From searching for jobs online to interviewing virtually, even working online, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way some people get and do their job.
"It definitely adds another element to do interviews online," said Alex McNair.
McNair applied for her new job just as the pandemic hit.
For everyone's safety, she and her prospective employer moved the interview from a traditional setting to a virtual one.
"Lytx was very forthcoming about health and safety and wanting to make sure everyone is taken care of," McNair said. "At that point, we transitioned online, and I think at that point it worked out really well for everyone."
McNair got the job.
She's a manager in customer support operations at Lytx, a fleet management solutions company. McNair now manages a team of people virtually.
"For me, of course, I want to see the office. I want to see where people sit, where they engage in a conference room, but for now working at a distance, I still get that culture and community," she said.
McNair said she'll eventually transition back into the office, at some point, but not everyone will transition.
Working remotely and communicating virtually will likely stick around for a while.
At a recent San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) meeting, some business leaders signaled a willingness to adapt to a new standard - people working outside a traditional office.
"Remote working has been a great experiment, and there have been some incredible national studies," said Kevin Carroll, executive director of Tech San Diego, during a May SANDAG meeting. "Workers are not losing productivity - many workers will not return to regular 9-to-5 office jobs."
According to CNN, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said as many as 50 percent of Facebook employees could be working remotely within the next five to 10 years.
The online job site FlexJobs said it experienced a 7% growth in the number of its remote job listings in April 2020 over March 2020. The increase came in jobs such as customer service, sales, and marketing.
McNair said if you're going to interview virtually, go with it and believe in yourself.
"You kind of just take one step forward, and you just keep moving forward and then it starts to sink in, this is moving forward in a positive direction," McNair said.
