THE DAILY MUSE BY SONIA
Part two -Getting Ahead Amidst Covid-19
Increasing Your Chances of Job Security During the Pandemic
Covid-19 caused a lot of disruption to people searching for jobs with some of them wondering what will be their next move. As individuals, we ought to ask ourselves, what it takes to build up our chances of being hired by potential employers amidst the global pandemic. Have you sincerely asked yourself why some people are more aggressive in their job search journey? What makes them stand out and keep excelling while looking for greener pastures? Why do people wish they would be a little bit more like them? Chances are they have identified what they need to do to boost their situation during the pandemic. Inventive thinking, getting things done and empathy are crucial things that one needs to consider.
Demonstrate Inventive Thinking
Inventive thinking is the ability to contemplate something in a new way. Individuals have to develop a new approach to a problem and a resolution to a conflict between employees or an advanced result from experience. Employers in all industries want creative and innovative employees who can bring new perspectives to the workplace. It’s not just about being flexible and adaptable when it comes to your role. You should use your creativity to benefit the new organization. Convey new ideas to the table to assist your company make it through the unforeseen obstacles of this moment and those still ahead.
This can also be established in ways such as:
i. Problem solving -show your potential employer how you will solve the challenges i.e. develop new ways to reduce energy use, find new ways to cut costs during a budget crisis, or create a singular litigation strategy to defend a client. Find new solutions rather than simply identifying and implementing the norm.
ii. Growth mindset- In a growth mindset, people believe that dedication and hard work can develop their most basic abilities- brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that essential for excellent accomplishment.” (Dweck, 2015). People adopting a growth mindset tend to:
Generate new ways of doing things.
Create goals for learning and demonstrate increased performance at the workplace.
An individual putting in more hrs daily to improve on their skills and output.
Reframe their mindsets to view change as a challenge and not as a threat.
iii. Analytical skills — This is the ability to scrutinize things to know what they mean i.e. if you are a data analyst and seeking for the same position prove to the employer that you can examine their data and probe existing past data they have.
Get Things Done
Employers need team members to tackle challenges without being asked. By demonstrating self-drive shows you can work without supervision. Self-drive is whereby we validate our intrinsic motivation and drive to a company.
Individuals ought to create a vision for themselves and work towards a set goal by consistently meeting and exceeding standards. Overcoming challenges goes a long way in creating a positive perception about the person seeking employment.
While adopting new business models and revenue streams, companies need employees who “can get things done, fast. In other words, people that can roll up their sleeves and do the task at hand, regardless of how small or “not-so-glamorous.”
Those who will succeed during the pandemic are “the hardest workers with the most outstanding tenacity. Show don’t tell attitude by having grit, determination, and dedication will stand out from their peers applying for the same positions.
Bring Empathy to Everything You Do
Soft skills like empathy, personal attributes, interpersonal and communication skills are in great demand among employers. Not only will workmates feel good being around you, but you’re also more likely to stay at your job. Those candidates who bring empathy to their people and clients are those that we consistently see rising to the very best.
A great way to boost our confidence and empathy skills during this moment when companies are struggling, is by reaching out to companies and asking how you can help. Actively listen as they share, offer to help in whatever small way you’ll, and open up mutually. People checking out new opportunities should apprehend multiple ways which empathy establishes. Empathy occurs in the following ways:
i. Cognitive Empathy
This type of empathy is about accepting another person’s spirit. We have a duty to easily interpret the employers’ thoughts and feelings which helps to determine a way to move forward in difficult situations. It’s critical for building a relaxed and flexible work environment.
ii. Emotional Empathy
Emotional empathy elicits an individual to feel the same emotions as those around them. Consider it like emotional reflection. For instance, if your teammate gets in trouble for a project gone wrong, you’d possibly fright even though you’re not the one being scolded.
Emotional empathy is often a sincere or bad thing, relying on things. It’s often a real learning experience. To avoid fear or embarrassment, you’ll avoid making the equivalent mistake your teammate did. At the same time, however, these secondhand feelings of anxiety or guilt might become stressors affecting your performance and, by extension, your team’s performance.
iii. Compassionate Empathy
It is the foremost actionable of the empathy types. It involves seeing someone undergo an agony that hurts personally, and feeling obliged to act to alleviate that pain. Imagine a marketing executive who isn’t meeting their sales goals for the month to allow them draft a performance plan. Compassionate workers will do everything in their power to bring sales to that team member, perhaps by scheduling additional meetings for them or channeling more leads to them.
What are some of the things you can do to enhance your vacancy during the pandemic and beyond? In a nutshell, inventive thinking, getting things done and showing empathy will enable you retain your contract during the pandemic. Well, I hope you will be to apply these lessons from now on. So, enlighten your friends and peers to read out some of these lessons that I have shared.