Searching For Work In A Time of Pandemic

Happy Tuesday, Dear Readers. For those of you who celebrate St. Patrick's Day, I hope you are having a good one.

We have to talk about it; COVID-19 and how it affects literally all aspects of our lives now.

I'm not going to lie; I have been mostly a hermit and doing all of my job searching online, which keeps me inside all the time. I go out to get groceries once every two weeks or so, and the rare in-person interview, and other than that, I've been communicating with people via phone or email or chat. So now that COVID-19 has forced governments to tell people to not go out so much and to not congregate in large groups, I find my way of life largely unchanged, with the exception that the general atmosphere has changed when I go run errands.

I went to get groceries this weekend, and the atmosphere was tense; sections of shelves were completely bare (they were completely out of every size box of original Cheerios, which I had literally never seen happen before), and people spoke to each other in whispers. It was so quiet that it was almost surreal.

A week ago today, I went to a job interview via a staffing agency. It was a good interview, and I am waiting to hear back as there were several other candidates for the position and they needed time to interview others. The atmosphere was not tense, and everybody was carrying on with business as usual. I wonder, if I am sent to other in-person interviews by this staffing company, if that will remain true, or if it will go the way of the supermarkets. I wonder if I will be doing a lot more video interviews instead. I wonder if, in the case that I do get a job through this agency, will I be expected to just work from home and learn via online resources they send me on how to do the job.

However, dwelling on "what if" scenarios will absolutely run me spare, so I know the best thing to do is to wait and see what happens, one day at a time. Either the scenario shows up, or it doesn't, and I will do what I must to keep going. It is important to keep moving forward, and keep yourself busy.

I am still applying to jobs, I am still keeping my house tidy, I am still writing and reading and learning. Do not panic, and do not hoard. Be good to yourself, but be good to those around you too. We either get through this together, or not at all.

Stay safe, Dear Readers; I wish good health for all of you.

-A.M.W.