with them.
- Search out telecommuting job opportunities where your physical location and need to work in the company office or store is not a factor of being qualified.
- Enhance your resume in a way that emphasizes the skills a job requires rather than the specific job you have held. These skills have greater application than the specific job of the past and skills are what those organizations needing more help today want to find. Highlight any remote work you have done previously
- Prepare to interview virtually means that you have your ‘meeting’ dressed as you would dress
for an in-person meeting and in an environment that appears to be business-like. You will be judged on your presentation in this manner as well as your specific skills. - Be patient while on the hunt as you are dealing with HR representatives who themselves are experiencing overwhelm. They are likely to be dealing with both current employees who are stressed as well as a potential onslaught of job applicants. Your understanding can go a long way to create a positive impression
- Find a company that is hiring … now … today that can and will provide you with the income
you need to weather the current storm. It may not be the job of one’s dream however the ability to find a full-time or part-time position that fits into all else you need to juggle and, thus, ease some of the pressure and worry that has become a part of your days is the goal.
- A good number of national chains stores are actively looking for help due to the surge of business they are experiencing. Be it the likes of a Lowes, market chains like Aldi and Ralphs, The Dollar Store, Amazon, Trader Joes, Zoom and Walmart, there are companies actively searching for employees to help them through this current business crunch. And who knows but that your job skill sand performance won’t lead to a permanent position and opportunities that you never envisioned previously.
I don’t know about you however, I know whenever I am challenged and/or troubled about some situation in which I find myself, my ability to remain focused and relatively calm depends on taking the steps needed to create my personal plan on the shelf … my plan B. With each passing week we can vacillate from believing/hoping that what we are living with today is soon to end or will define the ways in which we have to live and thrive for a considerable time. And whereas we have no definitive answer we do have a choice. We can risk wasting our time and prepare for what might be or we can live day to day and risk the consequences of having no plan thus rolling the dice in case ‘what if’ becomes the reality. We each get the pick the path right for us.
Mike Dorman
Resources for information included in this blog:
On Line Classes: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/online-classes-you-can-take-at-home_l_5e7a7a29c5b6e051e8dce9f7
Potential Current Job Opportunities: https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/whos-hiring-during-pandemic-heres-list-job-opportunities/P5BUIJVBQZHKBPPKTYZLCHR4XM/
Finding a Job During COVID-19: https://www.fastcompany.com/90482657/how-you-can-find-a-job-during-the-covid-19-crisis
Websites to Find Work During This Time – https://www.forbes.com/sites/advisor/2020/03/31/websites-to-find-work-from-home-jobs-hiring-during-the-covid-19-crisis/#f3928223c43d
