Roughly 30 million Americans continue to fear for their
livelihood as Congress has yet to find a compromise on extending the weekly
supplement to regular unemployment benefits that expired at the end of July. As
part of the CARES Act, the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program
(FPUC), which provided an additional $600 per week to individuals collecting
regular jobless benefits, has proven highly effective in keeping affected
households afloat during the past few months, and it is widely feared that
millions of laid-off workers will no longer be able to pay their bills or serve
their debt without the weekly supplement.
According to data published by the U.S. Department of Labour
on Thursday, more than 30 million Americans received unemployment benefits in
the week ended July 18, 16.7 million through regular state programs and another
13 million through the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which
is available to individuals who are self-employed or who otherwise would not
qualify for regular unemployment compensation. As the majority of those 30+
million previously qualified for the weekly $600 bonus, economists are warning
that consumer spending could fall off a cliff in case Congress fails to agree
on an adequate follow-up aid package.
During a passionate debate in the Resumeble workshop, career development expert Ava Williams presented information proving that now, both during and post COVID 19 is the best time to find a job. Companies are actually crying out for workers, meanwhile people are simply not trying to get a job because they think it is a fool’s errand. Getting a job right now is not only easier than you think, it is also a smart move.
Use Your Free Time Effectively
To use your time effectively and earn some extra
cash while you search for a full-time job/career move, you could sign up to
different agencies who are screaming for people to work in warehouses, stores,
and on farms. If you show the company that you are willing to go into work when
there is a crisis then they might end up giving you a full-time job once the
Covid-19 pandemic is under control.
You could also use this time to finally clean out
the attic/ garage, for one you will be able to make more space, and two you
will be able to search for anything that you don’t have any use for, and sell
it on Facebook or on eBay.
However, you might also use this time on
self-improvement or increasing your job skills. You can consider taking an
online course that relates to your job or in an area that will enhance your
resume. With the limitations posed by lockdowns and social distancing, many
more opportunities have become available online.
Update Your Resume
By updating your resume, you will be able to inform
recruiters or companies what you did during the Covid pandemic, and what
skills, and strengths you have gained during the time of the outbreak.
If you get stuck, and you don’t know how it is supposed to look or how many
pages you should have when creating a resume, you could contact a resume
writing service, recruitment agency, or a job center and they will gladly help
you get started.
Look at what other people have written in their
resume and see if you can steal a few points. Many times, people forget to put
things in their resume because their experience didn’t occur to them as
something of note. They may have forgotten their experience with kids, or
animals, or cooking, or even their experience with heavy machinery. Some people
even forget to mention that they have a driving license, or a completely clean
criminal record.
Prepare For an Online Interview
Practice your tone of voice, your diction, and your
pronunciation. Record yourself and see how you look and sound. If you do not
like the sound of your voice on camera, then learn to talk more slowly, and you
will discover that you sound far better.
Practice your replies to the sort of questions the
online interviewer is going to ask you. Think up your replies to these
questions and rehearse them. This will enable you to answer the questions
quickly and easily, and it will seem like you are very confident (whereas you
are actually very well prepared).
Conclusion – What To Do Next
Now is the time for action. Do not waste the time
that the lockdown and Covid-19 has presented, especially since we cannot be
sure if there will be another global resurgence of this disease. Instead, take
action by using your free time effectively, by updating your resume, and by
working on your interview skills.
