In the spring, career centers are an important source of support for students preparing for a diploma or summer internship. With the economic situation uncertain, these services are more important than ever, but the way students access them will change.

Due to the epidemic of the coronavirus, we have already closed the campus for several months. Due to the potential for additional closings in summer and fall, university career centers are shifting from personal services to online services.

Lakeisha Mathews, Director of the Internship and Internship Center at the University of Baltimore, says the impact of the pandemic has been significant in how its employees “engage students in a virtual environment and help them find work and surf the Internet. ” Workers “.

A survey by the National Association of Universities and Employers (NACE) revealed that “99% of career centers continue to be virtually connected to students after COVID-19”. This is done through a variety of resources and services designed to help students advance their career planning and job search processes.

5 Ways To Use Online Career Centers

In a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, a new survey was published by Handshake, a job search partner at many universities. The group identified five ways students currently want to work with their school’s professional services offices.

Fortunately, many career centers are already changing the way they offer their services to better meet the needs of students.

Make an appointment online for career advice

In the past, students could visit their career center and speak personally with a counselor during arrival times or when scheduling an individual appointment. In recent weeks, however, these sessions have gone online quickly.

The Life Design Lab at Johns Hopkins University now offers hours of daily care via the Web Zoom conference platform. Likewise, Mathews said that students at the University of Baltimore can access “online career counseling” via Zoom. The school has also implemented a chat function in its UB works career management system.

Ask which employers are still hiring

Despite recent reports that companies are filing for bankruptcy, temporarily closing or laying off large numbers of workers, many employers continue to hire and even organize online recruiting sessions.

According to the NACE survey, 61% of employers in mid-April said that they were not currently canceling any job offers. It also appears that recruitment will continue through special events such as the Illinois Virtual Recruitment Week at the University of Illinois. For more information on vacancies, see the list of companies that are currently recruiting.

Get feedback on your professional profile online

When you lasted updated your LinkedIn profile? If it’s been a while, it’s a good time to do it. Read our guide on using LinkedIn as a student.

The professional service center at your university can also provide useful reviews and recommendations to enhance your profile. Another solid reference you can use is the LinkedIn student resource collection.

Consider not only what your profiles say about you, but also where your profiles will be published. Although LinkedIn is generally considered a social referral network for professional and professional needs, it is certainly not the only option available.

Ask your professional advisers for additional information on online niche communities that focus on your area of ​​interest. For example, Dice is a networking platform that shares resources, advice, and job openings for technology professionals, while Idealist offers similar support to those interested in nonprofit organizations.

Meet employers with virtual events

Face-to-face meetings with employers were common events on campus, but virtual meetings are now a priority. The NACE survey found that almost half of employers “plan to use more virtual methods to recruit the 2021 class”.

 

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