Beata Staszkow — May 4, 2020 Although the Covid-19 lockdown is affecting everything in different ways, it is conversely creating opportunities, especially at the senior executive level. Most employees across the world have been told to stay home. Some are working remotely, but others are not.
The economic damage caused by the decision to keep everyone home should not be underestimated. In Britain, around ten per cent of businesses have already gone under, leaving people out of work. This is probably echoed across the world.
Some companies have been forced to lay off staff and many more will follow before life can return to how it once was. And here lies the rub. Financial crashes and pandemics hit the working poor harder than the executive suite. Here, the executive suite, the leadership, is never downsized but replaced. Moreover, some industries are thriving during this time and have never been busier, seeing business growth.
Covid-19 winners include food manufacturers, sanitising chemical companies, paper manufacturers, video streaming services, virtual conferencing, consumer packaged goods, and home delivery companies. There are others, too. As such, companies who are doing well at the moment are expanding their operations, including the executive suite. This could be your opportunity to find a new role. So, as an executive job hunter, you too can be a Covid-19 ‘winner’ by using lockdown to job search.
Executive Job Search Tips
The following tips should help you find a new role.
Target Thriving Companies
To get the executive job search ball rolling, it is a good idea to make a list of companies that are thriving during this time. You can use LinkedIn to search for companies that are in high-performance industries. By refining searches further, you can discover the person within that company who makes hiring decisions.
Update your CV
Ensure your CV is up to date. You may want to check out our CV for the executive post. Pay particular attention to your achievement section as this will sell you to a new employer. Your CV should be tailored to each position applied for, so it speaks the language of your potential new employers. While you’re updating your CV update your LinkedIn profile, too.
Personal Branding
Now is a great time to bring your personal branding up to speed. Creating content about how you’re working from home can prove useful to others. Moreover, it puts you in a good light with future bosses as it shows you can articulate your current circumstances well.
Personal branding content doesn’t have to be about the lockdown. You may want to talk about your company performance and what steps your company is taking to negotiate the new Covid-19 landscape. Don’t worry if your company is not a ‘winner’. Executives learn from all executive experiences, not just the good ones.
Interviews
Interviews will be conducted remotely during this time. Using video conferencing, you may find yourself being assessed by several people through a lens rather than over a desk. Preparation is essential here, so remove distractions, ensure your internet connection and camera is good, and practice looking into the lens rather than at the people you see on the screen. This is the equivalent of making eye contact and, therefore, you make a stronger impression. Dress smartly and test the technology to ensure it works before the interview day.
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