My client, Kevin, was just informed by a potential employer that was awaiting offer approval from headquarter that they will go in a wait and watch mode for now. They are still very keen on Kevin however, with the uncertainty arising from COVID-19, they would like to put the offer on hold.

Kevin had been looking for a role for over 6 months after being retrenched from his last job late last year. Being a senior professional, the process took a few months with 6 rounds of interviews and extensive negotiations. Finally, they had agreed on an offer that worked well for both parties. His reference checks were brilliant and they had started preparing his official contract – that was 2 weeks ago. On following up earlier this week, he was informed about the situation of the offer. And it didn’t come as a surprise to him too. He was just being very hopeful in the time of this chaos. Kevin was left completely disheartened and felt he should just not spend any more time on his job search.

I know Kevin is not alone in this. There are millions of job seekers who are looking for roles in these uncertain times. So, should you just stop with job searching altogether and Netflix the time away?

To help all job seekers in a similar boat, I have compiled a list of actions you can take at this time to spearhead your job search effort:

Priority number 1: Self-care

I can’t emphasize this one enough in the current situation. Yes, the job search is important but the ramifications of mental health issues can be more far-reaching than a couple of months’ delay in your job search. Make sure you are focusing on taking care of your mental as well as physical health while adopting social distancing.

Spend time with family but equally important is to focus on some “Me” time. You won’t be able to fully capitalize on available opportunities if you are not at your 100% best.

2. Keep applying for roles

Companies are still interviewing and some industries are aggressively hiring. One of my clients got a call this morning from an FMCG giant to get the process started asap as they want to close the role by end of April (that’s just over a month). Identify industries and companies which are still hiring and continue applying to them.

If you have just embarked on your job search journey, use this time to complete your background work. Take some time to identify your USP in the market. Revamp your CV to include all the ways in which you can distinguish yourself from other professionals in your field.

And while we are at the background preparation, think of some interview questions and what your answers may be. And be completely prepared for video interviews – they have now become a norm.

3. Use LinkedIn extensively

Get your LinkedIn profile ready and revamped. No more excuses.

The best time to start building your LinkedIn personal branding was in 2003. The next best time is now! With so many people working from home and inadvertently going on LinkedIn, this is a great opportunity to build your online presence and LinkedIn network.

Engage with other people’s content through comments, shares or if you are ready – share some of your own content. Since the world is heavily consuming information about COVID-19, you might want to share your thoughts and opinions on the topic as well and how that can transform your particular industry/ function.

Have you been eyeing a particular company for a while? Follow some of the senior people in your function and engage in their content through meaningful comments. It takes a few months to develop trust enough that they are willing to speak with you. Start building that trust pronto.

4. Make your target list of employers

I always recommend creating a target list of employers at the beginning of the job search. And now you have the time for it. Make a list of 35-40 companies!

So many, you ask!!! Well, if I ask for 10-15 companies, most job seekers will have the same company names which anyway have the most competition. So spend some time now to do the research and find out companies which are hiring. Choosing companies and industries which are expanding right now is so critical. Start doing extensive research on these companies and finding how you can contribute to them at this point in time.

I promise you won’t need to contact people from all these companies. It will be max. 10 -15 companies for most job seekers before you get a role if you are strategic in your outreach.

5. Get connected online!

Reach out to your existing connections of friends, family, and ex-colleagues. And please, let’s be empathetic while we are reaching them. Ask them about how they are coping and what is happening in their world. Build your lost connections by genuinely being interested and seeing if they may need a listening ear.

Use technology – WhatsApp, Skype, Zoom or any other platform you may be comfortable with.

6. Up-skill and work on passion projects

If you are currently employed, use this opportunity to see how you can contribute to your company’s business continuity planning (BCP) efforts and generally make things easier. You will end up developing skills which will be very useful in the coming times. Business and workplace will change even after the virus situation settles. These skills are going to prove extremely helpful in the future.

Use this time to pursue online courses or read books related to your function. Get acquainted with technology for virtual work and if you have the bandwidth, use online platforms to deliver some virtual projects.

In fact, may I go ahead and suggest investing some time in passion projects. I have a friend who used the time he saved in commuting and unhelpful meetings to create an analytics dashboard for movies!! Built a few critical analytics skills along the way. You can use this time to create some passion projects in whichever area you are interested in. The last recession gave world companies like AirBnb, WhatsApp, Slack, Uber, etc. Maybe this time, your passion project could become one of the next big unicorns. Even if it doesn’t, you will be gaining some valuable skills.

We are all in unchartered territory, let’s sail it together!! What are some of your strategies for job search during these times?

JobS-ME: Job Search Made Easy

JobS-ME is a training, coaching and consulting company helping professionals get their next ideal job fast. True to its name, JobS-ME was launched to make job-search easy and effective.