I’m a veteran at job searching during an economic crisis and believe me, there is still hope.

So last year, I took the leap and sold all of my things to move to NYC to pursue a graduate degree. I didn’t do it to “get a better job,” I did it because I am an incredibly curious person. I expected it to be financially difficult, but I didn't expect a pandemic to happen that would burden my financial ability to finish my program, much less find a job.

But this is all too familiar for me. I am getting flashbacks of trying to secure a role to pay my rent back when I graduated in 2009 after THAT “once in a lifetime economic crisis.” Having been through this already, here is my advice for anyone who is looking.

Over 10 years later, 8 years of work experience, and 100 job applications since March 2020, here is my advice on how to get through this.

1.Apply for jobs you can actually do: This may not be popular advice and I am sorry that it isn't inspiring. But during a crisis, it isn’t really the time to “find your purpose” it is a time to contribute in a positive way for a team that you believe in. When you are searching, it is important to look for roles that will challenge you, but it is also important to look for jobs that you can actually do, on day one, without needing guidance. Companies need to know that you can hit the ground running, because we are in a crisis after all, and they need strong people they can rely on.

2009: I was so new and needed a lot of coaching, any job was aspirational at best. The job I finally secured was over a year later.

2020: I received 0 responses for jobs I had an extreme interest in, but limited real work experience in those fields. But 8 interviews for roles I can do on day one.

2.Networks are important, but everyone's network is near disparity right now: I am a big believer in using your connections for jobs. However, during a time like this with so many layoffs and so much unemployment, everyone's network is nearly exhausted, and they may be looking for roles themselves.

2009: I only relied on my networks during this time. A lot of people wanted to hire me, but no one had any solid positions that I could rely on, or pay me for.

2020: I’ve interviewed with 5 companies, only 1 of them was from a connection. The rest were cold applications.

3.Apply for roles that are open: I am a strong advocate for diverse experiences. So please do whatever you can do to reach out to your dream organization and see if you can find that fit. However, so many companies have paused hiring altogether, and many have very limited funds for new roles. So I think right now, this may be a waste of your time, sorry. Instead, look for roles that excite you and have been opened up very very recently, like a week or less. Yes you will be up against 400 other people, and they may even have an internal candidate, but at least they are actually hiring, so you actually have a chance.

2009: I applied to a bunch of companies that I wanted to work for, I got 0 job offers.

2020: This round, I only applied to jobs that were actually open. I have only heard back from 2 companies about a hiring freeze, and am actively interviewing with 3 companies that I am incredibly excited about.

4.Narrow your search: When I first started off this round of searching, I had so many interests and had no idea what I wanted to do. After about 20 applications, I realized that I was applying to the same 3 types of roles. This made my search and application process go much faster.

2009: I think my search was too narrow, I had an idea of exactly what I wanted and that really limited me on the type of role I could get into and grow from.

2020: It used to take me about 2–3 hours to apply for a job, now that I have picked out the 3 roles, each application only takes me about 10–20 minutes.

5.Applications and interviews, especially during a crisis area two-way street: Companies are receiving an unbelievable amount of applications for each role. Some will respond and decline, and some simply won't reply at all. And that is okay, but understand that their hiring process is the entry point of what it is like to work for them. Remember, that you are interviewing them, just as much as they are interviewing you.

2009: Everyone got back to me.

2020: 62%+ of companies didn't respond at all, not even an auto-response and I am so thankful for the ones that did.

So with that, I leave you with this… It is going to be incredibly difficult, and you have to try really-really-really hard. It will probably take a few years for us to get out of this. So instead of only applying to your dream company, apply for jobs with teams that inspire you, and jobs you can learn from. Spend your time being productive and showing organizations how you can make a difference during a crisis. It will be your first test in getting through all of this. And trust me, it will make you stronger.