There’s a massive elephant sitting in the room between us, and his name is the April 2020 jobs report. Yes, 20.5 million people lost their jobs and the unemployment rate soared to 14.7 percent, both monumentally crappy pieces of news—but there is a potential “silver lining” to all of this. “Almost all of the increase in people that lost their jobs believe that the layoff is temporary at this point, about 97 percent,” Matthew Luzzetti, US chief economist at Deutsche Bank told Yahoo Finance. “If that proves to be accurate, it is a positive sign.”
So, if that’s true—that this massive wave of unemployment is, indeed, temporary—then there is some hope. And hope is good. But hope doesn’t get you paid, right? In the meantime, application pools for jobs across the country (and potentially, around the world) are going to be larger than usual, so that means you job hunters out there need to be that much more intelligent about where you’re sending your résumés and cover letters. If you don’t qualify for a job, don’t apply; it’ll be a tremendous waste of your time and energy. If you do qualify for a position, make sure you have all your T’s crossed and I’s dotted before you send anything in. On LinkedIn Jobs, it’s tempting to click on “Easy Apply,” but that still means you’ll need to craft a cover letter, update your résumé and make sure that your LinkedIn page is up to date.
Lastly, we know that it’s a major drag even reading the news these days: Everything seems to be pretty negative. But there’s a way of putting a positive spin on some of it. For example, the fact that California is in the process of reopening means that remote work opportunities at Cali businesses will likely be increasing. Since we have our nose to the job boards constantly, we’ve seen a bunch of new opportunities crop up on the Left Coast. So, even if New York State is taking its sweet ass time reopening—and for good reason—there might be a future for you, remotely, elsewhere in the country. You’ll be a Zoom cocktail party hit in Upstate New York when you tell everybody you actually work in Santa Monica.
Local Job Opportunities
Cool Job Opportunity (Local) – Radio Personality
A few Job Hunters columns ago, we highlighted a pair of job opportunities at a local radio conglomerate, iHeartMedia, which owns PYX 106.5—the classic rock radio station we grew up listening to and which still plays Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” at least 20 times a day (just guesstimating, of course)—among other local favorites. Well, it turns out it’s on a bit of a mini-hiring spree: iHeartMedia’s looking for a Morning Show Personality, who can do “news, talk, music, comedic or other format shows or program for broadcast entertainment.” (Of course, that doesn’t mean you can drop F-bombs and/or have wardrobe malfunctions live on the air; this is terrestrial radio, not satellite, which doesn’t adhere to FCC regulations.) It’s also not an entry level position: You need at least three-plus years experience on the radio and a four-year college degree. Search for the position on LinkedIn Jobs, or look for it on the company’s jobs page.
Cool Job Opportunity (Local) – Contact Tracer
If you’ve been following our What It’s Like series on saratogaliving.com, you’ll be aware of what a contact tracer is. It’s basically someone who helps a person who has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus antibody to “trace” the number of people he or she came in contact with before he or she went into quarantine. It’s a super important job that will help reopen New York faster. Look at it this way: If we know how many people have been infected and can quarantine people who may’ve been in contact with them, it’ll make life safer for everyone. If you’re thinking, “I don’t want to be anywhere near someone who’s had COVID-19,” don’t worry; this is a remote position and just involves good organizational skills. Per the job listing, it’s part time and temporary, and will involve “[using] a web-based client resource management (CRM) platform to call all contacts of anyone diagnosed with COVID-19, determine exposure, assess symptoms, refer for testing according to established protocols and provide them with instructions for isolation or quarantine.” Sound like something you could do from your home office while you wait for the next big position elsewhere? Apply here, or search the job on Indeed.com.
Cool Job Opportunity (Local) – Cybersecurity
It shouldn’t be surprising that there are a ton of great tech companies in the Albany area, given that one of the country’s top tech schools is based in Troy (see: RPI). And since we’re on a cybersecurity role—we had a listing in last week’s column from a local firm—we figured we’d include another one: Do you have what it takes to be an IT & Cybersecurity Manager? We don’t know who the company is hiring for the position, but our pals at Walrath Recruiting sure as heck do. Let them help you find out here.
Cool Job Opportunity (Local) – Dishwasher
Little known fact: Saratoga Living Editorial Director Will Levith spent a number of summers in Saratoga (at Skidmore College and Saratoga Race Course) and Ballston Spa (at the long-shuttered August Cafe), washing dishes. And in a brief interview, he said, “I loved it.” If you have what it takes to make dishes, silverware and other kitchen-related implements appear spotless after they cross through your sink station, maybe it’s time to apply for this Dishwasher job at Chili’s in Glenmont. Search for the position on Indeed.com or search the company’s jobs site.
Cool Job Opportunity (Local) – Drivers/Deliverers
Seven years ago, two 20-year-old dudes at Drexel University in Philadelphia had the idea to launch an app that would send people all over the country snacks and other essentials: frozen dinners, sugary cereals, candy bars and the like. They called their invention GoPuff, and given that right now, we’re all in need of a little love in the form of a junk-food care package, GoPuff’s business is booming. And it just so happens that the company is hiring drivers and deliverers in our area. Search for those jobs on Indeed.com (there are multiple). Or, if the company sounds like a place you’d like to throw your business acumen behind, corporate’s also hiring in Upstate New York (check out listings here).
