Job Hunting in a Pandemic
Job hunting in the time of a rapidly changing world looks about the same as it did pre-COVID, just on an exponentially larger scale as millions more are now in the rat race. The arduous process begins with scouring the internet and various job posting sites to find positions that you believe align with your unique skill set, the positions where you know you could become an invaluable asset to the team, but this is only the beginning of the enduring process. We take the time to craft thoughtful cover letters tailored to each individual application and update our resumes with targeted keywords from the job posting that align with our capabilities and skill set in hopes that the algorithmic gods might smile down upon us and grant us that “golden ticket” out of application purgatory - because that’s where the applications go if you don’t know someone who knows someone who is willing to give you a shot. If it’s a larger company, especially, there is very little “human” to human resources anymore these days, at least for the first steps of attempting to secure an interview. Hours upon hours of labor poured into our attempts to secure a ticket to the next destination on our career journey - or in many cases, yet another “thrilling” entry level position that will likely undervalue and underpay us, even though we have more than 15 years of valuable experience in the business sector.
For me, the job hunting process has become almost more of a social experiment at this point, trying to reverse engineer what strategies or keywords will get me past the gates of application purgatory and into the view of a real person. Maybe I should write my cover letter with the confidence of a mediocre white man who is widely unqualified, but functions in a world that was designed for him to excel by failing upward his whole life? Or maybe for this one I pop open my laptop with an adult beverage in hand and am unapologetically honest? What about keyword stuffing to hack the system? Maybe I just go super rogue, just to see what might happen? This is only a fraction of my internal monologue as I wade through the murky waters of this job hunting progress, and let me tell you, it’s exhausting. And here’s the thing, I know people will say “just apply for anything, even if it’s something you don’t want to do… at least it’s a job”. While that may be true, I’m not about to put my time and effort into something just for the hell of it. Everything I do in my life is with intention, and if I could get past the algorithm to get in front of an actual person, they’d know that. A resume and cover letter are great, sure, but the only thing they prove is that a person knows how to write well on a few sheets of paper. It doesn’t give insight into a person’s work ethic, their disposition, or their competencies at learning new tasks or information. Hell, you can’t even guarantee it’s honest or accurate.
I know it’s risky taking a chance on an “unknown”, but you were also in that position once, and someone gave you a shot. Wouldn’t you rather have someone with fantastic interpersonal and soft skills capabilities who was willing and able to learn the hard skills than someone who “has what you need on paper”? By the way, that someone willing and able to learn is me. My career background is incredibly varied because I am always on the pursuit of new knowledge and new skills. When I don’t know how to do something, I figure it out. If it is something that is important to me or to my role, I just learn, and quickly might I add. For example, I am an internationally and domestically published writer and photographer in some of the top motocross publications in the world, who is almost completely self-taught. I decided I was going to be a professional action sports photographer at a time when I didn’t even own a camera - yes, you read that correctly, which means I had zero skills or experience in that arena at the time. But in less than three years, I had become the first-ever woman photographer to cover an entire season of professional motocross racing in the United States as a credentialed member of the media. That story alone, should tell you more about me, my work ethic, and the types of things I am capable of accomplishing than any standard resume or cover letter. This is only one instance of this type of determination, but there are many more. I don’t believe problems are unsolvable. I know that there is always a solution, even if it takes looking at the problem with an unconventional eye.
