Navigating Covid19 and Unemployment
The contents of this article are meant to inspire millions around the world who have been impacted due to the pandemic.
Further, this article is not sponsored nor does it encourage you to apply for Covid related “unemployment assistance”.
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2nd May 2020, 2 days before I was set to start a new job at a global technology company in Lahore, Pakistan, the role got impacted. The organization had seen 90% of its revenue lost in the early months of the pandemic where people and businesses were only getting to understand what the Coronavirus is.
That had left me with no job at hand, a hiring freeze across the industry and a 4 month fresh marriage to sustain where I had spent all my savings!
The only sentence I said to my wife on the night of 2nd May was, ‘This period needs to be navigated extremely strategically if we are to survive’.
It took me 6 months, 35 applications, a dozen of interviews, numerous counselling sessions, a strong will to say NO, to set myself on a new career path, one which allows me to be my natural self and makes me a more learned person every day. Through my personal journey, I hereby present 14 points, which can help you as well:
1. Exercise Daily
It does not matter you run outdoors or on the treadmill. You do an HITT routine in front of the television of you play a sport. Sweat as much as you can. Take out 1 hour, away from everything in this world and let yourself loose. You need it.
2. Eat Healthy
Bad diet has been directly linked to depression and anxiety. You don’t want to gain weight during this period. It is a bottom less pit. Eat fresh, eat healthy, and keep your mind and body fit.
3. Have Faith
It does not matter which religion you believe in or even if you believe in one. What matters is the faith that when you work, you work honestly with the best of intentions. If that holds true for you, you must not lose faith as an opportunity will always arrive for those who work with pure intent.
4. Create a Budget
What are your bear minimum monthly expenses? This should only include cost of living such as rent, utilities, basic groceries and essential transport. Evaluate the amount of cash flow you need to generate each month to meet those expense in order to survive.
5. Re-Visit your CV
Your CV is the most important document during this period. There are thousands of recruiters and HR professionals across the internet holding seminars and online sessions teaching you to prepare a World Class CV. Attend them. Take appropriate action.
6. Re-Evaluate your Career Path
Several industries have taken a hit during the pandemic, and it’s unclear whether they would be able to recuperate. If many people in your profession are losing their jobs, it would be wise to take a look at whether you want to continue with your chosen career path.
Do some research and read up on where your industry stands, and talk to other people in the field to get some insights. If you think that you’re likely to lose your job again or that you won’t be able to progress in your chosen career path, consider switching.
Career transitions are no easy feat, but there are meticulous steps you can take to successfully do it. You can continue looking for a job in your field, but do not think it is far-fetched to switch careers in the future.
7. Create Noise
Gone are the days where you need to be ashamed of your unemployment. How will you land another job unless you don’t let your network know that you are available in the market? Create noise. As much as you can. Do not be ashamed of it. Let friends, family know of your situation.
8. Don’t Settle
It would be very easy to just settle for anything that first comes your way. Extremely important to be patient here. Know what your worth is? What is the kind of work you want to do? What is the current prevailing market value for the service you will provide? Having answers to these questions will help you not settling for something below par.
9. Don’t Let Anyone Take Advantage of Your Situation
Only when you would have had re-visited your CV, made an exhaustive list of your skills and prepared well for interviews keeping in view all the previous accomplishments you have, only then you will not let anyone take advantage of your situation. If found vulnerable, lacking faith, people will take advantage and exploit your situation.
10. Re-Visit your Relations
By now, you should have had a very fair idea of the people in this world who really are helping you and the ones whom you thought would really help you. Learn to differentiate amongst the two sets. Value the relation with the former. Never take them for granted.
11. Invest in Re-Skilling
Take that online course. Be it digital marketing. Be it financial modeling. Be it graphic designing. Be it learning a new language. You must re-skill yourself as per the changing dynamics of this world if you are to jump back to making a living.
12. Reflect
Try to understand why you ended in this situation. What was wrong with your decision making? How would you change it going forward? What changes are required in your attitude in the future?
13. Start a Passion Project
Use this time to start a passion project. Help anyone you can with their business. Build more credentials. What will differentiate you from all other candidates in your next job will be how you spent your time after being impacted.
14. For the Future: Re-Evaluate your Definition of Success
Take this time to redefine what success means to you.
Build your lifestyle in a way that puts your physical and mental health and quality time with your family at par with your professional achievements.
This can prepare you for any other grim situation that may arise in the course of your life.
The pandemic has affected us in more ways than one, and job losses have hurt many. But these steps will help you meticulously prepare for the present and the future.