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Dr. Frank Burtnett is the former President of Education Now, an independent consulting firm headquartered in Springfield, Virginia and Rockport, Maine. Since 1995, he has served as the principal consultant to NAPS on certification, accreditation, credentialing and educational matters. He was recently elected to the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) Hall of Fame in recognition of his contributions to the professional development of search and staffing industry consultants. Frank is a counselor, educator, consultant, and author whose career has been dedicated to educational and career development issues, as well as service to the profession through management roles in professional counseling organizations. Today, he serves as an adjunct professor on the counselor education faculty of Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. His most recent publication, Career Challenges, examines the things people “do wrong” and “don’t do” in their quest for career satisfaction, work life after COVID and life–work balance. Two earlier youth and young-adult oriented guidebooks concentrated on the school-to-college and education-to-work transitions. Frank earned a BS in education at Shippensburg University and an MA and an EdD in counseling at George Washington University. Frank Burtnett invites career questions to answer in his new Q&A on EMinfo. Submit to Frank at ednow@aol.com His book Career Challenges was published by the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group. You can order his book: Career Challenges here > https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781475868081/Career-Challenges-Straight-Talk-about-Achieving-Success-in-the-Technology-Driven-Post-COVID-World-of-Work-3rd-Edition
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What candidates need to know about the post COVID “new normal”
By Frank Burtnett | Friday April 9, 2022
EMInfo Reader: What do candidates for employment need to know about how the post COVID “new normal” and how it will affect them?
Dr. Burtnett: First, and foremost, candidate will need to know that multiple options (full return to the workplace, full workplace combined with remote work and full remote work) options now exists in many employment settings. If the past couple of years have resulted in workers becoming more comfortable in a different work style, now is the time to make it known and part of their future job search when possible.
Second, the hiring protocols (i.e., electronic job postings, etc.) and practices (i.e., Zoom employment interviews, etc.) which candidates for employment must navigate have been expanded and altered to various degrees by different search /staffing firms and human resources departments. Participation in social media networks have extended our ability to engage in valuable career networks. Time and attention must devoted to learning these tools and techniques, as they will pay dividends in the procurement of placements.
Also surfacing since 2020 has been a heightened use of the new technology to aid workforce members expand their knowledge and develop their skill set as demanded by the omnipresent emphasis on lifelong learning.
American work workers and workplaces have been changed by the coronavirus pandemic and the “silver lining” that has offset the misfortunes has been the resilience of the workforce in meeting the changes and challenges thrown in their career paths.
Finally, every search and staffing professional must help candidates learn and practice any new behaviors required during times of job change, interruption or loss. The more our candidates practice positive and confident self-awareness, exploration, decision-making, and goal setting skills, the better their chances of achieving their desired career success and satisfaction.