The world is facing one of the greatest crises in human history. From the trend today, more than 3.5 million people worldwide may become infected with the Coronavirus by the time you read this article. Unfortunately, we have lost many people. We pray that most recover and the souls of the dead rest in peace.
It is inevitable that our way of life after COVID-19 will change permanently. One of the ways things will change is the way we work and live in our professional and personal lives.
Some people are lucky that their jobs can be performed remotely through technology. Others haven’t been as lucky. Thankfully, the Federal Government has been expanding the coverage, and eligibility of Canadians in various professions, for payments under the Canada Emergency Care Benefit (CERB) to those who have been affected by COVI-19. As at mid-April 2020, about 5.4 million Canadians that were laid off were receiving federal aid payments through the CERB and millions more are expected to apply in the next couple of months.
Unfortunately, as with any government benefit programme, this will dry up well before the pandemic goes away.
It is very easy, and quite understandable, to grow despondent during the lockdown period imposed by the government as one of the measures to slow the spread of the disease. We are bombarded by TV stations with minute-by-minute daily news updates on the rising cost of the disease so, naturally, it would be very hard to find the belief and motivation to look for another job during this period.
If you’re already actively searching for jobs, then more grease to your elbow.
However, if you have been laid off and need a little motivational pick me up and advice, here are a few tips to help you get started.
First, you need to do a thorough self-examination. You may discover that the lockdown period is a blessing in disguise.
Ask yourself if the type of work you were doing at the time you were laid off is what you truly want to continue doing or is this the time to pivot to another job or career that more closely speaks to your natural abilities and talents. This is very important as it can unlock untapped potential within you that had been suppressed by the pressures of keeping body and soul together while taking care of bills and family needs. The state of the mind is also a critical factor in getting, and staying, motivated. If you are a person of faith, tap into that spiritual resource and nourish yourself daily through prayer.
After the self-examination, you can then draw up a simple two-column table listing your professional skills on one side and your natural talents and abilities on one side. If you have supportive close family and friends that know you very well, you can also ask them for help in validating the list.
Then, match each skill and talent to a list of potential occupations and work your way through this list till you have more pros than cons for a combination of talents and occupations. This occupation would be the best fit for you and give you a natural competitive advantage for your next move. If this talent and occupation combination can be expressed through an online presence, even better.
You can continue searching for jobs in your current field professional field, pivot to a totally new job area or become self-employed.
There are lots of jobs in industries that have been listed as essential services by the federal and provincial governments to which you can apply.
You can look them up in this link: https://www.ontario.ca/page/list-essential-workplaces and https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/crtcl-nfrstrctr/esf-sfe-en.aspx.
These companies have largely retained or are hiring additional staff. Financial Institutions, for example, have enabled most of their staff to work from home.
Becoming self-employed is also a great option. There are many companies that are looking for freelance professionals that they pay well to work on short-term contracts. You can sign up on different websites in line with your natural talents and abilities. e.g. Fiverr. Some recruiters, freelancers, or Human Resources staff and companies in North America use “Layoff Tracker” app to locate and hire skilled workers who have been laid off due to COVID-19.
Another great option is to create a start-up that is entirely based on an online presence. Today, the impact of COVID-19 on businesses has forced many companies to move their products and service offerings online to adapt to the lockdown-driven drop in customer traffic and business revenue.
As a result, demand for online video conferencing and collaborative tools is surging and so companies like Zoom, Cisco WebEx, Slack, and Microsoft Teams are making a killing right now. These companies, in turn, will also be hiring more staff to meet the demand. Therein lies another job opportunity. In every situation, and in keeping with the duality of life, when one door closes, another door opens. Many blue-chip stocks are taking quite a beating while some others are benefiting from the volatility in the stock market right now. The companies doing well this period may have been lucky to be in the industries in demand right now, such as healthcare, or have found a quick way to pivot their brick-and-mortar business model to an online platform.
You just have to be open to the opportunities that lie behind that new door opening. You may find that you need some training in this new field of choice. Explore the training opportunities out there and find the courage to make your move. Online training is available to help you actualize these goals. Use it to your advantage now.
Above all, keep the faith. Never lose hope and keep pushing till you get to your dreams.
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Ernest Onuorah is currently the Assistant Vice President, Operational Risk at Home Trust Company, one of the leading financial services institutions in Canada that provides mortgage lending and other financial solutions.
He has 24 years’ financial services experience with 14 years from TD Canada Trust, Royal Bank of Canada, and Bank of Montreal and 10 years from Nigeria with Access Bank, Pricewaterhousecoopers, and other companies.
He has been a speaker at Global Risk Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) Toronto chapter events and actively participates in other local and international risk management conferences.
A continuous learner, he has earned the Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control™ (CRISC); Financial Risk Manager (FRM); and Canadian Risk Management (CRM) designations in addition to an MBA.
He also delivers professional training courses and career coaching clinics. Please send your enquiries and comments to him at info@asteliacorp.com
