The world of work has changed but there's a silver lining

The world of work has changed so dramatically, it’s head spinning. But in that tremendous change is a silver lining: today’s job search can be global. Today’s job search can be done remotely. Today’s job search can be done in industries you may not have previously looked into.

This year, in the middle of a pandemic, a recent client decided she wanted to get back into the workforce after taking a 4-year hiatus for family reasons. A woman in her mid-40s who lives in a distressed state lined up half a dozen interviews in half a dozen industries that she didn’t have subject matter expertise in. But she had mad skills and an optimistically creative nature that allowed her to demonstrate how her “outsider” expertise and knowledge could achieve the goals each employer was aching to accomplish.

Our first job was to determine what her market value was. Not having worked in the specific jobs for which she applied, she was willing to work for less than she had when she temporarily left the workforce. When asked how long she thought it would take her to get up to speed, she said “about a month.” 

“Then you should ask for market,” I advised, and not just “average” compensation, but compensation in the top 75% because anyone would take a month to “get up to speed.” And she was at the top of her game when she left the workforce.

I was optimistic with my client but secretly concerned about her ability to land the jobs she’d applied for during a pandemic with a gaping four year hole in her resume. Not to mention the “over 40” challenge. But we worked up an optimistic game plan for the “new industries” and within a couple of weeks she had a job offer at the company she most wanted to join. And she negotiated a higher salary than the one offered.

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Lest you think that client is a unicorn, let me tell you that my pandemic consulting summer has seen many women move from pandemic un- or under-employment into pandemic-safe industries. One such client was a commercial real estate specializing in office space. Not just pandemic challenged, but pandemic dead. A little imagination moved her in the direction of space needed by an international start-up funded with oodles of venture capital. 

“Commercial real estate is commercial real estate,” she said and sure enough her complete lack of knowledge about the start-up’s business did not stop her from landing a job and negotiating more pay and equity than originally offered.

Another client took her educational background to move into corporate communications and training. 

Of these case studies, here’s the most valuable piece of advice: there is an enormous amount of opportunity in new and unconventional businesses. Those investors worried about the pandemic’s eventual hit on the stock market, are pouring money into venture capital. And the companies funded with that money need the same type of people that brick and mortar companies need - people with experience in marketing, HR, training, communications, data analysis, coding, engineering, architecture, and yes, even clerical jobs. So take another look at your skill set, value it and know that your skills are just as necessary for pandemic-proof businesses as they were by the pandemic’s victims.