Job Seekers Get Creative in COVID Economy
“The world has changed and we have to change with it. There doesn’t appear to be any other option.”
As one of the 36 million Americans looking for work in the COVID economy, I can attest to how we are all forced to get creative in our job search. Because the usual networking and in-person interviews aren’t happening, job seekers are increasingly finding their voice in the digital space.
For years, I’ve used my PR and marketing skills to promote others, and now I am finding ways to use those skills to market myself in this tough economy. Recognizing that LinkedIn is a valuable resource for connecting recruiters and job seekers, I’ve created a digital media campaign to grow my reach and visibility on that site.
It’s a collaborative campaign with a colleague I hadn’t been in touch with for several years, Lee Love . Lee reached out to me after noticing that I was posting more on LinkedIn and asked if I was in a job search. Lee is a professional photographer and videographer who recently upgraded his equipment and was anxious to try it out. He offered to help me produce a series of videos that I could use to promote myself professionally. The result is the PR Minute YouTube series I share with my LinkedIn network. I also share it in emails to potential employers and talk about it when asked in job interviews, “How have you been spending your time in COVID?” I enthusiastically answer, “I’ve created a digital marketing campaign to digitally market myself into a job!”
I recently reached out to others on social media to ask what they are doing to creatively market themselves in this economy, and not surprisingly, a lot of their efforts are in the digital space, as well.
Chuck Johnson leads an executive level networking group that prior to COVID met in person once-a-week at a Starbucks in Northern Virginia. Post-COVID, they meet digitally via ZOOM.
“It’s a creative way to continue networking,” said Johnson, a former tech industry executive. “This is a lifeline for what we are trying to do. It’s a way to grow our professional network and share best practices in our job searches.”
Because members of the group come from diverse backgrounds and career fields, there’s a good chance a member in the group will know someone in an organization another member is applying to.
And that, Johnson says that is the “secret sauce” to landing a job in a competitive market. “Studies have shown that simply submitting a resume or application without a employee referral has a 2% chance of resulting in a job interview.”
The group has been growing so much in recent weeks through word-of-mouth that Johnson is going to start a spin-off group.
“There is just a lot of demand right now as a result of COVID lay-offs and we need to keep the groups to no more than 20 people in order for it to be effective.”
Johnson added that the group has averaged “an executive-a-week landing a new job” even during COVID.
When the pandemic struck, Nikki Goeser was in the middle of a nationwide book tour to promote her book, “Stalked and Defenseless.”
“Needless to say, that all came to a halt,” Goeser said. Before COVID, Goeser was in New York City to promote her book on national cable news shows and traveled around the country speaking to large groups of up a 1,000 people.
In recent weeks, Goeser has only been able to promote her book on social media and radio. So far, she’s done one ZOOM presentation to a group of about 60 but hopes to do more.
“Everyone is kind of limited to word of mouth and social media right now and everyone is trying to find ways to keep money so they can pay their bills.”
Abby Butikofer is a rising college senior at Utah State University who had a prestigious summer internship lined up in Washington, DC when the pandemic struck.
“I lost my summer internship and now I’m working part-time at a local grocery store,” Butikofer said. “It’s impossible to get internships because everyone is working remotely from home, and an intern’s duties would be helping out in an office setting.”
She says before COVID, she was better able to rely on personal and family connections to get a job, but now she’s doing all of her job searches online. “The internet is the only way we are really communicating now,” Butikofer said. “I can’t just walk into a store and ask if they are hiring.”
Butikofer acknowledges that young people are more comfortable navigating the all-digital job search world, and hopes that will ultimately benefit her generation.
Shelley Bruner, who spent the past decade promoting Las Vegas shows and tourism businesses through PR, marketing and advertising campaigns, says her city’s economy has flatlined.
“Several industry leaders I’ve talked to are predicting an exceptionally slow recovery saying jobs won’t start to shake loose for another 6+ months with the city’s overall economy not returning to ‘normal’ for another two years,” Bruner said. “It’s devastating.”
Bruner adds that employers are slow to or not responding at all on job post sites because of the uncertainty and the “stack of applicants is increasing by the day!”
Bruner is getting creative in her job search by expanding her scope. The former TV news anchor says she is even “applying for entry-level positions I would have pursued right out of college just to make ends meet. I’m also focusing on positions in which I can help during the crisis such as COVID tracing.”
Bruner and the 36 million job-seeking Americans like her are experiencing an economic upheaval unlike anything our nation has ever seen. But she vows to be resilient.
“The world has changed and we have to change with it. There doesn’t appear to be any other option.”
