The Evolving Job Hunt | COVID-19

written by Gillian Wanosky, RTDNA

How can you find a job? How long will you have to work in this format? Are these questions you find yourself asking on a daily basis? Odds are, you’re not alone. It’s understandably frustrating to feel like all of your previous plans went out the door, but there are some ways to feel normal given the circumstances.

Eric Minor is the Reed College of Media’s resident career counselor, and he has several tips that can help you feel more in-control during these uncertain times. While this is a summarized version of Minor’s webinar that he hosted on April 15, you can always reach out to him by emailing Eric.minor@mail.wvu.edu for more information.

1. Apply based on what you know.

While many companies are currently on a hiring freeze, that’s not the case for a large number of other companies. For example, television companies such as Gray and Sinclair Broadcasting have hired students from WVU as early as within the last week. People are still hiring, but you have to do the research beforehand.

A good way to look at it is to think about the services that you can and cannot use. You can’t go to sporting events or concerts, so the likelihood of you scoring an internship or job with a sports broadcasting company or event promotions are fairly low. However, you can still watch the news. Minor mentioned on his webinar that newsrooms are actually seeing more audience interactions since the pandemic began.

2. Be flexible when applying.

Scoring that dream internship or job may be off the table right now, but you can’t let that discourage you from looking into alternative options. Like I mentioned in the first point, make sure you know that a company is hiring before you apply. Now is not the time to waste energy on a company who is not actively seeking employees.

You may also be wondering how you can get a position if your desired field isn’t hiring. For example, how could a sports media student venture into the standard newsroom? You need to explore your transferable skills. Even if you’re interested in sports, you may hold skills in video editing and production that could make you highly employable in another field of broadcasting. Likewise, you may be a broadcast journalism major interested in reporting, but you could also use your skills in writing and content production to make yourself a competitive candidate in a remote journalism position.

3. Join media forums and actively check job postings.

Weeding through which companies are and are not hiring can be extremely overwhelming, but there are tools and resources to narrow down the list. Minor mentioned several pages that have active articles, including Poynter and Candor, that are frequently updating readers on which companies are still hiring.

Online forums are also a great way to stay in-the-know with the media industry. Facebook is home to forums like Storytellers and Digital Career Opportunities Worldwide, and these groups are filled with everyone from college students to hiring managers—and they’re an amazing way to receive frequent updates on job postings and opportunities to enhance your skills.

Another important job posting resource to follow is the #GetHired feed on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is one of the top websites for connecting with hiring companies, but it can also be an overwhelming place due to the volume of content being posted. Using hashtags like #GetHired can curate specific content that you’re looking for.

4. Reach out!

The biggest step that you can personally take during these times is to reach out and make connections. Minor said that many people who are typically hard to contact are suddenly very accessible, so now is the time to make the effort to connect with them. Start building these relationships now by connecting with them on platforms like LinkedIn—even if you’ve never talked to them before.

One key point that Minor made clear was that you should always have a specific goal when contacting them. Never just ask them for advice. Know what you want out of this connection before you make it. Ask them for feedback on your current resume or on recent content you’ve created. Ask about their strategies for finding employment virtually. When you go into a connection with a clear focus, people are more likely to know how to help you.

5. Be empathetic.

While it’s easy to sit around and feel like you’re all alone in this weird time, you have to remember that everyone else is basically in the same position that you are. Even those in the highest company positions are probably unclear on how they will move forward.

As someone who is asking for help, you need to look at it from the opposite perspective so that you can understand why someone may not get back to you right now. Know that they’re probably not ignoring you, but you should be prepared for this outcome. Don’t take anything like this too hard, because these hiring people are most likely feeling the same worries that you are.

6. Better yourself.

Minor’s main point from the entire webinar was the best way to take action is to control the things you can control. Grieving what you’ve lost due to these sudden changes is completely normal, and “grieving” is not too strong a word to describe it. Many opportunities have been taken away from students, but that doesn’t mean you can’t control some aspects of your career readiness.

Now is the perfect time to clean up your online presence. Take inventory of your social media accounts and get rid of anything that may not be deemed “appropriate” to future hiring companies. Remember that WordPress account that you made during your freshman year? Use that page to post any and all content that you’ve worked on throughout your media courses, because this page can be a key component in making you stand out to employers. Likewise, make sure your LinkedIn account is up to date with your latest educational advancements, work experience, skills and certifications.

Speaking of certifications, Coursera is an online learning platform that is currently providing over 100 free courses in topics like data sciences, IT/cloud computing, business and healthcare industries. These courses aren’t typically free, so now is the time to jump at these opportunities for boosting your resume. Not only will this give you more content for your resume, however. Taking courses online will show future employers that you took this time off and used it wisely.

7. Take care of yourself.

This is one of the most important points that Minor made during the webinar—mainly because this is a concept that’s surprisingly very hard for some people. This time off can make you feel like you’re not doing enough to enhance your education, but a lot of this is beyond your control. If you follow these previous steps, you can be fairly certain that you’re doing the best you possibly can to maintain productivity.

With all of this pressure to stay on top of everything, you might feel stressed or overwhelmed. You should never feel guilty for taking time to rest and reflect on this experience. Your mental health is vital to maintaining control of your life, and it should be held as a top priority. Never be afraid to reach out to your professors and advisors for help. Having someone to talk to can ease the tension that you feel, and it will remind you that you are not alone.

Gillian Wanosky is a rising senior in the Reed College of Media, studying both honors journalism and dance. As the new president of WVU’s Radio Television Digital News Association, she hopes to bridge the gaps between broadcast and radio media and the rest of the industry.

Top image: Clem Onojeghuo/Unsplash