You wouldn’t think being an incredibly quick learner would be a hinderance, but in the digital age of only using algorithms for the first pass at viable candidates, it’s far more a curse than a blessing. Of course, ironically, when I do make it out of application purgatory, being an incredibly quick learner becomes one of my greatest assets as I am given additional tasks and responsibilities at a much more accelerated pace than what is considered “typical” for a multitude of roles I’ve served in. For example, in my most recent position, that was unfortunately eliminated in layoffs due to COVID-19, I was given the task of planning the company holiday party within my first week on the job - oh, and according to my former boss we were “really behind on securing a location for the party”… no problem. Here I was, brand new at a company where I didn’t know the employees or any historical information on previous holiday parties, being tasked with planning and executing a holiday gathering for the entire company and guests that was “different than anything we’ve done in the past”. Where some might shy away from such a daunting task, I dove right in and got to work. Ultimately, after proposing a handful of different ideas to the head of the company, he approved of taking the company holiday party to Disneyland where we played all day and then dined at the Naples Ristorante with a fully curated meal with an open bar in the evening. Everything, including crafting the floral arrangements for the tables was handled by “the new girl” who put together the party in record time. Not only was the party unlike anything the company had ever hosted, I was able to accomplish this task under budget while still over-delivering on expectations. This is typical for me in many situations because I am unafraid to jump in with both feet and adapt and learn quickly along the way. On paper it looks like I “lack experience”, but based merely on a time stamp. However, when you learn quickly, you are able to maximize your experience in a compressed amount of time.
As time passes, each day it’s more of the same. Search job postings, craft thoughtful cover letters, send my application into the abyss, and cross my fingers that I win the application purgatory lottery - all the while companies are missing out on interviewing someone who would put their 100% effort into being the best version of that role she could be. I know, I’m sure this process is no walk in the park for recruiters and HR employees either as they have to sift through an overwhelming number of applicants in a rapidly changing world, but all I’m asking is for a chance to give you my all and show you what I can do. That’s the thing about me, put me in the room where it happens, and I can guarantee that 90% of the time, once you work with me once, you’ll want to work with me again. (I say 90% because I am not aloof to the fact that my personality won’t mesh with every single person, but far more often than not, it does.) I work hard, I learn quickly, and I’m willing to jump in to any task, even and especially those that are outside of my comfort zone.
I’ll be honest, I’m not quite sure what my objective was in sharing these thoughts other than to empathize with the so many of you who are in the same boat right now, sifting through and applying to as many jobs as you can in a day that you feel you’d be a good fit for so that you can move off unemployment. Or maybe writing here is better than writing into the void because at least it’s mine and I get to keep it? Or maybe I’m writing to give myself the advice and confidence boost I wish someone would give me? Who knows, but what I do know is it always feels good to get words on the page. We want to be working, truly. The misconception that people would rather “do nothing and get money for free” is erroneous - no, we just want to be paid a living wage and work for a company that cares about their employees and puts people over profits. So excuse us if we are more selective in our application process. If we’re going to be putting so much effort into applying for jobs, we want to direct our energy into a place that isn’t just going to drain us, but instead, invigorate us. But we also need a chance to get in front of real people who can see our skills in action. That’s the other thing, in applying for jobs, our “street smart” experience is often ignored. Just because I acquired or perfected a skill outside of an office setting does not make it less valuable or transferrable. And since we live in a day and age directed by digital algorithms, I’ve decided I’m going to share some of those skills and anecdotes, here, that don’t quite fit well on a traditional resume based on how they were acquired.
Event Coordinating
Over the course of my career (and in my personal life), I have had the chance to coordinate a variety of events from a private dance class for a “Galentine’s Day”, to a prom for a special needs child, to company-wide holiday events and even large scale events for incredibly high profile clients and guests while in my previous role at Gigasavvy. Even though these events all had incredibly different audiences, objectives, and budgets, at the end of the day, coordinating a successful event means tailoring the event to the attendees and “reading the room” per se, while being incredibly organized and detail oriented.
Our office building at Gigasavvy was often used for client and guest events (in the before times) and I frequently was tasked with the role of producer/coordinator extraordinaire. One of the more complex events was a “Best Ideas Dinner” hosted by a national investment firm and attended by a variety of private investors and family offices that I was tasked with coordinating the best possible experience for the attendees. Gigasavvy had served as the venue for standing networking events/cocktail receptions, theatre-style presentations, and even sit down dinners, but never all three at once and definitely not with more than 80 guests in attendance. Luckily, solving complex puzzles is not only a strength, but a hobby of mine as well.
