Lessons Learned – Moving Forward Into A New World of Work from guest blogger Sharon Hamersley, LinkedIn Coach.

Welcome To The Looking Forward Our Way Podcast ~ Let’s Continue The Conversation!  

Our goal with each Looking Forward Our Way podcast episode is to provide you a safe place to understand an issue and discover the resources available to you.  Expert guests from our local community join us each month to delve into topics that affect Central Ohioans 50+, such as employment, financial and legal issues, technology usage, healthy living, housing, transportation, and fun “discovery” ideas.  Sharing their knowledge and expertise, guests generously get us on track, moving in the right direction.

Often, our guests have more to add to the discussion after the podcast episode.  We welcome the opportunity to continue the conversation with them, review issues, and highlight solutions, through this blog site.

We hope this will provide you with additional opportunities to delve into subjects of interest and further assist your life.  And with this, we look at our new world of work.

Since the beginning of 2020, almost every person who is employed has experienced a shift in their work life.

If you work in a service industry where you are personally interacting with customers, integration of protective equipment is now in place. If you work in an industry where you can interact with customers and colleagues virtually, that is most likely what you’ve been doing for over a year now.

Some employees, especially in the medical field and human services, have seen their work hours balloon to unreasonable levels. This is causing stress and burnout.  And, in many cases, it has not been possible or safe to work. So you were laid off or your job went away permanently.

So, what will “normal” look like going forward?

I don’t have a crystal ball, but here are some ideas about the future of work post-pandemic.

If your work requires you to interact directly with customers, you will need to be vigilant about protecting your health. Especially after the removal of other safety measures.

Unless you have a prohibited medical condition, getting the Covid-19 vaccine and any boosters is a must. The same is true if you have been working remotely. But now your employer is now requiring you to return to the office.

If you have been able to work from home, consider whether this is a good longer-term arrangement.

Many employers are now calling workers back to the office, and some will require that you return full-time with your normal working hours. Some employees are eager to return to regular interactions with their colleagues and a set schedule. Others, however, have benefited from a more flexible schedule with no daily commute.

If you are in the latter category, prepare to negotiate with your employer. And to demonstrate that ideally, your productivity has been higher working in a flexible environment.

If you were laid off because your employer was shut down or could only provide limited services, take advantage of any career development and retraining services offered as part of your unemployment benefits.

It’s possible that you will find work in your industry as things open up, but many businesses, especially restaurants and entertainment venues, have closed for good. Hospitality and service workers have many transferable skills especially in the areas of customer service, organization, and problem-solving, that are transferable to other careers, especially if you can get job-specific training for a new industry.

Finally, if the past year has shown you that you need to look for a new direction career-wise, now is the time to develop a plan to move forward.

There are many career exploration tools to help you identify where your talents and experience are best put to use. Career exploration will lay a solid foundation for updating your resume and creating or enhancing your LinkedIn profile. Identify positions and organizations of interest, and network your way to informational interviews that help solidify your goals. Avoid randomly applying to anything that looks “interesting” as this may actually hurt future chances for interviews and job offers at those companies.

One principle has not changed over the years: in the end, most interviews and job offers come from referrals, not online applications. And above all, know that getting a new job is challenging, no matter what the economy looks like. There will be some disappointments along the way. But have faith that the right job will present itself.

As I stated, I do not have a crystal ball, and some of the advice provided may not be applicable to your particular circumstances. The bottom line is: prepare for further changes for the is new world of work. And above all, take charge of your future career direction. So that whatever changes and challenges come your way, you have laid a solid foundation to move forward.

Thanks to Sharon Hamersley, our go-to LinkedIn expert.
LinkedIn Coach (LinkedBiz614)
Resume and Job Search Coach
shamersley@wowway.com