7 Things To Do For Your Profession While in COVID-19 Lockdown

Well, it’s officially the strangest, hardest, weirdest time in the history of time (well, our lifetime at least). We are officially in the midst of a global pandemic (AKA COVID) which means tons of staying at home at Netflix, lots of mental toughness, and 6.6M American’s applying for unemployment. I could be the hundredth person to tell you how weird this time is and how to have great self-care , but I’m not going to focus on that here. I’ve sure you’ve been hearing that non-stopped for the last month. Instead, let’s talk about the things you can do for your career during this time. With extra time during your day (depending on your situation!) and people getting laid off left and right, I wholeheartedly believe that you should take right now to make sure your career is in a great situation.

Personally? 👉 I started a budget . I am keeping up my 9-5 more than ever to protect myself for the future. And more than anything – I want that for you too. I don’t want to come out at the end of quarantine feeling out of shape, stressed out and behind at work – I want to end this being able to enjoy the life I’ve missed so much.

Alright, let’s do this, here are 7 things you should do for your career during the quarantine (here are some videos I’ve put together as well!). 🔎

Quick disclaimer: This is a traumatic time, COVID is scary – so do what YOU need to do to take care of yourself right now. If you are up for focusing on your career, keep reading below.

Fix up your resume

You’ll hear me say this time and time again, but I believe you should always have your resume updated. Now look, especially now when tons of companies are laying off employees, and the economic climate is changing, it cannot hurt to update your resume. I’m not saying you should find a new job right now, but I am saying that you should prepare yourself for the future.

So you might be wondering, how do I fix up my resume when I’m still working in a job?!

Well first, make sure you feel good about how it’s currently formatted, and the past information you have in it. Then, add your current role. Make sure you are quantifying your experience and really selling how amazing you are.

Figure out your company’s status

I am about to let you in on a little secret… this website ! Candor.co has a LIVE, user-generated list of our 4K US companies to share whether they are hiring, firing, laying off. This is IMPORTANT as things change during COVID.

If you see your company is laying off people, know that even if you aren’t currently laid off – it can’t hurt to prepare. If you are looking for a new job, this list should also tell you who is hiring right now.

Here’s how I would interpret different statuses of companies 🖊️

• Hiring – You are good! The company is hiring and it’s in good shape for now.
• Hiring Freeze – I would take this as a medium sign, not good, not bad, but something to watch.
• Layoffs – If you work for a place with a retail location and they cannot afford to keep employees on, you can assume this may change when COVID is over. BUT, know the company is likely losing quite a bit of money right now so their status is going to be uncertain when this is all over. I would fix up your resume if your company is doing layoffs!
• Furloughs – Same as layoffs, this would scare me personally – and at the very least – I would fix up your resume!
• Offers Rescinded – If a company is taking back offers, I would treat this like a hiring freeze. They cannot afford new employees right now! I would also have a resume on hand in case something happens.

I hope this list doesn’t scare you, 👉 it’s only supposed to make you prepared for what might come. The best thing you can do is be prepared.

Still work…hard

Just because you might be working from home, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still work hard. In fact, I would say you should continue to work hard, if not harder. Especially if you are someone who still wants to get ahead in your career, don’t view this as a break. It still counts!

They always say that the true judge of character is how you act during a crisis – so use this time to be sensitive but a great job.

Make your workspace great

One of the hardest transitions for me in going to WFH was really making my workspace productive, which I know in the scheme of things is literally no big deal, but it was hard.

If you are transitioning to WFH and want to minimize the stress of your at-home-workspace and still be productive, here are the products I recently grabbed from Amazon:

1. A Happy Light – Ok, this light is freaking magical. I mean, mag-ic-al. It emulates sunlight so that staying indoors all day doesn’t seem so absolutely horrible.
2. A To-Do List – I’m a full believer in writing down your goals, and having a list where you can write down a few things you want to do every day will give you routine. It seriously will help!

Pick up a side hustle

You’ll hear me say time and time again that I’m a full believer in having extra-curricular activities as an adult. Hobbies are everything!

Being at home all the time is the perfect time to pick up and learn something new. A few of my friends have been water-coloring, knitting and more. If you want to pick up a side hustle, you should totally try and sell something on Etsy! Or Poshmark. It’s such a great way to learn a little extra cash during this time.

Learn a new skill

If you don’t feel like you have any skills for a side hustle or a hobby, try learning something new. From YouTube to Skillshare, there are so many websites right now that are offering free classes.

I’ve been personally doing BBF (Kayla Itsine’s App) which has taught me so many new stretches, yoga poses, workouts and more.

Cold email and network

If you have time during COVID, try networking. You will get the job at your dream company if you cold email contacts there. I have an ENTIRE POST on how to do this here .