National/Remote Work Opportunities
Cool Job Opportunity (National/Remote) – Copyeditors/Proofreaders
Think you’re a whiz at copyediting and/or proofreading? (It doesn’t hurt if you have an English degree or know where the phrase “sucks to your assmar” comes from.) Book publisher Simon & Schuster, which is owned and operated by media bigwig Viacom-CBS, is looking for part-time copyeditors and proofreaders for its pop-culture books division, Adams Media. You’ll need to have amazing attention to detail and be able to adhere to its in-house copyediting guidelines—not to mention have familiarity with The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th or 16th Edition (ChicagoManualofStyle.org) and the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition (Merriam-Webster.com). You need a BA and at least one year of experience doing this type of thing—so we’re going to guess that if you interned at Saratoga Living in the past few years, you have a leg up on most candidates. If you need a reference, we’d be happy to write you one. Search for the job on Indeed.com, or apply on the company’s corporate website.
Note: If you’ve never applied for a job at a big company like Viacom-CBS, chances are, the process will take you longer than expected. The reason? You’ll need to upload your entire résumé by hand in all of the many fields it asks for. But take your time with it: Once you upload your information once, if you ever want to apply for another position at Viacom-CBS, your information will be saved in their system. (We know from experience.)
Cool Job Opportunity (National/Remote) – Virtual Music Instructor
The COVID-19 crisis has hit our brothers and sisters in the creative arts particularly hard, given that many make their living performing in public places, and that’s pretty much impossible to do right now. (Save for at “essential” venues like Caffè Lena.) What if you could take your talent as a musician and broadcast it remotely? And make money for it? Sweet Music Academy in Howell, NJ, is looking for symphonic musicians, college instructors, touring artists and Broadway performers to fill part-time Remote Music Instructor positions. (Pay is $50-$125/hour, depending on experience.) For more information on the business, click here. Find the job description by searching remote jobs on Indeed.com.
Cool Job Opportunity (National/Remote) – Grant Writer
Is there a way to love this job opportunity more? If you’re a talented grant writer—i.e. you know how to apply for grants from the government, major corporations or foundations, on behalf of a nonprofit that needs grant money desperately, more so now than at any other time in recent history—this is the job for you. California-based nonprofit The Love Story, a platform that allows people to use journaling to address depression and prevent suicide, is looking for someone to work 5-10-hour weeks for three months or more. It’s an entry level job, so all of you recent (or soon-to-be recent) college students should get on this. What an amazing organization that’s truly fighting the good fight! Search the position on LinkedIn Jobs, or browse the organization’s about page for more information.
Job, Business And Volunteering Resources
What’s The Dealio With Mealeo?
According to the Albany Business Review, Latham-based food delivery service app, Mealeo, has grown its business every month since it was founded in 2008. And it’s seen meteoric growth during the COVID-19 crisis, completing 5,000 orders per day versus 2,000 prior to the crisis. Want in? Become a driver today. Or, if a corporate job becomes available, you can send your résumé and cover letter here for future review.
Spread Your Wings—Later
AB Jets, a Lear jet operator that flies all over the country, has put out a call for a First Officer, even though it’s not hiring for one at the moment. “COVID-19 has created economic hardships for us all,” AB Jets’ posting reads. “Our company is in a good position to weather the storm. At this time we have no open pilot positions. Feel free to apply for this job to put your résumé in position to [be] reviewed when the time comes to hire.” If you have the mighty wings (that’s a Top Gun reference, by the way) to make a job like this happen, get your résumé over to them pronto. Apply for a future position here.
Cool Resources For Kids
Bedtime Story, Anyone?
Even as we begin talking about reopening New York State, it doesn’t mean that the stress and anxiety of the COVID-19 crisis will just evaporate into thin air. Kids are under a ton more stress than they usually are these day—and look, if they’re not sleeping, neither are you. If yours are having trouble getting regular Zs, there’s a new-ish app called Moshi that could be helpful. Basically, the app features a number of ways to get your kid to sleep: via meditation, soothing music or bedtime stories, read by stars like Goldie Hawn. You can test it out with a free, seven-day trial (link is over the company’s name).
Cool Diversions
Sweet Melissa
Man, I would’ve thought she’d have stopped a long time ago. But every day of the week on Facebook Live, you can catch Grammy- and Oscar-winning musician Melissa Etheridge performing live for fans in her awesome wo-man cave, raising funds for various nonprofits and seemingly having a bang-up time. Catch her show from this past Saturday above—or you can just tune in today, whenever she happens to be jamming.
Parting Shots
With news that there could potentially be a Major League Baseball season as early as July, we thought it fitting to end with a little baseball-related music. Since we know the Capital Region is full of both Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees fans, we’ve included the yin and yang of rivalry-related songs to get you in the spirit.