This client wished to begin the evening with a standing cocktail/networking reception then move into a seated dinner, followed by a keynote speaker presentation - all in a limited space. I ultimately decided on drawing from previous theatre experience and running the event similar to a stage production with set changes. In theatre, you try to work with a group of core set pieces that can be interchanged between scenes to give the illusion of transitioning in to a new place. To accomplish this for this event in a way that was the least disruptive to the flow of the event itself, I ended up setting up half of the “theatre seats” for the keynote speaker near the front of the room and leaving those set and ready for the duration of the evening. This gave the attendees a chance to enjoy appetizers and cocktails while mingling. I also had the majority of dining tables “set and ready” that just needed to be “moved from the wings” during the “scene change”, so to speak. Once dinner had concluded, we quickly removed three of the dining tables and moved the chairs into additional “theatre rows” for the presentation part of the evening. Thanks to a well-designed plan, the event went extremely well.
Creative Problem Solving
What happens when the birthday of a child with Autism falls during the middle of a global pandemic? A dear family friend, someone whom I consider my “little sister”, absolutely LOVES celebrating her birthday with her family and friends. This year, of course, it sadly wasn’t safe for us to gather in person, but that wasn’t going to stop us from celebrating the birthday girl - we just had to get creative with how we approached this challenge. With the help of one of our other friends, we came up with the idea of a virtual surprise party on Zoom. Now, I know a “Zoom Party” by itself is nothing that groundbreaking, but it’s how we executed the party that made it special. Our “little sister” happens to love sea otters and loves when people all dress up in matching outfits and that is how our “Party in a Box” idea was born. We sent all of the “party essentials” to 15 different households, which included bubbles, stickers, Hawaiian leis, seashells, specialty cookies, and even a digital backdrop for our “Shellabration Like no Otter” virtual surprise party.
Quarantine birthdays are a bummer, but especially for those who are neurodiverse and are usually planning what theme their next birthday party will have the moment the previous year’s party has concluded. While our “little sister” would have definitely preferred to celebrate in person, we were able to come up with a creative solution to a challenging problem.
Adaptability
One quality that consistently has impressed people throughout my career is the ability to adapt to changing environments with ease and grace. I live my life by the motto of “figure it out”, and that bodes especially well in high-volume and fast-paced work environments. I can pivot quickly and adjust strategies to best solve the problems at hand. My ability to think on my feet without missing a step and adapt to whatever challenge is in my path continues to highlight my adaptability.
One of my favorite anecdotes involves babysitting my niece on the set of MTV’s “The Hills: New Beginnings”. It just so happens that her parents, (my sister and brother-in-law) are on the show as members of the cast. During this particular day of filming, initially it was going to be a family scene that included my niece, but at the last second, MTV changed their direction and my sister called in a panic because she didn’t have anyone to babysit her daughter. For context, she’s two, so she’s not quite old enough to just “hang out” while mom and dad are working. Moments into filming, one of the crew members comes downstairs to tell me that they are picking up my niece on audio and that she’d need to stay as quiet as possible in order for them to complete the few scenes. If you’ve been around a two year old at any point, you know that their window to remain perfectly quiet on a day where they were already exhausted is minimal, at best. Ok, so I have to keep an already tired two year old completely quiet for at least an hour… great. (*Internally panics*) That was when I remembered that I happened to have my makeup bag in the car and my niece always loved playing pretend makeup. Well, that day I decided on the “hail mary” move of letting her do Aunty Krystyn’s “real makeup”. And because I know you can’t just tell a two year old to be quiet for a full hour, I made it a game. *whispers* “Ok Toodles, you can do Aunty Krystyn’s REAL makeup! But, you have to be super quiet. Can you do that?” I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best - 1. that she would be focused enough to stay quiet and 2. that I wouldn’t get stabbed in the eye by a rogue eyeliner or mascara wand. Thanks to my quick thinking, I was surprisingly able to keep my niece occupied and quiet for almost the entire time necessary while they were filming. My sister, brother-in-law and the entire production crew were QUITE surprised when they came down the stairs to find me with my beautiful makeover. They all exclaimed, “Oh my gosh! You’re a HERO!” because they didn’t know how I had managed to keep a two year old quiet, only that I had accomplished the almost impossible task. Although, I have to say, for a two year old, she didn’t do all that bad and was so proud of her work.
