Making career move during pandemic paid off for these new hires

Jan. 25, 2021

This paid piece is sponsored by Click Rain and was abbreviated for SiouxFalls.Business. Read the full article here.

To put it gently, the 2020 pandemic complicated employment for many Americans. Some were let go or furloughed; others actually found new work, if only through unusual processes like Zoom interviews or remote onboarding.

For a specific handful of individuals, 2020 will mark the year they began working at Click Rain.

Seven individuals, to be exact. We were fortunate to expand our team during 2020, but it wasn’t a walk in the park. In this post, you’ll hear from three new team members on how they navigated the unique challenges of a career move during a pandemic.

Casey Goodmund, designer

Designer Casey Goodmund has been working from home almost completely since she started in the summer. Her main challenge? Connecting with new co-workers and feeling part of the team.

“It’s been difficult to get to know my co-workers on a personal level being remote, which could have made me feel isolated. However, the people at Click Rain have been so intentional about reaching out to say hi or chat in a way that’s comfortable for all of us,” she said.

“That same intention shines in all that we do, from quick Zoom chats to catch-up on life and projects, online happy hours, holiday surprises, encouragement and weekly trivia games. These have all helped me feel like part of the team.”

Ellen Sandager, account executive

Ellen Sandager started at Click Rain about the same time as Casey. Working from home wasn’t an adjustment for her, however, as her former position was completely remote. The pandemic had more of an impact on her interview process.

“Probably the most memorable aspect from it all came from the fact that I originally interviewed for this position in late February/early March of 2020. Then two weeks later, when I hoped to get notified of a second interview, I was notified that due to the pandemic, all hiring was put on pause until further notice,” she said.

“Thankfully, we were able to resume conversations and have that second interview at the end of August — and it all worked out!”

Blake Hartman, associate web developer

Also hired during the summer, Blake Hartman is Click Rain’s first fully remote employee, stationed on the other end of the state in Spearfish.

His main challenge also was the virtual interview format.

“Changing jobs in the middle of a pandemic was definitely nerve-wracking. My palms were sweating horribly before my first Zoom interview. I remember pacing between my kitchen and office with a million thoughts running through my head,” he said.

“I usually depend on non-verbal communication to connect with people, so having to rely on myself to formulate and articulate answers had me worried. As soon as I started talking to Carissa and Brady, though, all of those nerves were out the window. There was just a certain calm and ease to the conversations with them, and that feeling has carried on through today.”

Click Rain made four additional creative department hires in 2020: video production strategist Andy Dykstra; content writer Cameron Brooks; director of creative Tara Adamson; and designer Kayla Hoover.

Administrative challenges

On the administrative side, we also encountered new challenges regarding hiring, interviews, onboarding and beyond. Read the full article to hear from Carissa Schoffelman, vice president of administration, on how we made the best of it all.

True, the pandemic isn’t done. Click Rain isn’t done growing, either. We recently announced a new partnership with our friends at Lemonly, and we’re currently looking for a new account associate to join our team. Maybe it’s you?

Click Rain acquires Lemonly

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Making career move during pandemic paid off for these new hires

They started new jobs during the pandemic but navigated through it with help from the team. Click Rain’s newest hires take us inside their 2020 hiring.

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