Making a pivot to a new career in the time of COVID-19

Or, the time I tried to write about career advice and got emotional

The layoffs, furloughs, and economic uncertainty due to the COVID-19 crisis have created an unstable and terrifying time for many people. Folks are losing their jobs or worried that they might. Millennials like me are probably getting distinct 2008 financial crisis vibes. 

At the end of 2008 I moved to New York City and got a job as a receptionist at an architecture firm. After only two months, they laid off a handful of architects—and me. I hit the pavement again (Craigslist) and in early 2009, I got a job as an assistant editor of a financial publication. Four months in, they laid off a few folks, including me. 

I remember standing in the middle of Herald Square across from Macy’s, on the phone with my father, screaming, “why do people keep hiring people if they can’t afford to pay them?” I got an “amen” from a passerby. Two weeks later, I was on a plane to Maine, because you can always count on rich folks to send their kids to sleepaway camp, no matter what the stock market says.

For years, when people brought up the financial crisis, I’d say I was “lucky” that I wasn’t impacted. Lucky I didn’t have a house or kids, lucky I didn’t lose anything (since my net worth back then got wiped out every time I had to buy a new Metrocard), lucky I bounced back (although for years I was so scared to invest or contribute to a 401k that I don’t even want to know the impact on my retirement). I kept saying “lucky” until someone pointed out that I lost my job twice in six months. Right. After that, “lucky” didn’t seem so accurate.

Now, not only do I know better, but we can all see the impact worldwide as it plays out (thanks, Twitter). My freelance projects are being put on pause, roles are getting taken off the table, clients are watching their bottom lines, and I can’t do in-person workshops and speaking engagements. I pivoted online—which is its own post—but the sheer amount of online events has quickly become overwhelming and so many are free or low cost that it’s impacting those who used to count on events for income. And still, as I see people struggling around me, I feel lucky again. Extremely lucky. Some things never change.

Let’s face it: this sucks. It’s easy to feel frazzled and caught off guard, like you’re holding a bag of jelly beans that burst and you’re trying to catch all of them at once (I’m really craving jelly beans right now…). Losing your livelihood is traumatic, and more than anything, you should take the time to take care of yourself, but when bills are looming, lots of people don’t have the luxury of time. Still, if you can center yourself and narrow your focus, you’ll be better off in a time of crisis. There are plenty of resources out there about networking, tailoring your resume, and more, but I’m gonna give you some scrappier steps.

First, I’d like to apologize for telling long, personal stories before getting to the point like the worst kind of recipe blog. Now that that’s out of the way, take it from someone who started adulting in 2008:

The first three steps to pivoting in a crisis are defining what you want to do, defining what you don’t want to do, and figuring out your transferable skills.

Photo by whoislimos on Unsplash

The first step when you’re pivoting or switching to a new role or career is to define what you want to do

Grab a notebook and define your personal mission. Yes, it sounds fluffy, so call it whatever you want. Your objective. Your mission statement. Your life calling. It shouldn’t necessarily be tied to an industry or even a career. When I was a barista, my personal mission was to keep people caffeinated but to also create that “coffee shop vibe” that keeps people coming back.  I was that girl who knew your favorite drink, who asked how you did on your exam, who played cool music in the shop, who kept things clean. Customers came back, I got tips. 

I am a person who likes to create vibes and who knows how to talk to people. Professionally, I call it “communication strategy”, “culture stewardship”, or “creating community”, and I’ve been doing it since I pulled my first espresso shot.

So what do you do? Do you build websites? Solve problems? Stock warehouses? Love to talk on the phone? Go bigger. What is the umbrella term for “what you do” that all of your jobs, volunteering, and even hobbies have fallen under?

The second step to take when you’re pivoting your career is to define what you don’t want to do

This is especially important when you’re in crisis mode, which many of us are in right now. Maybe you’ve been let go or furloughed. Maybe you had an offer rescinded or a position you’d already sunk hours of interview time into put on hold. There’s a good chance your industry has been decimated. In a time of crisis, we can lose our way. That’s what happens when you realize that it’s ten o-clock at night, you haven’t eaten or showered, and you’ve sent off fifty job applications in one day but can’t remember any of the roles or companies. It might seem like quantity over quality is the better option when rent is due in a few days, but that is never the case. Sure, I have done some terrible, boring, dirty, soul-sucking stuff to pay my bills, so I get it. But if you can avoid it, do. 

If you are desperate, make a NO WAY list of things that you absolutely should not waste your time on. If you’re less than desperate, make a NO list. If you hate HR but you “could totally do it and have the skills”, stop applying for HR jobs. If you’re taking the time to craft cover letters and resumes, find out the names of hiring managers, and network, do not undo all of that hard work by applying to random nonsense. It should fit under your umbrella. It should not fall under your NO list.

Finally, to pivot away completely, figure out your transferable skills

Maybe your industry has ground to a halt. It’s not just your company that has gone under, but every other company you could apply to also. This can be incredibly daunting, but your industry doesn’t have a monopoly on your skills. You’ve figured out what you want to do and what you won’t do. Now flex to what you could do.

Flight attendants and food service staff have incredible customer service and problem-solving skills. Event planners, facilities managers, and operations folks are fantastic project managers. Hiring has slowed down across most industries, but this is a great time to learn how to redefine your skillset. Make a long list of skills that you have, both specific to your industry and not. If they are specific to your industry, see if you can rephrase them. When you’re tailoring your resume, this list of transferrable skills should give you the keywords to use that line up with the job description.

This is a horrible time. But after I got back from the rich kid camp in Maine (and the economy sorted itself out? I guess?), I got a job as an office manager and owner’s assistant at a bakery and got into grad school, two moves that completely defined the trajectory of my life up to this point. What happens after you get through a crisis can change your life for the better. I look forward to celebrating what happens next alongside you.