Logistics
While in my previous role as the Beacon of Happiness! (yes, that was my real job title) at Gigasavvy, one of my primary responsibilities was serving as the Culture Manager for the company. But how do you maintain a company culture of family, and organic collaboration, and human-focused leadership in a time of a global pandemic? How do you keep a team of 26 feeling connected, engaged, and appreciated when you’re not able to meet face to face? We decided on a good old fashioned pizza party, with a twist. First, I compiled the information from an employee questionnaire I created that I intentionally included the question “What is your favorite pizza topping?”, knowing that at some point during the pandemic I would be coordinating the most unconventional pizza party ever. 26 people, living in 26 different residences, with 26 different pizza preferences needing to have 26 individual pizzas delivered around the same time on the same day and ordered by someone other than the pizza eater - the task at hand might have looked like a logistical nightmare to some, but to me, it was a fun and challenging puzzle to solve!
I started with a spreadsheet that had everyone’s name, address, pizza preferences, and dietary needs/restrictions. Luckily, Dominoes allows for “advanced ordering” where you can plan pizza orders in advance - although I don’t think that they often have one person making 26 individual pizza orders at a time. It took hours to input each order, double check them, and make sure the party would happen without a hitch. Because of my impeccable organizational skills and ability to solve complex puzzles, this was a fun challenge. I didn’t find out until the day of the pizza party, however, that Dominoes does this funny thing where they group orders by phone number, and not by address - and because many of our employees lived in clusters that had orders diverted to the “same store” based on their proximity, I did run into a couple hiccups. But I was able to quickly diagnose the problem and get it resolved and for 26 individual orders, we only ended up with one real snafu (that was ultimately resolved) - not too shabby if you ask me. The team was incredibly surprised with the pizza party and we all came together over Zoom to “have lunch together”.
Anticipating Needs
Many of the positions I have applied to/ am applying for include the requirement to “anticipate needs” of executive-level team members. I find myself drawn to opportunities that include this job requirement because it is something I am both naturally good at, and also have had nearly two decades perfecting in various roles. I think it is often assumed that this skill can only be acquired if you are holding an executive assistant position within a company. However, I have found that roles outside of the corporate sector have actually better prepared me. For example, working in a high-end restaurant has taught me not only how to manage multiple time-sensitive tasks to high-profile guests, but how to anticipate the needs of those guests to enhance their dining experience.
Additionally, I have had the opportunity to assist on many high-end editorial and production photography shoots. It is on these shoots that I feel like my ability to anticipate needs really has a chance to shine. I feel that I have been able to perfect this skill because of my ability to build trust with people very quickly and am a serial observer of the world around me, in tune with the smallest changes in people’s behavior. On the photography sets I am assigned an assortment of tasks ranging from setting up and moving lights, to changing backdrops, to taking behind the scenes photos of the crew at work and even running a few blocks to move the talent’s car so she didn’t have to leave the makeup chair and the shoot could continue as planned without disruption. On set, it’s about assisting the photographer, crew, and talent to make sure the day remains on track, organized, and the photographer is able to secure the content necessary in the time available. I make their day easier by anticipating their “ask” before they even have to make the request, always operating at least one step ahead. This skill is transferable not only to Executive Assistant roles, but a plethora of roles in different sectors.
Entrepreneurial Spirit
Nearly six years ago I left The Walt Disney Company after almost a decade at the Happiest Place on Earth to start an action sports media company from the ground up. As I previously mentioned, at the time I didn’t know anything about action sports photography, other than the fact that I wanted to do it, and wasn’t actually intending to build a full media company. But, as it turned out, with my knowledge of motocross (I have followed the sport since I was about 14 years old), my ability to write, and my interest in photography it made the most sense to expand my focus from just becoming a credentialed member of the media as a photographer to becoming both a photographer and journalist. During this time I designed my logo, built my website, practiced my craft, and went aggressively after my goal of covering an entire year of professional racing in the United States. I should also note, that most guys (and they were all men) in the industry had been doing so for at least 10 years before they ever made it to all 29 sanctioned races - I accomplished it in year three and was the first-ever woman photographer to do so. My media company and everything I learned while building it is something I am incredibly proud of and there are skills that I can easily transfer to any number of future roles.
