The Office of Career Development has adapted to the new remote environment and is now offering many of its services digitally with many future events.

According to Senior Career Development Specialist and Coordinator for the Mosaic Mentorship Program Sara Osorio, the office has been developing new ways to interact with students and to provide their services virtually prior to Spring Break.

The office showed its resilience by providing one of its major events virtually.

“Our major event, the Career & Internship Expo, was offered virtually,” Osorio said. “Over the past few weeks, Career Coaches worked closely with over 100 students to review their resumes for approval and inclusion in the Resume Packet sent to employers registered for the Expo.”

Career Coaches have prepared themselves to handle the new circumstances. Students are still able to RSVP for sessions through the events tab of their Handshake accounts. All of the appointments are through Zoom meetings, where the student is required to email their document prior to the scheduling. The Career Coach will then walk the student through suggested revisions during the meeting.

Despite the remote circumstances, students have the time to focus on important aspects of their future, according to Osorio.

“This is an excellent time for students to focus on their career plans,” Osorio said.

Osorio also explained a few action steps that students can take during this time. The steps include creating a well-defined career objective, perfecting their resume and cover letter writing skills, flexing their networking skills to build their professional network, perfecting their interviewing skills, continuing to apply to positions that interest them, starting a spreadsheet to track their outreach and learning a new skill that can be leveraged within the industry or field they are seeking to pursue. She also explained that the Career Center can help students achieve the steps and that Career Coaches have a number of useful resources under the “Resources” tab of their Handshake account.

The Career Center is also working on adding more virtual resources for students to excel their careers.

“We will be hosting ‘Career Meet-Ups’ to serve as a discussion opportunity for students to hop on a zoom chat, ask questions and share their own experiences with fellow Gaels,” Osorio said. “The first one was hosted on Tuesday, April 7 at noon. The next one will be held on Thursday, April 23 at 3 p.m.”

The office is also working on creating a virtual mini-series of workshops that will be available on Handshake to provide students with quick access to career advice.