MadameNoire
Source: FreshSplash / Getty
According to research, 63 percent of individuals who lost their job due to COVID-19 changed industries entirely. For some, that was out of pure necessity as they looked around and saw that the pandemic was eradicating their entire field of work – at least for the foreseeable future. Think of those who worked in travel and leisure, for example. Most businesses relating to this industry had to completely close their doors for many months, and their recovery will be slow and spotty, since not every country is getting vaccinated at the same rate as others.
The United States lost over nine million jobs between February of 2020 and February of 2021. And while some jobs will inevitably come back eventually, some jobs may never return because the pandemic forced companies to live without them, and now they know how to. Luckily experts do project that the majority of jobs will come back. And so perhaps you’re now at a place where you’re thinking of making a change. Whether it’s because you have to, since you fear your job may become irrelevant, or it’s because you want to, because the pandemic created some new possibilities, you might be refreshing that resume. But looking for a job in a pandemic requires slightly different foresight and preparation than in normal times. Here are things to consider when changing jobs during a pandemic.
Source: vitapix / Getty
There may be new options
You may want to think out of the box on this new job hunt. Keep in mind that the pandemic actually inspired the creation of jobs that didn’t exist before. There’s also the fact that many companies that used to only hire locally now hire globally, allowing employees to work from home, from anywhere. And there’s the fact that many companies are even opening new branches in neighborhoods with large Black communities as part of a diversity initiative. There could be many more options available to you than there were before the pandemic, so don’t just check the local newspaper’s employment section.
