During a hiring disruption, job seekers need to be doing more to stand out as a viable candidate. Common mistakes job seekers are currently making: unrealistic salary expectations, technical shortcomings, inflexibility and lack of empathy, say recruitment professionals.

As the unemployment rate reaches its highest point since the Great Depression, now is a critical time to learn soft skills to improve your career, writes Steve Herz, president of The Montag Group. By improving your authority, warmth and energy, you will be seen as indispensable through "connectability," he says.

As teams are led from a distance, it's important for CEOs to communicate compassionately, even through a screen. Tips for empathetic communication include using caring body language, being flexible, holding one-on-one meetings and demonstrating open communication, writes Beck Bamberger, founder of BAM Communications.

The Small Business Administration says about 8,000 businesses that applied for economic assistance had their data exposed via a weakness in the SBA's website. The lapse exposed the information of applicants for the Economic Injury Disaster Loans, not the Paycheck Protection Program.

Employers eager to call back workers to the office once stay-at-home directives are lifted should be aware some parents might have difficulty finding child care. Here are four ways to address the issue.

Gardening is providing relief from stress and anxiety and a sense of purpose for people during this time of uncertainty. It's also a way to connect with others, which is increasingly important as people stay physically apart, says social work professor Lindsay Stark.

Researchers say people will often face a decision knowing what choice offers the best chance for success and then go with a different option. Recency bias and "gut feelings" are often to blame for steering people away from what they know is the best choice.