Career Counselor Explains How to Find Work During the Pandemic

Exact unemployment figures may be hard to come by but there’s no question a lot of people are out of work because of COVID-19. Rachelle Cohn-Schneider has been a career counselor with JVS SoCal since 1999 and told the Journal, “We have a reputation for being the place to go in the Jewish community when you are needing this type of help. We don’t turn anyone away. We are nonsectarian and nondenominational.” The Journal spoke to Cohn-Schneider about where to begin, resumé do’s and don’ts and the importance of gratitude.

Jewish Journal: Where would you recommend people start? It can be overwhelming.

Rachelle Cohen-Schneider: The unemployment whole entanglement issue is sometimes the first place to start. You know, are you qualified for unemployment? It’s almost like Maslow’s hierarchy [of needs] of food and shelter, making sure that’s in check. There’s the whole mental health support besides financial support. Getting that foundation is really important before you can face an interview or applying or thinking about your resumé.

JJ: Are there particular websites you like?

RCS: There’s not a magic bullet. Indeed, LinkedIn and ZipRecruiter are the big job search places. But then I talk a lot about how to use LinkedIn and creating a LinkedIn profile and preparing yourself to do phone or video interviews. You know, readying yourself before you even start looking.

JJ: What does “readying yourself” mean?

RCS: A skill assessment or inventory about, do your skills fit other industries? Updating your resumé and/or LinkedIn profile if you haven’t done that recently. I use LinkedIn as a research tool both to find people that you can connect with, to look at people’s backgrounds, to find out who works for certain companies, to see if you know anybody, to network, to reach out to people. A lot you can do through LinkedIn that’s not looking for a job, but building a foundation. I think people immediately get on Indeed or Idealist — which is known for nonprofit jobs — or ZipRecruiter or LinkedIn jobs and just start looking madly. Part of my job is to clarify what it is you do, what it is you do well, what it is you have a reputation for, before shooting arrows out there blindly.

JJ: Should you tell everyone you know that you are job hunting or be more strategic?

RCS: I think it is good to tell everyone you know. But it’s not just, “Hey I’m out of work.” People make the mistake of putting the responsibility on others. That’s where that foundation of really thinking about what you do, what you do well, is critical, because then you are saying to a friend, “This is what I do well. I am wondering if you know anyone who might find that useful.” 

Even if you sent out some targeted emails or made some phone calls, it’s not, “Did you know I was laid off?” You have to spin it somehow. On the phone and video, you have to put on, not a show, but show likability and [positivity] and graciousness. That’s true under all circumstances but it’s harder now to be able to express what you are grateful for.

I’m telling people to give themselves a little bit of a break each day and to move completely away from even thinking about the job search, and what they can do to practice their own mental health or meditation or self-help. That’s even more important now.

JJ: If it’s been a long time since you have updated your resumé, what do you need to know?

RCS: There are a lot of templates out there and a lot of help with writing resumés. But I think keeping it simple. The old chronological format is the best. That’s what most employers are most familiar with. But tailoring your resumé to meet the needs of the employer, and cover letter, are so important. I teach a lot around having some highlights on your resumé at the top. You spoon feed to an employer, here’s what I can do for you — having some bullet points that kind of pull yourself together.

JJ: What do you call that section?

RCS: “Summary” or “Highlights of Qualification.” And I remove an objective from a resumé because most people’s objective is so general and not about what you can do for an employer but what an employer can do for you.

JJ: What if your industry has been decimated and you’re looking to switch gears. How upfront should you be about this?

RCS: I do think that I would mention it now in a cover letter. We are in a different time when there’s, I think, more flexibility and understanding of that. So I would say something to the effect of, “With the recent changes in the economy and with the pandemic, the career that I had worked hard toward is no longer available and I find myself in a place of needing to take my skills into a new industry and I’m extremely hard working and I have a reputation, and I’m grateful” — I love using the word “grateful” — “I’m grateful for the years that I’ve had at XYZ.”

I don’t want to give the impression I am [Pollyanna-ish]. There’s a whole, like, the stages of death and dying, that people go through during this unemployment crisis, of losing jobs that they have built their whole careers around.

JJ: Why is that positive spin as well as expressing gratitude important?

RCS: You’ve got to be able to prove to an employer two things: that you can do the work they are in need of filling and that you can be somebody, at least in an interview, that you walk away from thinking, “I gave this my very best shot. I did the best that I could. I feel I was likable. I was positive.” That’s all that you really can do. The rest really is out of your control.