The Covid Career Pivot

“It was during the lockdowns in NYC that I suddenly found myself with more time than ever before, and I found myself walking, alone, in the park, in a moment of quiet.”

I listened as a candidate relayed her story to me as to why she is pivoting from a high-flying marketing career to work for a church. She is young and capable—someone who I would present to a company as ‘upwardly mobile’—but has recently reconsidered her career trajectory. After Covid disrupted the pace and routines of New York City, she found herself with mental room to breathe and think. She continued, “I realized that life is short and that I have been in my industry for a long time without even wondering if it matters to me. I want to work for a mission that I’m passionate about.”

It’s nothing new to state that the 2020 pandemic and lockdowns dramatically changed the employment landscape around the world. Major news outlets reported the millions of joblessness claims and unemployment collections. But with the disruption in the day to day came a window of time where all of us were able to take stock of what is really important and of how we are spending our time. As a recruiter I have recently heard more and more job-seekers with a newfound conviction of what matters to them, of what they’re passionate about, and of the desire to let their day-to-day work harmonize with these things.

Our passions are usually in line with our strengths. A 2016 Gallup study shows that employers who hire and mentor with a strengths-based approach see up to a 16% lower turnover rate in low-turnover organizations, and up to a 72% lower turnover rate in high-turnover organizations.[1] Employers today face a unique opportunity when hiring. The modern job-seekers are not only bringing their skills and experience; they are very possibly bringing a renewed sense of direction from a time of pause and reflection unparalleled in recent history.

There will always be those who are merely looking for work without a preference for industry or role. Individuals in the thick of a career pivot often experience some listlessness, not knowing what they want to do, and it’s not hard for an employer to pick up on this. However, it’s also not hard to notice a job-seeker who knows what he or she is looking for. In the aftermath of Covid lockdowns, it just might be that more job-seekers are coming to the interview with a newly-discovered clarity. Greater clarity will lead individuals to be personally aligned with the functions of a role and the ethos of a company. Greater clarity means greater opportunities for strengths-based hiring. This leads to greater retention and, ultimately, to stronger companies. Employers only need to see the opportunity and seize it.

—Will Panagakos, Talent Engagement Manager at Mission Advantage Recruiting

[1] https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236297/strengths-based-employee-development-business-results.aspx