Post COVID-19 job scenarios from the perspective of a media agency

With the majority of the audience being stationed at home, our social life has turned upside down. Also, it is safe to assume that most individuals' work-life has been affected adversely. One has to get accustomed to changes in work patterns, working spaces, changes in the remuneration, and working hours. Additionally, the non-availability of work for people forced to quit or take permanent sabbaticals becomes a source of stress, anxiety, and depression. We would have never thought that a day would come wherein we would have to adapt to the concept of 'work from home' for such a long period.

The current pandemic has been an immense shock to our society and affected our economy adversely. However, a silver lining in this bleak scenario is the doors that have opened to explore new online courses along with polishing professional and communication skills. So many of us explored our hidden talents and have mastered skills that we could not have spared the time for during our routine work life. 

During the lockdown, things may look bleak for the masses out there, but there is a glimmer of hope to the situation. One can upgrade a few personal and professional skills while navigating jobs in the highly competitive market post the pandemic.

Essential job skills requirements in a post-pandemic scenario:

• Tech Savviness: Being tech-savvy is always an additional benefit while scouting for jobs. But due to the pandemic specializing in tech skills is now a necessity due to the current work from home culture.
• Research & Analytical skills: School and college degrees are not sufficient to get a job in today’s constantly changing market. One must have very strong skills in research and should be able to apply them for better exposures.
• Ideation & Innovation: Out of the box thinking and creativity will also make you stand out for potential job opportunities.                           
• Versatility: Versatility is always going to serve you an upper hand when applying for a job in comparison to your competitors. Also, one must always have an open approach to learning new things on a day to day basis.
• Pro-Active Approach: Being proactive is always beneficial in any type of work environment. Transforming positive energy and having a go-to attitude will always lead to achieving milestones successfully. 
• Multitasking: With the changes in the work cultures, one will have to manage multiple jobs and tasks within a day. It is now about having an open mindset, being able to work well under pressure, adjusting to new and unexpected deadlines, prioritizing tasks and in some instances taking on additional responsibilities.
• Effective Communication: Communication plays a vital role, especially during the pandemic as many of us are working from home so having crisp conversations through emails and virtual team meetings is necessary to fill in the gaps and retain better productivity.   
• Assertiveness: One must not fear to speak out regarding any concerns they may face, or opinions they may carry. Being assertive but also in a very professional way, wherein one can also put their point across but at the same time not hurt anyone’s sentiments is an essential skill-set to possess. 
• Critical Thinking: One must have a strong mind to solve problems and think firmly while analysing and making important decisions.
• Leadership: Being a strong team leader is one of the essential skills amongst the novel job opportunities. Communicating strategies and ideas with others and also embracing feedback from teammates and superiors are few ways of inculcating strong leadership skills.

Where will the new jobs come from?

The job industries that will be welcoming new joiners on board post the pandemic are mentioned below:

• Health Care Industry
• Agricultural Technology 
• Artificial Intelligence
• Media & Entertainment
• Finance & Banking
• E-learning
• E-Commerce

Being a part of the advertising and media fraternity gives us an insight as to how a variety of industries have been functioning. 

Specifically for the freshers within the industry, media gates have opened tremendously for the just graduated students stepping into the field. Individuals looking to get into the crux of the media industry are taken in due to job cuts of senior professionals, and young talent being in high demand. 

A bit of inside scoop from the media industry from our end shows you that the versatility of the industry – how certain industries are flourishing, while at the other end of the spectrum, a grey cloud looms over the businesses, where a ‘no profit’ approach is overpowering. The industries which have been hit the hardest are Real Estate, the Hospitality Industry, and the Food & Beverage Industry. The flourishing industries are Agricultural Technology, E-Commerce, and Edu Tech. 

According to various reports, one specifically conducted by Money Control – an analysis was done on the GVA at basic prices for the quarter from June to April. Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing increased by 3.40%, Financial, Real Estate and Professional services fell by 5.30%, while services like Trade, Hospitality and Transport fell by a whopping 47%. 

Overall, less as pioneers within the labyrinth of media, more as propagators of good health and self-care, we pride ourselves on the onboarded talent, clients, achievements and lessons learnt during the pandemic, and in the time that ensues.