The Student Professional Development Center continues to offer its service to students and alumni in search of work through virtual platforms.
Elon’s Student Professional Development Center is offering help to students – especially seniors – who are navigating a complicated spring job market in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The SPDC continues to operate virtually Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., to assist the Elon community with achieving their career goals. Students and alumni can make virtual appointments with the SPDC using the Elon Job Network. Career advisors are available to meet via WebEx, over the phone, live chat and in email with students and alumni seeking assistance in their search for internship, career or graduate school opportunities.
SPDC Executive Director Tom Brinkley says the center is dedicated to providing each senior the assistance they need as they prepare to begin careers following graduation. Citing data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, Brinkley says companies nationwide have slowed hiring as a result of COVID-19, but he is also urging students not to stop looking for work.
“Companies are still hiring,” Brinkley said. “We know that, we see that. We’re working hard to continue to post positions and reach out to recruiting companies.”
Brinkley and the SPDC encourage students to work even harder to navigate an unusual and unprecedented job market. That’s why advisors are ramping up efforts to provide students and alumni with the best possible service. This week, SPDC staff and career advisors for Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences; the School of Communications; and the Love School of Business have taken to virtual platforms to interact with students and have reached out to every Elon undergraduate student to offer their services.
The SPDC has also made several online career development tools available to students and alumni, including:
- Big Interview, a 24/7 online interview practice tool
- MyPlan, an online suite of career planning tools that walks students through a personality assessment, career interest inventory, resume preparation, and even major exploration and job samples (create an account and use code VAVDW5VQ to take assessments free of charge)
- Candid Career videos which provide career tips, industry and occupational information, and other “how to” tips related to career planning
The SPDC’s Corporate and Employer Relations team will also continue to reach out to employers to create one-on-one virtual engagement opportunities for students and post internship and full-time job opportunities on the Elon Job Network.
The university is adjusting internship requirements, allowing students to complete internships virtually when necessary. Brinkley says this is all in an effort to keep students encouraged and supported as they look toward the future.
“It is important to maintain positivity in a career search,” Brinkley said. “There will be lots of jobs out there. They may be delayed somewhat, and we’re seeing an overall slowdown, but this is temporary and provides an opportunity for us to stay ahead of the curve. So we encourage all of our graduates, spring graduates and internship seekers to really double down and work even harder this spring. This is an unusual and unprecedented job market, and we remain optimistic for our Elon students and graduates.”