How to reduce the impact of the Coronavirus crisis on your career
“When the world around you is changing and new and different opportunities present themselves, you want to be prepared to make the most of those opportunities.” Lucy Sanderson-Gammon, Career Coach
In New Zealand, where we’ve been in lockdown less than a week [at the time of writing] in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, I’ve been talking with clients online. As the shock announcement of a four-week lockdown set in, some have been conflicted about how to respond.
One client said it felt almost self-indulgent to continue thinking about her career at a time like this because it seemed like such a first world problem. On the other hand, she said it felt like the perfect time to reflect on what she really wanted to spend her working life doing once we come out the other side of this. After all, there’s plenty of time for thinking and reflection whilst living in a self-isolation bubble for weeks.
It’s something a lot of clients have been pondering, so here are my thoughts on responding to the current environment, as it relates to careers and future job prospects.
Firstly, any mental health therapist will tell you that, at times like this, self-care is paramount, and it’s vitally important that you focus on what is in your control. We can’t control the wider impacts of this pandemic and we don’t know exactly what the future will look like. What we can control, however, is how we respond and what we do here and now.
There are a few things you can do that will help you cope in the pandemic lockdown that will also help you in your work when things return to normal (whatever that new normal will be):
Develop skills to manage your mental health and wellbeing
Get to know what good looks like for you when it comes to work
Explore your interests and expand your skillset
Develop skills to manage your mental health and wellbeing
Most people who come to see me for career coaching have experienced workplace stress, some for extended periods of time, and it’s taken a toll on their mental health and wellbeing. Workplace stress is unfortunately extremely common, caused by anything from demanding and unreasonable workloads, dysfunctional work environments and incompetent managers, to simply being too long in the wrong job.
The point is, most of us will experience workplace stress at some stage, so any skills you can develop during this period to manage your mental health and wellbeing will serve you well, now and in the future.
Focus on self-care. For example, when you are operating in a stressful and changing environment, have set routines. Give yourself some structure so that some things feel stable in amongst what might otherwise feel chaotic. Maintain healthy routines and stay mentally and physically active. Keep connected to friends, family and support networks.
In terms of dealing with unhelpful thoughts and fears, clients often find mindfulness techniques useful, particularly those I’ve shared with them from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) training.
Dr Russ Harris, ACT trainer and author of The Happiness Trap, has developed a resource specifically in response to the Coronavirus crisis using the principles of ACT called ‘FACE COVID’. One of the key points he makes, as I’ve mentioned above, is to focus on what’s in your control, because “… this is the single most useful thing anyone can do in any type of crisis”.
Below are some additional resources you might find helpful.
Resources for mental health and wellbeing:
Living with worry and anxiety amidst global uncertainty – Psychology Tools (PDF)
Looking after your mental health and wellbeing – NZ Government Covid-19 website
1737 Need to Talk? – Free online counselling National Telehealth Services
Headspace: Mindfulness for your everyday life – Headspace website and app
Get to know what good looks like for you when it comes to work
With regard to worries about the impact on the employment market, nobody knows exactly how this will be affected post pandemic. One thing we do know, however, is that people – employers and employees – will have explored many innovative and flexible ways of working, so in the long term there are likely to be a lot more options available to us, regarding how and where we work.
Again, the future world of work is not something any of us can control, so focus on what you can do for you in relation to managing your own career and employability.
Time and again, clients tell me that having gone through a career coaching process to help them understand what good looks like for them in their working world, they feel more empowered and confident about making future job choices that will be a good fit. And because they are clearer about what works and what doesn’t work for them, they are better able to spot the right opportunities, and present more confidently for those roles.
So when the world around you is changing and new and different opportunities present themselves, you want to be prepared to make the most of those opportunities.
Spend this time, either through virtual career coaching sessions, or other means, getting to know what good looks like for you when it comes to your working world.
Become an expert clue finder. What clues can you pick up from your past experiences about what has worked for you and what hasn’t? What is the environment in which you will thrive, knowing what you know about your preferences?
If you got to choose, what would your ideal lifestyle be in future? What would balance look like to you in terms of home and work life, and what is sustainable from a health and wellbeing perspective? If you’re clear about this, you can be more deliberate, and ensure the work choices you make in the short term, ultimately lead to that ideal lifestyle in future.
What are your core values – how do you want to show up in the world? There’s no time like the present to think about what really matters to you as a human being, and what core values you hold that will be informing your behaviour and how you respond. You’ll want to be able to consider these when assessing new work and job opportunities to ensure a good fit. If there is a values conflict in your work, it can’t help but effect your mental health and wellbeing.
Identify your key skills and strengths. Not just a list of all the things you could do, but those skills and strengths that you want to use – that motivate and energise you. You want to be clear about these so you can look for roles that enable you to play to your strengths and most motivating skills a significant proportion of the time.
Explore your interests and expand your skill set
Make the most of this time to explore and expand your interests, even if initially just as hobbies. The more time you spend on developing your areas of interest, the more likely it is that you will be able to incorporate them into your work and what you get paid to do. Interests are not the only determinant of job satisfaction, but they’re definitely an important component.
If you have to self-isolate, and particularly if your work is such that it can’t be done remotely, there’s no time like the present to do those online courses you keep meaning to do, listen to those podcasts or read all those books that have been gathering dust on the shelf in a truly Tsundoku style! Do it now and add to your skill set.
Resources for skills development and learning:
If you think you would benefit from online career coaching, get in touch. Sessions are available via Skype, Zoom, Facetime, Whereby or whichever is your preferred online platform.
About the author: Lucy Sanderson-Gammon, MBA, is a Wellington-based career coach helping mid-career professionals who have fallen out of love with their jobs to find meaningful work. She also provides career development for those who want to get ahead at work or make a transition after redundancy.