Imagine you’re driving down the highway and, all of a sudden, your hood flies open, blinding your view of the road. What is the first thing you should do?
- Step on the brake
- Look through the crack between the hood in the window
- Turn off the car and pull to the side of the road
- Put on your hazard lights immediately
This was an actual pre-test question on my driver’s education exam a few years back in when I was in high school (OK, more than a few years back), but I learned a valuable lesson when I saw the answer. At first the answer seemed laughable, but then after several years of driving experience, it spoke volumes to me in how to handle any emergency situation, and that is DON’T panic.
You can apply this “Don’t Panic” mindset to many other situations as well, and when it came to my financial well-being due to a job loss, I started to panic. So I stepped back, took a breath and decided to prepare myself for any rough waters ahead. Here are a few suggestions to put in your career emergency toolkit, which might be especially helpful for some people affected by the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you are out of work and looking for your next opportunity, make sure you are staying current with your skill set. This entrepreneur.com article about building your career in the age of COVID-19 discusses, in point 2, what to do about your skills gap. Keep your resume fresh and up-to-date by adding some industry-recognized credentials and certifications like the ones that are offered by ISACA.
Make sure to work on your SOAR stories (Situations, Obstacles/Opportunities, Actions, and Results) in preparation for that next interview. I found this to be very helpful as I was unsure what questions would be asked during an interview. By practicing my SOAR stories, I gained confidence during my interviews and didn’t panic. When I was asked a question at an interview, I reach into my toolkit, pulled out a SOAR story and applied it to the question. If you are currently employed, now is also a good time to start practicing your SOAR stories as they are fresh in your mind and you won’t have think back in how to create them.
Another thing to add to your career toolkit is to look into contracting work. Companies today are more likely to hire contractors rather than FTEs (Full-Time Employees) as we are now working in a Gig economy. There are a lot of companies running short-term projects looking for contractors to fulfill their positions.
People have different views about contract work. Some only seek contracting through known recruiting firms or a few individual recruiters they have worked with in the past. Others may only seek to work on contracts that are a year or longer. What is the best course of action you should take? The answer comes from an old college professor of mine, who always answered a question with, “Well, that depends.”
Speaking from true experience, I wanted to stay local and apply only for those FTEs opportunities. After a while, when I still hadn’t landed a job (partly due to the fact that I didn’t have my SOAR stories in order), I decided to expand my search to contracting work. I was willing to work with all different recruiting companies and apply for short or long-term contracting opportunities. I also had come to the realization that I would possibly need to travel a bit. This opened new doors and presented me with new options. I finally landed some contract work and I was able to work with some great companies, which helped advance my career. I also added a couple of certifications, including CISA, while I was on the road. A hotel room makes for a great study hall.
So, keep driving, don’t panic, and look through that crack in the window to navigate your way to success, even in challenging times.