Career Trends: Career Pivots in the time of a pandemic

4 min read

Edition: May 23rd, 2021
Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS


As the pandemic continues to impact our lives, the need to pivot has hit people and companies alike. (Image Credit: Freepik)

Excerpts from article by Ajay Patnaik, published in peoplematters.com

With the COVID-19 pandemic refusing to abate and countries across the world dealing with slowdowns and disruptions, both individuals and organisations have had to pivot to remain relevant.

Organisations, by and large, had to pivot business operations and strategies to suit online models. Meanwhile, people had to pivot in their professional and personal lives, as they started working from home. 

A recent study found that cases of depression, anxiety and loneliness were on the rise in professionals, leading to decreased work satisfaction even in those who retained their jobs.

If you too have been thinking, “what’s next?”, here are some trending job roles / opportunities that may go well with your career-pivot plans:

1. Content Creators

With the advent of social media and online networking platforms, there has been a steady growth in content creators across the board. The number of popular podcasters, bloggers, vloggers, youtubers, etc., has been rising continuously with the increase in social platforms and smartphone users.

A lot of organisations are trying to pivot to a digital offering, with new ways of monetising content. So, content creators, who can help businesses tap into this potential, will definitely be in high demand for their services.

2. Digital Marketers / Social Media Managers

With exponential increase in social media users, brands are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to connect with potential customers.

However, digital media is a relatively new revenue stream for most companies that have been around for a while. It is here that these businesses require digital marketing and social media management expertise – to help navigate and thrive in the online space.

3. Cybersecurity Experts

With employees working from home, one of the risks companies run is the security of sensitive and confidential information. This has led to a rise in companies adopting stricter measures to protect their data.

Making employees use company-provided laptops, using VPNs and work monitoring tools have become commonplace. This has in turn fueled an increase in cybersecurity jobs.

4. Real Estate Agents

Yes, you read that right. Since the beginning of the pandemic, real estate rents have had to take a hit the world over. However, the rates of properties have bounced back in several places after the initial shock, without any significant downward trend. 

India is one of those countries that has seen a steady growth in new infra projects. As a result, real estate companies are looking for agile, digitally savvy learners who are open to upskill in a changing environment.

5. Sales & Business Development Managers

With businesses having to pivot quickly in order to just survive when the pandemic hit, many operations, especially sales, had to be moved online. As a result, hiring of people proficient in online sales has picked up. 

2021 presents sales companies with a unique opportunity. There are a lot of people out of work due to various reasons. This also means that a lot of top talent is available for sales recruitment across industries.

6. Internal Job Postings

While 2020-21 has been a year for people to reflect and re-evaluate their career trajectory, it does not mean that people have to leave their organisation to see growth.

Due to the streamlined nature of most companies these days, an opportunity for growth can be found within one’s organisation too – in another role, perhaps.

Shifting between roles within the same organisation benefits both parties, as the organisation gets a trusted employee to fill the requirement, and the employee gets to grow and advance his/her career. Internal Mobility has become one of the key tools in staffing today.


(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)

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