Charting a Career Course During Covid-19

by TBJL Editor

April 30, 2020

Some employers are hiring, and some are not during the COVID-19 pandemic. Have you been laid off or furloughed? During this time of uncertainty, are you wondering whether you should pursue any job that’s available, even if it’s outside your field? Are you wondering whether this could hinder or benefit your résumé? Here’s what some of our TampaBay-Job-Links Career Coaches have to say about accepting any position, regardless of the field. 

Robyn: “If you’ve been laid off, you can certainly pursue opportunities that are outside of your field. Most people have transferable skills that translate into other types of work. You can customize your resumé to match a specific job description using descriptive keywords – along with the skills that match the type of work you’re targeting.” 

For example, four skills in which you have strength and interest could be moved into other professions:

“Another option is to develop a functional resumé that clusters your work experience into one of three areas: skills, job functions, or industries. A functional résumé can easily showcase your transferable skills.”

David: “I believe the answer is definitely yes. We often call this a ‘survival’ job, and in these times, it is a must do for many people. Candidates should strive to find a job that has some similarity to their ‘normal’ work. If not, take a job that provides a basic level of income during this time.”

“Whatever the job is, we still learn something. The ‘survival’ job can provide the opportunity to develop customer service skills, team-work skills, listening skills, Excel, Word, etc. Yes, this type of work can still benefit one’s resumé by showing an accomplishment bullet or two about what was learned or what skill was developed. It’s an even stronger addition to the résumé if a candidate has a solid accomplishment they can show like a small contribution to solving a problem, etc.”

“Pursuing a position during this time outside of one’s field might open doors to types of work the candidate hadn’t thought seriously about.  If someone takes a job outside their field, it’s important to also build in time for the job search. This can be challenging if the ‘survival’ job is full time. It’s important to continue working on the job search regularly.”

Bob: “Each candidate is different, and my answer would depend upon their situations and financial needs. For some who are desperate to be drawing a paycheck, I would advise them to look where the jobs are. Right now, there are many work-at-home jobs emerging. They probably won’t be permanent, but they can allow the candidate to earn some money to make ends meet while looking for more permanent employment, more to his or her liking. That type of temporary work, outside of a candidate’s area of expertise, wouldn’t need to be included on a résumé. It’s a stop-gap effort to survive and not a continuation of a career. However, when an interviewer asks what the candidate has done during the time of unemployment, he/she can reference the work done in order to survive these difficult times. That can command respect from a potential employer.”

Amy: “Absolutely, pursue the position even if the job is outside your career/field track if it is of interest and you have the skills to prove you are a viable candidate for the position.”

For more helpful career guidance, follow TampaBay-Job-Links on Facebook and LinkedIn. If you want to work with a career coach to help you move your job search forward, contact us today! Call 813.344.0200.