Career experts say now is a good time to consider working in a new field

WASHINGTON — With businesses feeling the strain of new restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, some people are being forced to look for jobs in a different field. Career experts say now is actually a good time to do that.

Vina Dang from CareerBuilder said she understands people are getting aggravated with the situation.

“It’s no surprise that frustration is mounting with job seekers as competition for employment is really fierce right now.  And a recent survey that was conducted by CareerBuilder found that one in four job seekers thought the most challenging part about the job search during a pandemic was not being able to find jobs within their current field or industry,” she said.

Dang used the example of someone working for an airline that is maybe considering keeping their feet on the ground.

“Those workers were really affected by the layoffs during the pandemic. So finding opportunities where they can still apply their skills in higher growth industries like health care or delivery services means that in health care, you can use your skills like empathy or attention to detail and flexibility and delivery services, they’re looking for skills like time management, organization, and customer care,” she said.

Dang also said people considering a career change should embrace the changes that are taking place right now due to the pandemic.

“Really make sure that you’re emphasizing the skills that you’ve acquired in that time, or if you’ve taken the time or initiative to acquire ones through certification or online learning. I also would say takeaways are, don’t be afraid to step outside of the industries in which you’re currently working and or have worked in in the past. A good way to also break into new industries is take advantage of those seasonal or holiday hiring where employers are looking for part time holiday seasonal professionals,” she said.

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Cox Media Group