Fleur Hull - Career after COVID-19: How to leverage the opportunities from the pandemic to unlock a rewarding career transformation in 2021 and beyond

First published by Ultimate World Publishing 2020

Copyright 2020 Fleur Hull

Fleur Hull has asserted her rights under the Copyright, Designs and PatentsAct 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. The information in this book is based on the authors experiences and opinions.

The publisher specifically disclaims responsibility for any adverse consequences which may result from use of the information contained herein. Permission to use information has been sought by the author. Any breaches will be rectified in further editions of the book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures and to Elders past, present and emerging.

Career after COVID was written in Western Australia, on the traditional lands of the Nyoongar Whadjuk people, and in Queensland, on the traditional lands of the Waka people.

Some sections of this e-book contain affiliate links, and we may earn a small commission if you click on a link and make a purchase, at no cost to you. These commission payments allow us to continue broadcasting the Career after COVID-19 Podcast and providing career advice resources on our website for free.

This book is dedicated to the billions of people all around the world negatively affected by the ravages of COVID-19, whether through economic hardship, the loss of someone they love, or the virus effects on their own physical and mental health.

It is also dedicated to the frontline workers everywhere who have been fighting the virus on behalf of us all.

As COVID-19 continues to impact people around the world, we understand that many are struggling to survive, put food on the table or provide shelter for themselves or their family. We recognise we are in the privileged position of living in a safe environment with our survival needs and obligations under control.

We wrote this book for those who have the relative luxury of pondering their career direction at this time. In no way do we intend to discount the trials of life of those who do not have the opportunity to explore their higher-level needs. As a gesture of support, we will contribute part-proceeds of this book to assist some of the most vulnerable people in our community. We hope that as you read this, you are in a relatively safe place in your life and are ready to make the most of any opportunities that this book might present.

To support those who are struggling with their mental health,

10% of author royalties from sales of this book throughout 2020 and 2021

will be donated to Beyond Blue,

an Australian charity promoting positive mental wellbeing.

Kym and I lost our jobs on the same day in late March 2020. The next day, we spoke at length on the phone to console each other, commiserate and vent our frustrations. Significantly, once we got all this off our chest, we then moved on to a more positive discussion of which action we would take to make the most of our respective situations. Almost immediately, we decided to reconvene the next day and record our conversations to upload them as a publicly available podcastand at that moment, the Career after COVID podcast was born.

At the very least, we agreed that the process of meeting online each week and detailing our current mindset and actions in light of our circumstances would be a form of therapy. If anyone else out in podcast-land got something positive from our discussions, then we saw that as a bonus.

We hold a fundamentally optimistic viewpoint on where this virus and its impacts on humanity will take us as a species. We are interested in human beings capability to survive, thrive and turn a crisis into an opportunityfor growth, learning, the building of resilience and ultimately, success and contentment. Kym and I have also witnessed first-hand the transformative effects of this pandemic, in terms of ways of working, the connections between humans and our sense of ourselves. We sincerely hope that from this, good things will eventually emerge across the world in a range of human endeavours.

For those of you who have picked up this book to find a new way forward, we recognise and validate your struggle. The world of unemployment or career insecurity is an uncomfortable space to exist in, and many of us are currently feeling that discomfort for the first time in our lives.

During our working lives, Kym and I have been through countless CVs, hired hundreds of staff and advised thousands of professionals and students on career direction and growth. We want to share the insight and knowledge we have gained through our experience, highlighting options and providing inspiration to anyone unemployed, underemployed or seeking a significant change as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our podcast audience is gradually building, and we are grateful for their support and feedback. It has provided us with the encouragement needed to write this book as a resource to help others navigate these difficult and challenging times.

Why you need this book

The world of work was already in a state of change before COVID came along. New developments in technology such as automation and casualisation meant that many businesses had already shifted to contracting employees, outsourcing and offshoring many of their tasks. This pattern has led to the emergence of the gig economy, where workers can end up having multiple small, part-time contract jobs rather than one full-time job for life.

The mass unemployment created by COVID-19 has resulted in even greater competition for jobs, and whole sectors (such as tourism and aviation) have been virtually wiped out in many parts of the world. Working from home and practising social distancing in the workplace has also changed the way that organisations function, impacting the technology required to undertake all aspects of running a business in today's economy.

It has also shifted the mindset of both employers and employees concerning remote working. Business owners and organisational leaders across the world have been pleasantly surprised by the levels of workforce productivity that has emerged from their employees working from home.

The insecurity of many businesses, however, and the corresponding changes in approach to hiring staff, has meant that everyone has to be aware of the new rules of being and staying employed after the coronavirus. Many of us have experienced a shift in values as a result of working from homefor example, spending more time around our families and not spending hours each week commuting to and from work. For many, the desire to find a more flexible working environment and enjoy a better balance between the things we value has grown more potent as a result.