How Mid-Career Professionals and Executives Can Find Jobs in the Age of Coronavirus

Video Interviewing Techniques, Networking Tips, and Hidden Job Market Strategies Discussed

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., March 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Mid-career professionals and executives who have been laid off or are in stalled job searches due to the coronavirus pandemic can improve their chances of finding new jobs when they use new, free resources from Great Resumes Fast. The files give expert advice on how to master online interview techniques, tap the hidden job market, and improve their job-hunting skills.

“Mid-career folks in retail, travel, shipping, and hospitality, are greatly affected by the pandemic,” said Jessica Holbrook Hernandez, president of Great Resumes Fast, an award-winning resume writing service for executives based in Jacksonville. “To help, we’ve temporarily lowered the pricing of our professional/mid-career resume services through March 31.”

For more information, go to https://www.greatresumesfast.com/

Mastering Video Interviews

Video interviews have been used sparingly but because of the recent virus outbreak many employers are swiftly moving to video interviews instead of bringing candidates in.

“Most job seekers haven’t had to do video interviews previously so it’s an important time to share advice. We offer interview coaching which includes coaching for video interviews although our primary service is resumes and LinkedIn profiles,” she said.

This infographic shows the most valuable ideas to prepare for a video interview.

“Video interviews provide an apples-to-apples approach to assessing candidate applicants. All applicants are asked the same questions, and the manager can review and rate the responses,” she said.

• Practice doing a couple of Skype interviews with family or friends before your job interview. Check the lighting and your volume.
• Clarify with the interviewer who will initiate the call and double check the username. Also be sure to account for any time zone differences.
• Even through the interview is being conducted by webcam this is a real live interview and you should be as prepared as if you were sitting across the desk from the interviewer.

The Hidden Job Market Guide includes tips for finding jobs offline without necessarily having to meet people in person. Advice includes:

• Make a list of all of your existing offline connections (your holiday card or Christmas card list can be an excellent source to start).
• Write a list of employers you’d like to work for. Next, focus on identifying anyone you know who currently works for that company.
• Read the Business section of your local newspaper and any local business journals weekly to look for companies in the hiring mode.
• Get involved — whether online or “in real life” with groups, organizations, and associations by volunteering and participating in activities and events.

In case you’ve been laid off, another free PDF shows “7 Things You Need To Do To Get Ready for Your Job Search.” Tips include:

• Update your resume. While ideally your resume is customized for a specific job, having an up-to-date resume targeted for a specific “type” of position is the next best thing.
• Develop — or update — your LinkedIn profile. A LinkedIn profile doesn’t replace the resume…it complements it. Someone looking for a candidate with your skills and experience might search LinkedIn and find your profile. Yes, this is something your resume writer can help with.
• Know what you’re worth: conduct salary research. One of the most often-cited reasons to consider a job search is to increase your salary. But how do you know what you’re worth? Websites like Glassdoor.com and Salary.com can help you see how your current salary and benefits package stacks up.
• Build your network. It’s estimated that 40-80 percent of jobs are found through networking. Networking effectiveness is not just about quality — although that’s important. It’s also about quantity. It’s not just about who you know. It’s about who your contacts know. Many times, it’s the friend-of-a-friend who can help you land your dream job.

“I sincerely hope this helps, and if your job search or career is affected, please reach out with any job search-related questions or concerns. I’m happy to provide guidance,” she said.

Are you tired of your resume being rejected by applicant tracking systems? I know how frustrating it is to submit your resume and receive no response. I hate seeing qualified people never break through the screening process. It shouldn’t be that way. That’s why I created this guide and I encourage you to download the FREE PDF so you can start seeing better resume response rates!