5 Things You Should Do If You’re Looking for a New Job Post-Pandemic
As things return to normal, many are starting up the search for their next opportunity
Just over a year into the pandemic, and there’s finally a light at the end of this long, dark tunnel. We’re able to go out to public places, meet up with friends and family, and start to travel again. Many of us brought work home, setting up makeshift offices on our dining room tables. Some really enjoyed this new way of working and others yearned to return to the office.
The pandemic introduced a lot of stress and anxiety in many aspects of our lives, including in our professional world. While some of us lost jobs, others were staying in theirs even if they weren’t feeling all that fulfilled (I mean a paycheck is better than none, right?). And now, many of us are excited to jump into the job hunt for our next opportunity.
Here are 5 things to do to increase the quality of your job search and land your next rewarding opportunity.
1. Remind yourself of what you value
The term “value” has many different meanings. In this context, values are defined as “a person’s principles or standards of behavior; one’s judgment of what is important in life” (Oxford Languages).
Why do you need to know what you value when on your job hunt? Because doing something that aligns with what’s important to you will only lead to more satisfaction; more of that accomplished feeling you get after a good day of work.
Try to capture the top 5 values that you have. Here’s a list of 230 personal core values to help you get started.
2. Assess your strengths
After defining your values, the next step you want to take is to assess what you’re good at and what makes you, you. Ask yourself the following questions:
- In your life, what would you consider are the 3 things that you do great? This could be solving problems, cooking, or even being a shoulder to lean on for your friends.
- How might you be able to leverage these strengths in your job and at work?
- What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced at work or in personal life? What was it that helped you to overcome them?
3. Set some goals
In order to make the changes, you’ll need a bit of direction or roadmap to follow. This is why setting goals around what you want to accomplish in your job hunt is important. Now these goals don’t necessarily have to be directly related to landing the job itself, such as the title, compensation, or benefits.
Other goals that you can set for your job search are:
- Search for postings in certain fields or industries that you may not normally apply for
- Network with others
- Learn something new
- Research techniques on how to write resumes that catch a recruiter’s attention
- How-to manage your web presence (i.e., cleaning up social media, updating your LinkedIn profile)
4. Take action
Now that you know what you value, your strengths, and have set some goals, it’s time to get to work.
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” ―Dale Carnegie
This part can become quickly overwhelming. The best way to make the most substantial progress is by taking small, yet frequent steps. Write down 3–5 concrete actions that you can take over the next 7 days that will help you to get closer to your goals. Make sure that these actions can be reasonably accomplished in the next week. For example, it can be to watch a video on how to write a powerful cover letter.
Don’t forget to consider all the other things you have going on!
5. Find people who will support and hold you accountable
If this past year has taught us anything, it’s that we are naturally wired for human connection. When it comes to finding that next job and reaching your goals, having the support of people you know and trust will ensure you’re able to be successful.
Reach out to close friends, family, or colleagues and let them know that you are pursuing a new opportunity and that you’ve set goals and actions to help you get there. Ask them to support you, hold you accountable, and serve as positive encouragement (especially when things don’t go quite as planned!).
Getting out there in the job search world is naturally stressful. But it’s even more stressful in the current times as we all shift back to some sense of normalcy. However, this doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as you think.
By taking a step back and reminding yourself of what’s important to you, things you’re good at, goals with attainable actions, and a strong support system, you’ll be able to find the next rewarding opportunity in no time.
