Quitting job during pandemic can turn recruiters off
Dear J.T. & Dale: I quit my job in the middle of last year after a couple of co-workers got COVID-19, and I was afraid of getting sick. Now I have to find a job, but I’m not getting any responses. The one interview I did get, they asked me why I left my last job and I told him I quit due to COVID-19 and they never called me again. Advice? — Kari
J.T.: I know this won’t be something you want to hear, but a lot of employers will discriminate against people who took time off during the pandemic. Lots of people had to work through it and those people will judge the individuals who chose not to. I realize that doesn’t sound fair, but life isn’t fair.
DALE: However, you mustn’t fixate on that or else you’ll get defensive, if not despondent. The reality is, with the unemployment rate running high, portions of the job market are swamped with applicants. Add to that the fact that many employers don’t want to hire someone who’s unemployed, for whatever reason, and your odds are long.
J.T.: Talk about getting defensive and despondent.
DALE: I just want to make clear to her that sitting back and responding to job postings is unlikely to result in success. This is another case where you’re going to have to come in through a different digital door. I’d suggest contacting friends, relatives, and old colleagues or classmates in search of job leads.
J.T.: Then, when you get to job interviews, you need to focus on how much you missed working, and how you will make sure that whoever hires you will be thoroughly impressed with your skills because you will do everything in your power to exceed their expectations. In short, you need to show a lot of enthusiasm for getting hired now. As well as a lot of humility. By taking some accountability for your choice, it will be easier for interviewers to focus on your skills and less on your decision. Again, I know it doesn’t sound fair, but these are just some of the realities we will face as the economy tries to fix itself going forward.
Dear J.T. & Dale: I have been building up a following on TikTok. I’m an artist, and I use materials that I purchased from the store where I work to create them. I’ve been giving a lot of references to my employer in these videos hoping that one day they would want to pay me to promote them on my channel. But then I saw the story of the guy that worked at Sherwin-Williams and how he ended up getting fired. I don’t want to stop my channel, but I don’t want to get fired. Suggestions? — Eric
DALE: For those not aware of the story, a student at Ohio University, Tony Piloseno,
got a part-time job at a local Sherwin-Williams paint store. He used some of his free time to film himself mixing paint for customers. Those videos caught on — his sixth one had over a million views. Being a marketing major, Tony saw potential and put together a presentation that his manager urged him to send to corporate headquarters. But HQ turned him down — they didn’t even want to see the presentation. Nevertheless, Tony kept doing his videos and soon had millions of views a week. When he finally heard from corporate, it was Loss Prevention, investigating whether he was stealing company product. They decided he wasn’t, but he got fired anyway.
J.T.: And when he did a TikTok video explaining what happened, he got a lot of attention. The result is he’s landed a great new job and, in my opinion, Sherwin-Williams made a huge mistake. As for your situation, Eric, I also would make sure you’re not doing your art on company time or with products that you didn’t purchase. Then, I would definitely talk to your manager. Tell them about Tony and Sherwin-Williams, and I bet they find a way to take advantage of your talents.
Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a career coach and the founder of the leading career site www.workitdaily. com. Dale Dauten is founder of The Innovators’ Lab and author of a novel about H.R., “The Weary Optimist.” Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via email, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. (c) 2021 by King Features Syndicate Inc.