This post was written by our resident Senior Career Coach, Elissa Harris. To sign up for a free 30-minute career consultation with Elissa, please click here. 

We all need a break from reading about the spread of COVID-19; consider using your time to delve deeper into areas of interest. Check out a few recent news articles that caught the attention of mbaMission’s Career Coaches: 

• “If You Can Answer Yes to Any of These 5 Questions, Your Emotional Intelligence Is Perfectly Suited for This Crisis” by Marcel Schwantes – Seek ways to identify your own level of emotional intelligence—a skill especially valued during uncertain times. 
• “Start-Ups Are Pummeled in the ‘Great Unwinding’” by Erin Griffith and “Some VCs Urge Startups to Jump on Opportunities Amid Downturn” by Yuliya Chernova – Understand more about the impact of our current economy on the start-up world. 
• “Combating COVID-19: Insights by Sector” by Deloitte – Read sector-specific insights on the impact of COVID-19 on our economy. 
• “We Get, and Give, Lots of Bad Advice. Here’s How to Stop.” by Adam Grant – Find ways to get the best advice on making important decisions.  
• “To Weather a Crisis, Build a Network of Teams” by Andrea Alexander, Aaron De Smet, Sarah Kleinman, and Marino Mugayar-Baldocchi (McKinsey) – Look for ways your organization can drive forward progress during these uncharted times. 
• “How to Transition Between Work Time and Personal Time” by Elizabeth Grace Saunders (HBR) – Learn time management tips for new remote working environments. 

And, of course, we are doing some lighter reading, too: a list of what is currently streaming on Netflix! 

Reading is a perfect way to build your expertise and develop a more in-depth perspective on the challenges (and opportunities) facing your target industries and companies. If you are looking for inspiration, consider the following resources: 

• Find the key influencers in your area(s) of interest and follow them on LinkedIn and Twitter (or other social media platforms). 
• See what professors at top business schools, including HBS, the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and UCLA Anderson, are saying about the impact of COVID-19. 
• Read how your local community (and/or employer) is responding to support those in need; learn how you can contribute. 
• Tap in to the experts. Connect (virtually) with librarians at your business school library and tell them what you want to learn about. Ask your networking contacts for suggestions of podcasts or trade publications to read. Join LinkedIn groups relevant to your interests or target roles.