Finding work during a global pandemic: how workers are succeeding in the job market during COVID-19

By Cydney Heed
Staff Writer

Workers in Washtenaw County are learning to navigate the pandemic job market despite months of uncertainty.

Students and community members are adapting to new virtual resources as they enter the workforce or embark on a new career at an unprecedented time in history.

“The world has not stopped…There are opportunities available and we want to make sure that students have that knowledge that they can take advantage of this,” said Amanda Deacon, a career advisor at Washtenaw Community College.

Dayna Logerquist, a Washtenaw County resident and cashier at Fresh Forage in Ann Arbor, recently went through the process of finding a job during COVID-19.

“I needed something right away for my bills. I am not sure if you would call that settling as much as it was a necessity for that moment,” Logerquist said.

Logerquist said that she feels secure in her new job and doesn’t worry about getting laid off or having her hours cut due to lack of business.

“I do not worry about losing my job due to how little staffed it is at the moment. They need solid people to be able to work.”

Here at WCC, Career Transitions remains open virtually to help students adapt to new ways of networking and applying for jobs.

Dave Wildfong, career advisor and professional services faculty said, “I think it’s a common misconception that we’re closed or something like that, and that’s not the case.”

Career Transitions is planning virtual events such as a career fair on Nov. 10 and various workshops. They have also introduced virtual drop-in hours.

“We’ll be hosting a career fair on Nov. 10. It will be on a virtual platform and also in cooperation with the Hire MI Vet organization. So it’s not just for veterans and their families, but all students, alumni, and community members,” said Barb Hauswirth, experiential learning coordinator.

Cheryl Harvey, the director of career transitions, added, “We have instituted virtual drop-in hours, s two hours a day. We have an advisor available on Zoom where they can answer questions. We are starting to hold workshops twice a week that concentrate on career-related topics, such as job search, creating a winning resume, creating a LinkedIn profile… We are instituting a weekly newsletter that will be sent to students electronically. We’re calling it Hot Jobs and Cool Events.”

Before the COVID-19 Pandemic, much of a job search involved face-to-face networking and interviews, but now those things are mostly virtual. Career Transitions is attempting to help students navigate the changes.

“We are here to help you navigate the technology. How do you dress for a virtual interview? What should your lighting be? How long should you be talking and answering questions? How do you network now that we’re not going to networking events?” Harvey said.

Hauswirth noted that many of the skills that students are gaining while working in a virtual environment may help them in the future.

“I think that a lot of employers have tried to provide more work-at-home solutions, and I think that’s one of the advantages of this whole pandemic, is that students are now learning a new way to work from home, and that’s a new skill set,” Hauswirth said.

Harvey, Deacon, Hauswirth, and Wildfong all emphasized that there are still jobs and opportunities available for students.

“I can tell you that the Michigan Works office, who surveys the county for jobs, they had over 2200 jobs posted right now of companies and positions that are hiring. In addition, we have a free job portal called Career Connect that our employers and students can look for positions, and on that platform, we have 400 jobs approximately,” Hauswirth said.

Still, the pandemic has caused a lot of uncertainty, particularly in regards to the economy.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Michigan’s unemployment rate was 8.7% as of July. In comparison, February’s unemployment rate was 3.6%.

“We’re seeing that, I think, across the board, reduction in hours. …retail, restaurants, hospitality, culinary, those kinds of positions were really impacted heavily because everything was shut down,” Wildfong said.

Some WCC students have delayed finding new jobs or starting new careers due to uncertainty from the pandemic. A few others have considered changing their majors.

“We have a lot of students who are supporting families because we’re the community college. So it’s not just about them looking to survive themselves, they’re looking to support spouses and children also while they go to school. So you’ll find a lot of them who are sticking where they are,” said Harvey.

The advisors also noted that both the economy and the job market are likely to change in response to the pandemic.

“It is tough right now because the situation still remains so fluid, there’s no easy answer. We can’t say what it’s going to look like in six months of a year or even five years, because this is going to have long-lasting impacts on every sector out there. And some of the impacts we won’t see for a while,” Wildfong said.

Hauswirth emphasized that Career Transitions is available to help students at any point in their academic career.

“I would encourage students who might be reading this to really seek out our resources as soon as possible. I think the big misnomer is that Career Transitions is there for you as you’re stepping out from WCC into the career field. And I’d really like to break down that myth with students in general,” Hauswirth said.

Students can register for Career Connect at wccnet.edu/business/recruit.

The Michigan Works! job database can be accessed here.

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