COVID 19 has impacted the job market hard. It’s probably the single most impactful event to the hiring world since the great depression. It’s easy to look at the current state of hiring in this country and see only the negatives but there are some surprising positives in the job search process that have come out of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Certain Industries are Booming
While many areas of business have been devastated by the pandemic, there are some that are not only thriving but expanding rapidly. Industries like tech, food service and grocery, medical care and PPE manufacturing, cyber security, teaching, online fitness, and more. It doesn’t take more than a cursory online search to find industries that are in desperate need of more people and are hiring aggressively.
It’s A Good Time to Make a Change
Many Americans are making the tough decision to switch industries and now may be the perfect time to do just that. To move into a recession proof area, will give you the confidence and job security so many are seeking right now.
Employers Have Become More Flexible
While the power dynamic between applicant and employer will never totally equalize, it has become a lot more balanced. Companies that are hiring right now are doing so knowing that a lot of people’s circumstances have radically changed especially when it comes to working from home. Pre-Pandemic, working from home was seen as a luxury but now any job that can be done from home most likely will be done from home. COVID 19 threw us onto the mercy of the internet and it has proven to actually improve efficiency so now remote work has essentially become the standard of employment whenever it is possible.
Employment Gaps are no Longer a Red Flag
Employers are becoming more understanding of what applicants have gone through during the pandemic. If you couldn’t work in the last year most recruiters will understand that and it won’t be counted against you. In fact, the resume itself has begun to take a back seat to something like a cover letter which gives a recruiter a real chance to know your story and explain away any red flags on the resume. We all went through this pandemic and that includes employers. It’s time for people to be more understanding with one another and you shouldn’t doubt that an employer will be as well.
The good news is things are starting to crawl back to normal. It may still take some time but a lot of aspects of employment and recruitment have been scrutinized in the last 18 months in a way that they haven’t been for many years and for a prospective job applicant that is a very good thing.
This article was written by Sam Rogal.
Sam Rogal is a writer and professional living in New York City. He has worked in the film and theater industry and graduated top of his class with a degree in Communications.