5 Tips for Managing Career Transition During COVID-19

06/21/2020

– Written By By Jennifer Hargreaves, Founder and CEO of tellent.

Figuring out what comes next in your career – given the unprecedented state of our social and economic climate – can feel overwhelming. The world is recalibrating. We hope for the better with the Black Lives Matter movement and a shift to more flexible and accessible work options.

But what does that mean for your career transition right now? Especially as we are seeing, hearing and experiencing that women are being disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Well, I want you to know that there are opportunities, there are silver linings, you will find your way and you don’t have to do it alone. We are helping women every day to build and find work that works for them and are advocating with businesses and government to create more flexible and equitable workplaces.

I have pulled together five of the most useful tips as selected by our network of professional women, and have linked free resources to help you manage your career transition while you are on maternity leave or are sheltering in place with your new ‘co-workers’. Mine are mean negotiators at age 5 and 7!

1.Get clear on what you want.

Get clear on your priorities around work right now. That might be to do what you need to do to pay the bills, to focus on your family and your collective well-being or to leverage your skillset to make an impact in this evolving marketplace. There is no right or wrong answer here. Having direction will make it easier to focus your precious energy! If you need support, we have free resources on our website and our amazing team of career and leadership coaches go live every week in our paid talent community to help members get clarity and support.

2. Build your resilience.

There’s an undeniable strain to navigating the disruption the pandemic has forced on your work, goals, family and life on a day-to-day basis. As the weeks turn into months, you may be experiencing a layering of emotions and stress, especially if you are a BIWOC. Like working a muscle, building resilience is a process that takes practice, intention, and focus on what is within your control. Resilience will help you navigate your circumstance and help you transition more easily. Here is a great blog from one of our tellent career coaches and registered psychologist Meghan Reid. Put on your airline mask first my friend.

3.  Get informed and direct your energy to find opportunities – internally and externally.

We recently completed a survey of Canadian HR managers and recruiters to see how hiring and workforce trends were evolving now and for the remainder of 2020. Save yourself time and energy and start here. Whether you are returning to a role with your previous employer, building your freelance business or searching for something new, the information and trends in here can help you to shortcut the process and negotiate more flexible work arrangements.

4.  Build and leverage your network

Despite the inter-connected nature of the world and the ability to reach out to anyone, anywhere, with the click of a finger, relationships are still the most valuable thing in business. Any business – whether you are selling a product, looking for an internal promotion or applying for a new role. With fewer job postings available, and in-person recruiting and professional events off the table for at least the next little while, it’s more important than ever to gain access to the hidden job market through strategic online networking.

5.  Stand out in a crowded marketplace.

Practically overnight we have gone from a skills shortage in the workplace to a hyper competitive and crowded marketplace. You heard the adage; you never get a second chance to make a first impression… you’ve got about three to six seconds to do that. The adage holds especially true in a digital age where selling just about anything – including your personal brand – is a fast and fierce grab for eyeballs. Find out how to get your digital house in order and learn the art of self-promotion with these free blogs.

At tellent we have a deliberate focus on supporting all women, mothers in particular, in finding work that works for them. We have a free job board with a ton of curated resources for you to access.

If you are looking for support, community and positivity in finding your next role we also have a paid membership option.

We understand that men and women search for jobs differently and require different points of reference for making informed decisions about their next opportunity. We embody collaboration, generosity and shared experience to uncover opportunities that exist in a hidden job market. We host expert content with industry leading professionals, weekly coaching sessions, idea’s labs and networking opportunities to support you on this journey to finding work that works for you. You do not need to do this alone. You will get farther, faster with the power of this pack behind you.

“The tellent community is filled with people who support each other. Who are at similar stages of their career and who genuinely care about seeing me succeed. The individuals, coaches, network and relationships that I built gave me the skills and confidence I needed to get my next job. This group became my port in the storm!” 

Women in our network include…

• Experienced professionals or consultant who wants to turn their current position into a more flexible role to meet their needs
• Women who have been out of the workforce on maternity leave or longer and are looking to dive back in, but with a role to suit an evolved lifestyle
• Freelancers and entrepreneurs looking for contracts or gigs to support a portfolio career
• Experienced professional currently working flexibly and loving it! Looking to grow their career while maintaining that flexibility

Learn more about tellent here.