COVID Career Reset

You can’t believe it’s come to this. You’ve done the “right” thing your entire life.

When you graduated, you landed a job with a reputable company. Once there, you worked hard. Your manager often said, “Keep working this hard and you’ll go far in this company. You’re my most valued employee.”

Then COVID hit. The same manager who complimented you sent you a one-sentence email furloughing you. He didn’t answer your emails asking questions.

Three weeks later, he lost his job as well.  

Now, your employer wants you back.

You don’t want to return. Not to that employer.

Not to that job.

You’ve spent months realizing how much you didn’t like your job. You’ve had time to realize you worked hard at your former job because that was what you did, you strived to succeed.

But you’ve seen friends die from a disease that came out of nowhere.

For you and others, COVID has changed the rules of game.

Hard-working employees discovered how expendable their employers considered them. Employers realized they could do more with fewer employees and improved technology.

Some career fields vanished.

Unemployment lost its stigma.

What you do needs to matter.

What now?

You’re navigating uncharted waters. If you want to stop drifting, to have your feet to touch ground again, you’ll need to establish new priorities, this time based on what you want for your life.

1. What do you value?
2. Since you’ll need money, where and when and how do you do your best work?
3. What does your dream workday look like?
4. What do you want to achieve in your career?
5. What inspires you?
6. What steps do you need to take to land that job?

Now, look for an employer; one with which your goals align.