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Pandemic Insights

“What did you do during your summer vacation” has been replaced by “How are you managing during the pandemic?” It’s hard to believe summer is about over. It flew by for me being busier than ever with so many people re-evaluating their jobs and seeking greater happiness: pandemic perspective-taking.

The photo featured is the “coffee shop” wall I created in one of my rooms where I could write my book since the coffee shop where I did most of my writing was closed.  What did you create? What did you learn? What do you want to do differently in your life due to the pandemic?  I invite you to take time to reflect.

Job seekers will need to answer the new interview questions: “How did you spend your time during the pandemic?” and “What did you learn during the pandemic.” I’d like to share some strategies on that as well as a couple links to remote working and “the great resignation”, two topics I was interviewed about by KDKA radio during the summer.

Remote Working: The work landscape has changed forever. Interestingly workers have different needs.  In the Microsoft 2021 Work Trend Index, 73% of employees want remote work options to stay, and 67% of employees want more in-person work or collaboration. Hybrid it is!

The Great Resignation: What has also been referred to as the Turnover Tsunami is underway. Early research was done by Prudential Financial which found that 26% of workers planned to start interviewing once the pandemic subsided, higher for Gen X’ers at 34%.Of the job changers, 72% said the pandemic caused them to rethink their skill sets. A later Microsoft survey found that 41% of workers globally were planning to quit their job. CLICK HERE for a nice summary of trends.

The New Interview Questions: Even though employers may be more forgiving of long-term unemployment during the pandemic, others will wonder if you just decided to enjoy the summer due to added government benefits.  It’s not too late to take some action to have an answer to the question, “What did you do during the pandemic?”  In addition to mentioning specific health concerns or caretaking responsibilities, it is legitimate to say: “I decided to take some time to re-evaluate my career choice including career counseling/career research/networking/volunteering, and it helped me to clarify my goal of ______________  which is why I’m so pleased to be interviewing with you today.”  Better yet, “During the pandemic, I decided to use some time to build my skills, including taking on-line courses in ____ and ____. Doing so confirmed my career interest in _____ and I know these new skills will be an asset to your company. 

For free on-line courses, CLICK HERE.

There is still time to do something that you can use for this interview answer!  Plus now is still a good time for career counseling to re-evaluate and gain greater happiness.

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Green Jobs: Hot Jobs for a Cooler Climate

LinkedIn Analysis of Green Job Posting in 2020Growth
  
Traditional green jobs 
Energy Analyst88%
Transportation Engineer47%
Facilities Operations Manager31%
Geologist19%
Health Safety Environmental Supervisor10%
  
Nontraditional green jobs 
Customer Service Representative71%
Sales Representative62%
Warehouse Specialist45%
Compliance Manager31%
Quality Inspector16%
Chart data source: George Anders Workforce Insights Newsletter

The pandemic has caused many to reflect on what is important in life, including work choices.  Perhaps you or someone you know is wondering about how to make a difference in the world.  Green jobs are one path. We’re not talking just science geeks anymore, though Energy Analyst job postings increased a whopping 88% in 2020. Sales Specialists in green industries also had a huge increase, by 62% last year. In recognition of Earth Day month, I’m featuring recent LinkedIn data on green jobs and green skills.  The data is simply a snapshot of what is going on, not outlook predictions.  For this, naturally the US Department of Labor is the go-to source, but it features only traditional green jobs, such as Solar Voltaric Installers growing by 50.5% in the 2019-2029 period.

LinkedIn conducted an analysis of thousands of postings in 2020 related to green-economy skills.   The jobs were classified as either traditional green jobs or non-traditional green jobs. The results showed that there were 2.6 non-traditional green job postings for every traditional green job.

A March 2021 article in GreenBiz featured LinkedIn’s chief Economist, Karin Kimbrough. She shared, “We identified about 800 ‘core’ green skills and more than 300 green-related skills across 12 categories.”  The fastest growing green skills are in ecosystem management, environmental policy and sustainable procurement.

Some examples cited of trends in skills growth among less traditional “green” areas include:

  • In environmental finance, sustainable investment is increasingly being reported by investment analysts and portfolio managers.
  • In pollution prevention, knowledge of sustainable fashion is increasingly popular among designers, stylists, and sales staff.

Keep in mind that an increase in self-reporting of green skills may indicate candidate interest as much as job requirements or growth. The most trusted source for job outlook is the U.S. Department of Labor; however, the focus of green job reporting is on traditional science-related jobs.

In the April 21, 2021 Department of Labor blogpost, Green Jobs with the Most Projected Openings, 2019-2029, here are the nine highlighted jobs, four with faster than average growth:

  • Environmental scientists and specialists
  • Chemists
  • Hazardous materials removal workers
  • Environmental science and protection technicians
  • Environmental Engineers
  • Geoscientists
  • Biochemists and biophysicists
  • Solar photovoltaic installers
  • Conservation Scientists

Click here to link to the article which contains salary and outlook information as well as links to career descriptions.

Click here for a link I like that includes a few sustainability careers without technical requirements, including:

  • Ecotourism Guide
  • Environmental Public Relations Specialist
  • Zoning Technician

There are green job opportunities at all education and income levels. Remember that besides outlook, grounded career decision-making also includes looking at interests, skills, values and personality traits.  Career counseling can help a person explore and sort through the wide range of options to make a difference in the greening world!

Photo by permission of Pexels by Arthur Ogleznev – 1296265

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Job Market: Linked In Analysis

LinkedIn published a special Jobs on the Rise report in January 2021 analyzing job listings between April and October 2020 since the economy has changed so much due to the pandemic. LinkedIn tracked the growth in listings for over 15,000 job titles to identify the ones that increased the most in 2020 compared with 2019. The titles were then grouped into 15 major career areas.

  • Fulfillment/E-Commerce
  • Loans & Mortgages
  • Healthcare Support
  • Business Development/Sales
  • Workplace Diversity
  • Digital Marketing
  • Nursing
  • Education
  • Digital Content
  • Personal and Professional Coaching
  • Software
  • Mental Health
  • User Experience
  • Data Science
  • Artificial Intelligence

The data includes related job titles, outlook, earnings and likelihood of remote options.

CLICK HERE for summary article.

Click here for full report.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia