COVID-19 is certainly throwing curveballs — and a whole lot of anxiety — into every aspect of life. I have a sinking feeling that the hits will keep on coming — making for many sleepless nights and more feeling of overwhelm.

Aside from practicing gratitude, I’d love to hear from others struggling with this new #workfromhome life and struggling to wear new hats (home school teacher anyone?). In my own home as the mother of 4 (3 teens and a 21 y/o), I’m struggling to contain my kids who can’t wrap their heads around the seriousness of the situation and want to treat #WFH and #DistanceLearning as a #SnowDay.

On the Home Front

On the home front, here’s my COVID-19 action plan in the making to put some structure and routine into what feels like a bit of a freefall:

• Everyone gets up by a certain time (no sleeping till the crack of noon) to get their schoolwork done.
• Everyone sits down for a family dinner (something that has gone by the wayside with sports, clubs, extracurricular stuff ).
• Everyone has to do something that resembles physical exercise 45 minutes a day, 5x a week. Just Dance on our old WiiU counts

On the Job Search Front

The good news? I’m hearing today is that COMPANIES ARE STILL HIRING.

Interviews are taking place, albeit virtually. Below are 5 steps you can take to build momentum if you’re just starting out or to maintain it if you have gotten the ball rolling:

#1 SHARPEN YOUR INTERVIEW SKILLS

Practice phone and video interviewing using recording software platforms like Zoom, Skype, FreeConferenceCall.com or even Facetime to record and see first hand how you sound and look. Check out my post on video interview do’s and don’ts.

A few tips:

📽️ CAMERA ANGLE: Put a box under your laptop or prop your monitor it so the camera is at eye level. Otherwise, you might look like you have a double chin.

👗CLOTHING: Check how the colors of your clothing appear on camera. Just like TV news anchors avoid some colors — and most small patterns. Jewel tones or pastel colors work best. Do not wear white or black, and avoid big prints.

💡 LIGHTING: If the light source is behind you, you may appear as a dark silhouette on the screen. Position a lamp or other light source in front of you.

#2 DO A DEEP DIVE

Sites like LinkedIn and Glassdoor are great for getting insight into which companies are worth targeting and the people you know (or need to know) who work there. Check out past blogs I’ve written on how to create a list of companies to target and how to get some intel on a company.

#4 GET YOUR CAREER MARKETING COLLATERAL IN SHAPE

This is a great time to make sure your LinkedIn and resume are current in content, fresh in format and keyword optimized.  When it comes to resumes, check out my post on some resume quick fixes and how to transform your resume from a blueprint into a brochure.

For LinkedIn, my post on how to improve your LinkedIn and it’s algorithm favorability.

#5 CONNECT WITH OTHERS

In today’s COVID-19 work from home lockdown, people are online this week more than ever and likely more open to connecting by phone. Here are 2 sample outreach scripts to get you started:

Email Outreach to Potential Referral – Template #1

Hi XXX,

My name is XXX and I found your profile when I was searching for people that successfully pivoted into the xxx industry from something completely different.

I imagine that transition was challenging and would welcome the chance to learn a bit about lessons learned – as I’m contemplating something similar.

I know you’re busy and your time is valuable, and I’d be very grateful if you could spare a few minutes to chat.

If not, no worries!

Best,

XXX

Email Outreach to Potential Referral – Template #2

Hi XXX,

 My name is xxx and I am an xxx at xxx company. Your name came up as I was scrolling through LinkedIn – I hope you don’t mind me connecting!

I saw you have extensive experience in XXX and I’m very interested in learning more about that space. I’d be grateful for the chance to run some questions by you, and hear your advice for career success in the xxx industry.

Recognizing you are super busy – I understand it might be tough to respond in depth. If you have even 5 minutes to chat, I’d appreciate it. If not – no worries!

Best,

XXX

Making Lemons into Lemonade

This new life under COVID-19 is stressful no matter how you look at it.

My advice? Control what you can control, and find new opportunities where they didn’t exist before. I’m going to try and live by that mantra while cutting myself some slack when moments of overwhelm enter the picture. I’d love to hear from all of you to hear how you’re managing the day-to-day.

Stay safe and healthy!