Logging in to professional networking sites such as LinkedIn these days needs loads of courage. The timeline is full of posts about people who have lost their jobs due to the COVID19 pandemic. And despite having skills that usually would get jobs easily, many people are unable to gain employment. Some experiences are so eerie that they would sound too good to be true. #OpenToWork and #jobseekersupport have stolen the march over all hashtags.

Yet, this is a reality. These people did nothing wrong, they just happened to be employed at a business that could not survive the full throttle of the pandemic. It is just misfortune befalling them for no fault of theirs. One can take precautions to keep the virus at bay, but one cannot do much to keep the virus attacking their employment. Such convalescence and despair is unprecedented.

But what keeps me going back to LinkedIn is the positive part of the pandemic. The timeline also has stories of people who have used this time as an opportunity to build their skills and learn something new. Screenshots of certificates earned during this period adorn the timeline. The realization that new skills, proficiency in existing skills, etc. is key to stay relevant and competitive has sunk in; and some people are doing just that. And just as the stories of lost jobs are depressing, these stories are stimulating and have triggered many more people to do the same.

Unintentionally LinkedIn has changed from being a mere networking portal into a place of highlighted contrasts in 2020. It is up to its users to draw the right influence and stop being conventional on what to look for, when they login. I hope this is the new normal here now.