Making a Career Choice During a Time of Uncertainty

Candidate Insights

Dec 7

We are 8 months into the pandemic and there is still so much uncertainty on when things will feel “normal”. Making a career choice is not always easy. Add on a pandemic and it might make that decision even more challenging. Many people might feel nervous changing employers when we are not quite out of the woods yet.

Some of us are home with kids in virtual school. Some of us don’t have consistent daycare and are constantly being zoom bombed by their 2-year-old. Others might have a partner who lost their job and they have the sole income for their household. It’s a strange time, to say the least, leaving many feeling vulnerable and afraid of taking a risk. What if your next boss isn’t understanding of your current situation? How can you know if your new job is secure given the circumstances?

Believe it or not, these are both questions you would likely ask yourself outside of 2020. So if you are considering making a career change, there are few things to keep in mind as you start your search.

DON’T MAKE A DECISION BASED ON EMOTIONS.

This is a highly emotional, stressful time. There is a pandemic, social injustice, an election...it sometimes seems like never-ending stress. Be sure to really know why and what you are looking for in a new position. Don’t react emotionally. Know what your non-negotiables are and take emotion out of it.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK ON YOUR POTENTIAL NEW EMPLOYER.

It’s always good to understand why a position is open that you are interviewing for. Now more than ever, however, you should really understand the reason there is a vacancy. Are they growing? Many businesses have actually seen an increase in business due to the current climate. Are they building back up after lay-offs? You shouldn’t be afraid to ask how COVID has affected business. Understand how they have handled things so far. How is working remotely going for them? Have they onboarded anyone while being remote? You can really learn a lot about an organization based on how they handle crisis and uncertainty.

IT’S ACTUALLY A GOOD TIME TO INTERVIEW.

Typically if you are employed and interviewing, it can be very tricky to manage the time off needed to move through an interview process. With almost all of us working virtually, it’s much easier to take the time and move things around on your calendar without raising any red flags with your employer. It also is speeding interview processes up in some cases. Without having to try and align 6 different people’s availability in the office, interviews are being scheduled a bit more efficiently.

PARTNER WITH A RECRUITER.

If you are still unsure if it’s the right time, call a recruiter! It never hurts to just hear about the opportunities that are out there, and how the market is. We can be a great resource as you move through an interview process and ask the tougher questions, taking away some of the question marks.