Advice From Jobseekers We Can All Use Right Now
Photo by Johnny Nguyen on Unsplash
Searching for a new job in the COVID era is challenging all of us in new ways. Who is hiring? Should I pivot? Are my skills relevant? How do I exude confidence on a video job interview? How can I work from home and be productive? How can I go to work and stay safe? How can I take care of my mental health?
For the past few months I had the opportunity to facilitate Teal’s Career Assist program (check them out!), a startup that’s helping people find fulfilling careers. While I believe I added value and guided people in their job search, what those ~300 members may not know is that they filled up my energy bucket (a very small bucket these days) in surprising ways.
One of the reasons I love facilitating groups is because it is more than teaching and training, it’s a skillset that requires both expertise and humility, leadership and followership, and the understanding that every group will be different. And every individual in each group already has the knowledge within themselves to solve their challenges.
My job is to carve out a space (in this case virtual) for people to share thoughts, trust each other, and take risks. I do this by asking open-ended questions and then let the group go where they need to go, discuss what they need to discuss in the moment. I then become the mindful listener (and time-keeper) and come away with learnings of my own.
As the Teal program progressed my groups opened up and I witnessed individuals from across the U.S. (and London!) support each other's emotions on the roller coaster ride they didn’t buy a ticket for. At times, like the days after Geoge Floyd’s murder, people didn’t talk about interviewing or resume tactics at all. Other times people lifted each other up as accountability partners giving advice, setting goals, and celebrating wins.
I’m sharing the advice that I took with me as I muddle through these tough times and added tactical actions to get you started because everything is easier said than done!
Be kind to yourself = A mantra that I like to repeat a few times a day is “I’m doing my best.” Because we all are.
Enjoy the present = Examine an object for 3 minutes near you (not your computer) or better yet go outside. Notice all the things about that object: What does it look like? How does it feel? Study it as if you’ve never seen it before.
Go for a walk = I’m no scientist but science says that nature is good for our human minds, so even if you’re in a city get outside and just walk. You don’t need a destination. I enjoy taking a phone call while walking or listening to an audio book.
Talk to a friend = Even though I feel like I have all the time in the world, I don’t and neither do my friends. Schedule your calls ahead of time and then you have something to look forward to.
Take regular breaks = Build them into your digital calendar or get old school like my partner and I who write our breaks into our paper calendar so that the other one knows who’s on toddler-duty.
Don’t forget to breathe = Deep belly breaths in through your nose to fill the stomach and out through your mouth three times. I recommend a verbal exhale like a big sigh...it feels good.
A huge thank you to all the job seekers in my groups who popped up twice a week in their zoom boxes. One day I hope to meet some of you in person and give you a hug.