Career Studio: UC students push professional goals forward

By Jenn Cammel and Rebecca Schweitzer

While the COVID-19 pandemic has changed so much of college students’ lives, one need remains the same: landing a job after graduation.

Toward that end, University of Cincinnati students, working through the Bearcat Promise Career Studio, serve as peer coaches, mentoring students with advice for building resumés and cover letters, interviewing, navigating career platforms such as LinkedIn and Handshake and upcoming virtual career fairs.

The Bearcat Promise Career Studio, which opened in 2019 in UC’s Tangeman University Center, offers full-service job search coaching to students seeking their next step out of college. The center supports UC’s strategic direction Next Lives Here, and its Bearcat Promise that UC students leave college with a degree in one hand, and a career plan in the other.

With spring semester about a month away, A&S students can take advantage of these services to prepare for upcoming college career events, including Spring Career Fair: Professional Day on Tuesday, Feb. 9, and the A&S Career Fair scheduled for Wednesday, March 31.

Here, four peer career coaches from A&S share their experiences and top tips for job searches during COVID and beyond.

As the job market adjusts to the impact of COVID, so does the university in preparing students for a career after school. Because of the pandemic, students may have to learn new skills or approach problems differently than they would before, says Prabhakar. 

One thing students should keep an eye out for when applying for jobs is how companies and industries have responded to the pandemic. Some industries are suffering more than others right now—such as dental services and the film industry—and if your intended market is not doing great, it might be beneficial to broaden your search, he says.

While this may seem concerning for students whose intended career paths have been impact, Prabhakar reminds them that this is temporary. “Just remember this pandemic will not last forever,” Prabhakar says. “Everyone has adapted in some way and there is only so much in our control, so be prepared to shift gears if needed.” 

Prabhakar recommends that job-searching students familiarize themselves with a full suite of online video platforms — tools such as Zoom, Webex, Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, Skype and other similar services. Having experience with these platforms will relieve stress if students are required to use one for an interview or meeting, he says.

Another tip Prabhakar offers is that students get as much work experience as they can, even if some of it is unpaid. Volunteer or shadowing experience can be helpful while students look for a full time job or internship, he says. 

Finally, Prabhakar reminds students to try to “maintain a positive attitude during this time. It really is easy to get upset and depressed due to some virus which changed our lives.

“Keep your head up, and keep looking forward for opportunities,” he says. 

Wood started working at the Bearcat Promise Career Studio last semester after a professor often assigned homework that required going to the studio.

“It was really nice that I got to experience a lot of what the studio offered before I applied there,” Wood says. “I had my resumé reviewed by the studio before I applied to work there. I actually met my boss for the first time at an On-Campus Co-Op Career Fair held in the Career Studio.”

In addition to adjusting to her new job this semester, Wood had to adjust to the studio changing in accordance with the campus’s COVID restrictions. Students are required to wear a mask when entering the studio and check in at the front desk. They then sit six feet away from the peer coach for a resume review. When a student finishes a session, the area is cleaned for the next person.

This service is also provided electronically, with the student emailing the document to the peer coach for feedback. Students also can attend the studio’s virtual hours, where they can video chat with their peer coach. Students can also simply submit their resume to the studio’s email at careerstudio@uc.edu for feedback.

Wood, who may see 20-25 people during her shift, says she's thankful for the methods used to keep students safe as well as for allowing for a place where students can get advice and guidance as they head towards their future career.

“It is a really nice and easy process,” Wood says.

Featured image at top: Student working remotely. Image by StockSnap from Pixabay.