With historic unemployment numbers caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, job recruiters are faced with an increasing number of people looking for work.

Recruitment director Jennifer Star, of the Bachrach Group, says that the “Friends” episode “The One with the Cop” contains some great advice for surviving in a post-pandemic world. In the episode, the characters are trying to move a couch up a flight of stairs. The character Ross Geller famously starts to shout “PIVOT!” while moving the couch around some corners.

“That’s what we need to do now. You need to be able to pivot,” says Star. “A lot of people now have to become creative with the kinds of jobs, the kinds of industries and positions that they’re applying for.”

Star, who has more than 20 years of experience in the field, says that she has never seen anything like this shift in the job market.

“There’s so many people overwhelmed reaching out daily,” she says.

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Star says that those looking for a new job should tailor their resumes to make it more specific to a certain job and to create a quiet space for virtual job interviews. She also says that those looking for work should consider learning a new language or learning about new technology to make themselves a more desirable candidate.

“You need to have tools in your toolbox that can be easily applied to the jobs that you are used to doing and you have to be able to transition into other positions,” Star says.

Star says that while the old jobs that everybody had may no longer be there, new ones are coming.

“Contract tracers. Who heard of that eight weeks ago? Now there’s going to be thousands of those jobs opening,” she says.

She says that in this job market it is important to always be willing to pivot and to be strategic in a job search.