There are so many worries bouncing around in everyone’s heads right now. A big worry is staying healthy and keeping everyone around you safe, but there are other thoughts that are terrifying. We don’t know when this will be over. We could be reaching the peak in early May. We don’t know how the economy will recover. We really don’t know when life will be “normal” again.
Right now, besides everything else I mentioned, I’m really nervous about finding a job. I’m graduating in less than two months and I’m in the middle of my job search. It won’t be over when I graduate by any means. I don’t know whether places will be hiring, let alone hiring people from out of state since I was thinking of moving. I don’t know if the workplaces will still be remote. I don’t know if a lot of businesses that might have hired me will be financially able to support another employee.
I realize that we’re in (get ready for this overused word) unprecedented times. One thing that excites me even with everything horrible going on, is that I’m living through a historic event right now. Not everyone in 20 years will have my story as a 2020 college graduate. So, I wanted to take the time to write down everything I’ve been thinking about, particularly related to the job search.
Are employers going to start adjusting as this becomes their normal?
Right in this moment, I have a hard time believing anyone is actually focusing on hiring. However, we have to know at some point businesses will have to start accepting this as a normal, whether it’s for two weeks or two months. They have to move on and do business as normal, which will include starting up the hiring process once again. I won’t be shocked if I apply for a job today and then don’t get a reply until a month later. I expect that most places are expecting this to be over soon and have decided to suspend hiring until this ends, but they haven’t realized how much they need to keep things going. Hiring will resume sooner rather than later.
Is advertising and public relations going to be seen as more important now?
This may seem completely unrelated to COVID-19, but hear me out. When the news broke that this pandemic was going to disrupt our lives, it was professionals in my field informing the public. In some cases, public relations professionals failed and in others they succeeded. Some businesses stayed opened when they shouldn’t have, some businesses were proactive. I don’t think the public will forget that easily, and some places might be looking for someone who can handle situations like this if they didn’t already have one. Sometimes businesses don’t hire advertising and public relations professionals because they don’t think they need them, but maybe after this they will feel like they do. What I’m really trying to say is, and maybe it’s my hope clouding my judgement, maybe I’ll still be able to get a job. Maybe I can still be successful in the midst of a recession.
Is this a learning experience?
This kind of goes with what I was just saying. After looking at all the businesses in this country and how they responded, could I take this as a learning experience? For example, McDonald’s separated their golden arches to promote social isolation, but people didn’t appreciate that since they were still sending their employees to work and not offering paid sick leave. That didn’t go well over social media, and honestly I don’t know why they paid to change their signs when people aren’t leaving their house. The businesses that shone on social media were the ones who treated their employees well and communicated effectively with the public.
Will it be possible to get a job I’d have to move to do?
I have no idea what the answer to this is. On one hand, places will likely be remote for awhile. On the other hand, I’m not going to be able to move somewhere easily and I expect employers to know that. The job search doesn’t feel very different, but it is harder to be motivated to apply to those crazy “dream” jobs.
Will I be working remotely when I do get a job?
Maybe I’m being a bit of a pessimist, but I don’t think this will be over by May 15th when I graduate. When I get that job I’ve been working towards, I might be working remotely. Which makes me wonder if places will be able to successfully train in employees remotely. A lot of things will be changing, and I guess I better get used to making my own schedule and working hard on my own.
Should I just try to be a freelancer for awhile?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I’ve actually made an Upwork and Fiverr account, but I haven’t done anything with them yet. Since one of my jobs just closed and won’t be needing me for awhile, it might be smart to work towards this since I’ll be needing the extra cash. Along with the money, I also would love the extra experience as I start interviewing for jobs. Because of those factors, freelancing has been on my mind for awhile. However, I haven’t considered it being a full time option after I graduate until recently. I think it might be the best option while I’m still looking for jobs so I don’t get out of practice. It definitely calms me down when I start panicking about the economy.
For everyone else, I hope you are also recording your thoughts. I remember when I was young and our teachers told us to ask our grandparents or parents about memorable moments in their lives. This will be ours to share.
Emily Lauinger 