What Lessons Can We Learn from Covid?

About a year ago, life took a turn none of us saw coming. But in agriculture, isn’t that a fairly common statement? Wet springs, dry springs, excessive heat, floods, damaging winds, rising or falling markets…any of these can mess up our plans. The unexpected is expected in a typical year in the world of agriculture. But with Covid-19, the blast of the unexpected was more severe than usual and the negative impact was farther reaching. Although we can’t change it now, the big question is, what good will we learn from Covid?

A year ago, many of us thought Zoom meant something was flying past us at a high rate of speed. But now, without Zoom, MS Teams, or a variety of other on-line video connection tools, we realize many of us would not have been able to do our jobs during the past year. Zoom invites have greatly outnumbered birthday or dinner invites and getting together on Zoom-type technology truly

has become the next best thing to being there…at a time when in many cases we just could not be “there."

I’ve talked to many professionals who have enjoyed the efficiency and benefits of working from home while missing the camaraderie of the workplace. The redesigning of what “work” looks like for millions of people has allowed many to spend extra time with family, work more efficiently, and avoid commute time. One young parent recently told me, “I can’t imagine having missed the chance to spend this much time with my young kids. Previously, I would have missed it and never known the difference.”

Covid-19 has indeed brought much suffering and pain to the world. But because of Covid, our ways of doing business and living our lives continue to change and adapt, and we must take steps to learn new ways and new habits. We can fight the change, or we can embrace it and realize some good has indeed come amidst the woes of Covid.

To help us embrace the use of video technology, please take a look at “8 Tips to Help You Nail Your Video Interview”, an article that will help you successfully utilize video technology for any purpose.

The uncertainty of last year brought a lot of things into perspective for me. Having more “free” time to think about my personal goals, I realized there wasn’t a better time than now to put more focus into my health.

I’ve never been a morning person and just a couple months ago, if you asked me to get up with you before the sun to work out, I would have kindly declined. A good friend of mine decided to ask anyway, and here I am now, getting up to do a kickboxing class at 5 a.m.! The most shocking part to me is that I absolutely love it!

It’s always a good idea for us to take time for ourselves, which is something I am working on getting better at. I want to make 2021 the best it can be! It’s never too late to make improvements to better your health! Wishing you all a healthy, happy, productive 2021!

1) Get rid of distractions
“Obviously you don’t want a child crawling on your lap or a dog barking during your interview, but smaller distractions like a text message or even a neighborhood child falling from his bike outside your window can throw you off.

In a face-to-face meeting, distractions are shared, and so both the interviewer and the candidate break from the conversation at the same time. But in a Zoom interview, the hiring manager won’t know that there’s a knock at your door or an email notification on your screen. You could miss an important detail, a question or an opportunity to display your knowledge. Turn off those notifications and set up in a quiet, distraction-free area.

Do you have the grit to not give up and stay true to the course, no matter how difficult it may be? Are you competitive and possess a strong sales mentality where every “no” is just one step closer to a “yes”?

If so, and you have a passion for connecting with and helping people, plus a strong agricultural industry background in agronomy, grain, or other areas, please contact Dave Allen. We would enjoy having a discussion with you about how a recruiting career may be a great fit for you.

Founded in 1995, AGRI-SEARCH is a professional recruiting firm providing clients with customized recruiting solutions in various niches within the agricultural industry. Our success results from our industry focus, our specialized approach to recruiting, and our staff's lifelong roots in, dedication to, and vast understanding and knowledge of the agricultural industry.

At AGRI-SEARCH, our mission states that we “are committed to serving the agricultural industry with integrity, passion and excellence by assisting our candidates to reach their career goals and helping our client companies build successful teams.”