Career

Getting a Job During a Pandemic

Graduating during a pandemic is beyond our control, but our attitude towards it is within our control.

Finding a job during a pandemic, especially for fresh graduates, is a catch-22 for most people. The unvarnished truth is that most companies prefer to hire people with experience. The question is: how can a fresh graduate get any work experience if no one is willing to give him/her an opportunity?

The mere experience a fresh graduate has is his/her mini projects or a few short internships. These are patently unparalleled with other job seekers who have at least 2–3 years of industrial experience under their belt.

I will be sharing about Pengacaramu recent recruitment drive and what I thought have helped me in securing two job offers recently.

1. The “Right Talent”

About two months ago, we launched our first Pengacaramu recruitment drive. We aimed to hire two full-time marketing interns to help raise the awareness of our MVP (Minimum Viable Product).

Little did we know that a whopping 100+ people applied for the role. The applicants range from people with a solid marketing background to people who studied aviation management and emcees.

However, we were only looking to hire 2 people. Hence, we had no other choice but to reject the rest of the applicants. I decided to send a rejection email to every unsuccessful candidate.

It was because I was previously ghosted by my recruiter after my second last interview. I do not want those who applied for this role to go through what I personally experienced. I firmly believe that everyone deserves to be respected — be it the recruiter or the job hunter.

I have come to learn that the recruitment process would never be perfect. It is somehow affected by this thing called luck. So, what can we do to maximise our chance of succeeding?

• Research about the company you applied to

I cannot stress enough of this as I was once caught off guard when my recruiter asked whether I knew what the company does.

Most companies - including small startups - these days have their own website or even their own blogs. Thus, please do check the company website before going for the interview!

• Have a decent domain knowledge

You do not have to be a domain expert of the role that you applied for. You might even get the job even if you have no experience in that business domain.

Yet, you would be able to earn some brownie points if you go the extra mile. If it is possible, you could try out the company product/service.

• Try to include measurable results

Some candidates who applied for the role have an impressive mélange of achievements. Unfortunately, some of them failed to explain the outcomes of their contributions.

Do consider using the STAR [Situation, Task, Activity, Result] method to beef up your resume!

2. Accentuate Your Uniqueness

Dr Howard Gardner is the proponent of the nine distinct intellectual modalities. He argued that intelligence is an intricate matter. We can not generalise intelligence into mere mathematical or linguistic proficiency.

IQ test itself would not be able to catch the differences in cognitive ability that each one of us has.

Hence, how can we make use of these unique qualities to our advantage?

• Utilise your “unfair advantage”

Believe it or not, each one of us is endowed with unique skills and intellectual modalities that other people might not have. While you are waiting for your dream company to notice your application, do not stop upgrading yourself!

If you happen to have programming skills, you could try to find freelance web design works online. Or even better, try to come up with an app that addresses the pain points you have!

If you are adept in writing, you could start writing your own blog to build your portfolio and online presence. Although delayed gratification does not seem appealing at first, your patience and tenacity will definitely pay off one day!

• Adopt the growth mindset

As we grow older, we might start to feel that our learning abilities have started to plateau. This is especially true for our parents’ generation. They often tell us that they are old already; they can not learn new things.

Scientific studies have found out that this is not entirely true. While some cognitive abilities might degrade as we age, others actually improved. As long as we hold firm on the growth mindset, there is nothing that we can not learn.

As some of you might have known, the late Prime Minister of Singapore — Mr Lee Kuan Yew — only started learning Mandarin earnestly when he was 32 years old!

• Tap on your connections

Our parents might think that getting an internal referral is a golden ticket in securing a job. However, things have changed. A referral no longer grants you a job; it merely increases the chance of getting the recruiter to view your application.

If you feel like you have not started building your professional network yet, fret not! You could make the first move by attending online talks, events, and hackathons held by the companies that you want to join.

Take this opportunity to understand more about the company and its culture. At the end of the day, the entire interview process is bidirectional. It is a chance for the recruiter to assess the candidates and vice versa. Moreover, you could use it to improve your interpersonal skills.

Lastly, if you have not built a LinkedIn profile, go and make one. If you already have one, update your LinkedIn profile with your latest experience and projects.

You will need your LinkedIn to connect with the recruiters or the employees of that company. You will never know if the recruiters would reach out to you after looking at your LinkedIn profile!

“The best men are not those who have waited for chances but who have taken them; besieged chance, conquered the chance, and made chance the servitor.” — E.H Chapin

3. The Art of Acquiescence

It does not matter whether it is the worst time to be alive or the best, whether we just got a job or got retrenched, or how invincible our problems seem to be. The only thing that matters is that right now is right now.

Certain things are within our control, but certain things are beyond our control. There is certainly no point bellyaching or ruminating on the things that we can not control. We should view these obstacles through a growth mindset instead; take it as an opportunity for us to learn and grow.

I explained how I got a job and got my work visa rejected last year in my previous article. I subsequently went back to my home country and started working on a startup idea with my friend. Fast forward a few more months, I finally got 2 job offers from two fintech companies during the pandemic.

“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” — Marcus Aurelius

• Learn to be inured to rejections

I can not deny that being unemployed — or rejected by your dream companies — for an extended time is worrisome. I have personally been through that. However, we need to reassure ourselves that we can go through this hold-up with our indefatigable zeal. As an olden Persian adage said, “This too shall pass.”

When we have put in our best efforts, we can assure ourselves that we are one step closer. When rejections come again, we just have to stay unflappable and double up our efforts! C’est la vie!

• Have the gumption to decline a job offer

My advice for those who are currently seeking a job is: do not rush into accepting any job offer, especially if it is your first job. Your first job would determine your career trajectory. It will help you to meet your long-term goal if you choose it wisely.

We have the propensity to make unwise and stupid decisions when we are terrified or under time pressure. We would not stop thinking about the worst thing that might happen to us.

Look for a job that you would love instead! Find a company culture that suits you! Look out for a role that gives you a better career progression. Take your time to decide, but do not let the recruiter wait too long.

In Conclusion

There is certainly no way to predict what would happen in the future. Our ancestors might not expect a pandemic as deadly as the Spanish Flu would hit them a century ago. The VCs and investors back then might not know that the Dotcom Bubble Burst was going to happen.

We will never know what would happen in the future. What we can do is to start investing in ourselves today, so that we would not be caught unprepared when problems come. When problems come, we would need to remain composed and take it as a learning opportunity.

If you find this article helpful, please do consider hitting the clap button and following my Medium account for more articles in the future.

Thanks for reading and all the best for your job hunt!