Like most entrepreneurs though, my entrepreneurial drive didn’t stop with action sports. When I unexpectedly found myself joining the millions of unemployed in June of 2020 due to a layoff at Gigasavvy, I knew I needed to come up with an idea and quick while I waited for my unemployment payments to kick in (it’s been more than a month, and I’m still waiting, but that’s a story for another day, another post). In the interim I decided to start selling baked goods - royal icing cookies, to be specific. I am a fairly decent baker, but no expert by any means, and certainly not an expert with royal icing. For those that don’t know, royal icing is the type of icing that dries stiff and is often used on sugar cookies, unlike a buttercream that stays more malleable. For my first “bake sale”, I decided I would sell these cookies to celebrate my favorite made up holiday, “Christmas in July”. I surprised even myself at the number of orders I received in the two-week ordering window with 29 total orders! With 4 cookies per order, I made and frosted more than 120 cookies! I can honestly say that I hardly knew what I was doing, beyond a couple previous attempts at working with royal icing and watching a few YouTube videos, but thanks to the encouragement of a friend, I was determined to at least give it a try. “Figure it out” is a motto that is probably what has led me to finding success in a very widely differing set of roles throughout my career.
Resourcefulness
”Do the best you can with what you’ve got” is a great way to describe my resourcefulness. In any situation, with any problem, I am able to look at the materials and resources available and come up with a viable solution. Sometimes those solutions are rather unconventional, but they accomplish the task at hand. I am not afraid to step outside of my comfort zone to shake up the status quo to find a better solution.
Since the world got turned upside down in March, like so many, I’ve had more time at home and decided to undertake a creative project to fill my time. While I knew I was incredibly resourceful before, this project has shown me that my resourcefulness knows know bounds, other than the requirement to use only what I have in my home. So what is this project you ask? I call it “The Untitled MCU Project” and it involves me watching all 23 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and then piecing together my favorite life and leadership lessons I’ve learned from Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. In addition to writing about life and leadership, I have also put together makeshift cosplays and shot self portraits for the characters from the films, based solely on the items I have in my apartment and my limited studio photography gear. While boundless projects with unlimited creative control sound fun, having small constraints actually makes me come up with even more creative solutions to problems at hand.
Organization
If you’ve worked with me even once, then you know that I am incredibly organized and have the ability to keep track of multiple projects and tasks at once, even down to the tiny details. You also know, that I more than likely have a binder or notebook for whatever project I’m working on - yes, a la Leslie Knope.
In my previous role at Gigasavvy, my title was Beacon of Happiness!, but my role was Executive Assistant/ Receptionist/ Office Manager/ Event Coordinator/ Concierge/ and Culture Manager and with many hats came many responsibilities. One of those responsibilities included managing 25 separate calendars and being keenly aware of all guest and client meetings that were taking place every day. While I wasn’t scheduling the meetings, I was the one who was the first to greet anyone who walked in the building and made sure that I was able to greet every scheduled guest by first name upon arrival. I did this by writing down every meeting for the day, in order, upon my arrival to the office each morning. I also made it a point each day to check every single employee’s calendar to make sure they had a break in their day for lunch. If they didn’t, I made sure to include them in my lunch order if I went out for lunch.
Other roles have also taught me an immense amount about organization. For example, when I worked in the restaurant industry as a server (which, by the way, teaches you way more about business and life than almost any job I’ve ever held), my team would always comment at how well-organized my server book was. I had a designated place and pocket in my apron for everything - open checks on one side, closed check on the other, organized by time and table, a divider to separate my cash from my signed copies of my receipts - and I kept the same setup for every single shift. When you’re working in an incredibly high-volume and fast-paced environment with lots of moving parts, it’s imperative that you stay organized, if you hope to have any amount of success.
