Job Search: How I Found My Next Job During Covid

In September 2020, I was laid off from my full-time job due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to being laid off, I was unsatisfied with my job and was actively looking for another employment opportunity. Although I would have preferred to land my next job while employed, being laid off gave me more time to find a better job.

However, I knew finding another job would likely be harder than ever for me. Millions of other people were being laid off because of the pandemic, so the job market wasn’t great. In addition, being on the autism spectrum has made it difficult for me to find quality employment. So I decided to go about my job search a little differently this time. Here is how I found my next job during a pandemic.

Job Search Assistance

After several months of actively applying for jobs on my own, I decided to get professional assistance for the first time. In March 2021, I reached out to a career coach from FindMyProfession.com.

Previously, I received their assistance to revamp my resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile while I looking was looking for another job before being laid off. This time, I wanted their assistance to help me find my next job. For 8 weeks, I had a one-hour session every week with my career coach, who I communicated with via Zoom. At the time, I was receiving unemployment benefits, which I partly used to pay for these sessions.

My career coach was incredibly helpful during our one-on-one sessions. After communicating my history and challenges with finding employment, my career coach focused on improving each specific weakness I wanted to address. In addition, she helped me confirm the types of job opportunities I would enjoy and be good at performing. She also provided useful tips to help me find suitable jobs online, customize my resume to each job I applied, network effectively on LinkedIn, and appropriately answer job interview questions.

With her assistance, I was able to get more interviews during our sessions. Shortly after I concluded my service with my coach, I was hired by another employer. I do believe the guidance I received during my sessions played a significant part in my hiring.

What’s Next For Me?

Although it was unfortunate that I lost my job due to the pandemic, I realized my situation could have been worse. I was unemployed once again, but I no longer had to work at a job I didn’t like. I was also able to hire someone to help me find a better job without having to worry about other expenses. I’ve worked at my new job for almost a year now and, so far, it’s better than any job I’ve worked in the past.

However, my experience of being laid off made me more determine to start taking control of my own financial future. As I continue to work at my new job, I plan to start creating my own streams of stable income. Eventually, I would like to build one or more sources of income to support myself without solely relying on an employer for income.

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