The pandemic has made life harder for many of us. With drastically shifting the economic and social conditions of life, companies also had to revise most of their business policies, which put forward an interesting question: how do you search for a job, and then interview well during this pandemic, and an economy that resembles a Disneyland rollercoaster gone very, very wrong?
Don’t worry; we got you covered! In this blog, we’ll look at the tips to guide you in your job search during these crazy times. So, without further ado, let’s start the discussion.
Questions to Expect During the Interview
Let’s first start with the list of questions you need to prepare yourself for when you give an interview during the pandemic.
1. “How Are You Managing Everything?”
The first question they will probably ask you is: “How have you been managing your life and your work during this pandemic?” By asking this question, the interviewer wants to know whether you were able to balance everything, whether you lost or job or not, and if you did, what you’ve been up to in the meantime.
Don’t panic! Tell all the great things that have happened (and of course, a struggle or two is completely OK), tell them about the skills you learned in the meantime, or just tell them how you managed the remote work. Everyone is affected by the pandemic; there’s no shame in admitting that things were difficult. The point here is to be balanced in how you talk about your answer and to make a list of the things that have gone well, in addition to things that have been difficult.
2. Have You Taught Yourself New Skills?
Employers like to know if you have added new skills to your resume. You don’t have to pretend as if you were overflowing with productivity. Just be honest!
Telling them the new hobbies you have acquired or if you have improved on anything will help them accurately understand your personality and work ethic. Tell them what you learned about yourself in the meantime, and how these new skills could help their business/team.
3. How Well Have You Adapted to Remote Work?
This is one of the most important questions which not only the employer will surely ask you, but you also need to ask yourself the same question. During the pandemic, the economy has gone haywire, and everything is uncertain, so naturally, the company might have a remote work policy in place and ask their employees to work from home until the spaces are free from COVID.
They will want to know if your work from home set up is optimal or not, such as a good Wi-Fi connection, a good PC or laptop, etc. Don’t be ashamed to tell them about any difficulty you face during working from home.
4. Are You Okay with Visiting the Office?
This is another question which you need to ask yourself as well. Whenever the situation is safe enough, the company might ask you to visit the office from time to time (depending on the type of business it is, and their current remote working strategy); in that case, you need to ask whether you are okay with taking the risk of compromising your social distancing. Be honest about your feelings so you and the employer can reach a middle ground.
Those are just some of the questions you can expect from a potential employer to ask you during this time. There are others that I teach and talk about with my clients—and I would love to go over with you. If you want to learn more, visit my Career Coaching page to book a time to chat with me! I wish you the best of luck!
