By Greg Costanzo | Director of Employer Relations, Career Design Lab, Columbia SPS
This is an anxious time for job seekers. At the moment, essential services are doing the most hiring – grocery chains, shipping and delivery companies (Amazon, Kroger, Meijer, Safeway, Instacart) and the health sciences (registered nurses, physicians assistants, medical technologists). The non-essential positions left over are small in number and highly competitive. So what to do? Let’s start with what not to do: Do not wait for the economy to pick back up. That’ll be too long of a wait and you cannot afford to not take advantage of this time. Whenever you’re not sure what to do with your time, always remember these three actions:
1) Apply – continue to apply for as many jobs as appropriate and possible
2) Network – now is a great time to reach out to people in your network; always include LinkedIn when you’re checking your favorite social media apps
3) Brand – focus on developing and promoting your personal brand.
Yes, the job market is tougher, but that just means it will take a little more time to find the opportunities you’re seeking. Consider this time as a head-start. Here are some companies, categorized by industry, that have a number of positions available across a variety of departments:
TECH
Squarespace - Headquartered in New York City, this company helps users build a beautiful online presence through pre-built website templates and is currently looking to fill roles in analytics, technology, human resources, sales, and engineering.
Asana - A computer software company based in San Francisco with offices throughout the world that helps businesses organize, track, and manage their work. They are looking to fill roles in sales and analytics.
VMware Carbon Black - They’re in the business of protecting companies from cyberattacks and feature many jobs in marketing, sales, and engineering.
FINANCIAL SERVICES/ BANKING
Wells Fargo - This multinational financial services company has been around since 1852 has about 3,000 openings on LinkedIn—jobs in IT, human resources, and operational risk.
Deutsche Bank - A global bank whose network spans 58 countries with several openings currently in technology, analytics, compliance, risk management, and cybersecurity.
Charles Schwab - You’ll find almost 400 jobs available—some in compliance, auditing, marketing, and analytics—at the 14th largest banking institution in the United States.
HEALTH CARE
Healthfirst - New York’s largest not-for-profit health insurer is posting jobs in auditing, actuarial services, analytics, and marketing.
UnitedHealth Group - Want to make the health system work better? So does UnitedHealth Group. The largest healthcare company in the world by revenue has more than 2,200 openings on LinkedIn; there are a small number of student internships and roles for recent graduates, but plenty of professional roles in sales and marketing, technology, and corporate services.
PHARMA
GSK - A British science-led global healthcare company with available positions ranging from marketing to analytics to sales; the company operates all the around world and has more than 2,600 job postings on LinkedIn).
INSURANCE
Argo Group - A Bermuda-based specialty insurance and reinsurance provider has about 150 jobs on LinkedIn, many in analytics.
These companies I listed and their currently available roles are not everything to everyone. However, every job seeker can work on strengthening their brand as they search for companies with the right opportunities. My Career Design Lab colleague, Nicole Arndt, outlines very helpful tips and strategies on navigating the job market in the time of COVID-19 in this article.
Some smart tactics Nicole suggests include taking advantage of the generosity of e-learning companies and tech giants that are offering free courses and certificates during this pandemic; consider Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, Google and IBM. And because so much of currently-available work is remote, Nicole suggests freelance platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, and Parker Dewey that consolidate opportunities for gig workers.
We’d all like to know exactly when normalcy will return and the next opportunity will present itself. But until that happens, we have to combat this crisis with resilience and persistence. We will emerge from this global pandemic and you will find your next career opportunity. Start with a daily commitment to keep one foot in front of the other with a focus on aligning your values and interests with the world of work. And remember, when in doubt, Apply, Network, and Brand.