Resilience
This one is perhaps a funny one to include with my unconventional job skills and anecdotes, but I believe resilience is closely tied to work ethic. Like so many, I’ve been through my share of trials and tribulations, but it is in those trying moments that I have built a level of resilience that is so strong that friends have described it as intimidating. During a particularly challenging season, a friend said to me “no matter what happens to you, you always bounce back and keep going. And frankly, that’s almost terrifying because you literally cannot be beat.” Where some may face insurmountable challenges and give up after one or two unsuccessful attempts, I always find the strength to press onward.
The old adage says “fall down seven, stand up eight”. I certainly believe in getting back up, dusting yourself off, and trying again, but it was in April of 2017 where I found myself living that experience in the most literal sense of the term. I was covering Round 13 of 17 of Monster Energy Supercross as a credentialed member of the media in St. Louis, MO. The thing about working as a supercross photographer is that the nature of the job is inherently risky. We are located on the track, merely feet away from the motorcycle riders, right in the middle of the action. Each race we are given a map of the stadium floor that details where we are both allowed to photograph from (green zones) and not allowed to photograph from due to safety reasons (red zones). This is a map I always obeyed with great caution because I was very aware of the very real potential occupational hazards associated with photographing professional supercross racing on highly technical tracks. As it so happens, during the timed qualifying practices I found myself in one of the worst “wrong place, wrong time” situations I could imagine. One minute I was watching a rider get a little squirrely on the track, thinking it was going to end poorly for him, and the next I was laid out on the cement with my leg caught in between the front tire and the front fender of the motorcycle of that same rider. Side note: Now before you make any assumption about “the girl” getting hit, the way so many have already done, note that I was standing in an approved “green zone” keenly aware of my surroundings and everything going on. In fact, I was so skilled in my awareness on track that I could tell you what brand of bike would be passing me next based on the distinct pitch of the engine, that varied from brand to brand. Ok, back to resilience - the medics arrived to assist me and give me the standard assessment questions. I looked down and realized that my leg was the wrong shape and my kneecap was on the wrong side of my leg. I said, “Oh, I think my knee is dislocated, like a lot”. They smiled and nodded their heads in agreement and a count of 1-2 later and the medical team had reset my kneecap back to its proper location on the correct side of my leg. I was transported to the medical trailer where they did X-rays, and put me in an immobilizing brace and on crutches. I sat for a couple hours up in the press box to rest, but finished out photographing the final race of the evening fully on crutches and in a brace. I should note that up until this point, my all male colleagues spent a lot of time “side-eyeing” the only woman out there, and rarely took me seriously as a credible member of the media because I broke up their decades-long boys club and came in with a tenacity and vigor that severely disrupted their status quo. But when they saw me not even shed a single tear after getting my knee destroyed and then subsequently getting back to work that same day and then not missing any of the remaining 16 races for the year (while being in an immobilizing brace for more than half of them) their tone quickly changed.
This story is not an anomaly, though. In fact, this is how I handle any big challenge that is thrown in my path, no matter if it’s a personal or work-related hurdle. My friends who have labeled my resilience intimidating have done so because as they say, I am “unbeatable” - no matter what I’m faced with or how many times I am knocked down, I have found a way to overcome and rise above. The reason I say this ties into work ethic is because it shows that I am willing to keep going to accomplish a goal or task, no matter how laborious or enduring. I am dedicated to working hard for the best possible outcome and I have to say, that’s not an easily teachable skill. It does, however, make for an incredible asset in a business setting.
So again I ask, do you want to work with someone who “has the hard skills on paper” or someone who has the unteachable interpersonal and soft skills who can pick up new hard skills with ease? I know, it makes the process much easier when you know someone who knows someone who is recommending to give me a chance, but perhaps stepping outside of your comfort zone to someone less “conventional” might be just the person you’re looking for.