{"id":100602,"date":"2020-09-29T13:00:27","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T18:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/?p=100602"},"modified":"2020-09-29T13:21:51","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T18:21:51","slug":"career-center-offers-advice-for-landing-a-job-during-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/career-center-offers-advice-for-landing-a-job-during-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Career Center Offers Advice for Landing a Job During Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Toni Avant<\/p><\/div>\n

OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 Finding gainful employment following graduation requires preparation, pursuit and perseverance, especially during a pandemic when many job-hunting processes have changed. To assist students in the process, University of Mississippi<\/a> Career Center staff are offering suggestions on how to connect with prospective employers.<\/p>\n

“The Career Center<\/a> team is here and available to meet with students to help them navigate their way through the job search process,” said Toni Avant, the center’s director. “We are here to help. All they have to do is reach out to schedule an appointment.”<\/p>\n

The center is hosting a virtual All Majors Career Expo from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 6). Ole Miss students must register for the event through the Handshake<\/a> employment platform to access and sign up on participating employers’ schedules.<\/p>\n

Students can meet with employers in a 30-minute group information session, or they can opt to sign up for 10-minute, one-on-one sessions during the expo’s afternoon run.<\/p>\n

“The expos allow students to explore internship and full-time career opportunities,” Avant said. “We strongly encourage students to research the participating employers beforehand, so that they can prepare a good list of questions to ask during the expo.”<\/p>\n

Informational resources on the center’s website suggest how to prepare for virtual interviews, Avant said. She and other staff are available to help students with preparing their employment documents, practicing interviews, introducing them to the Handshake platform and showing them how to access all the resources available on this system.<\/p>\n

“Realistically speaking, I would say that students need to be prepared to expand their search, geographically, and to consider alternate careers, in addition to that one ‘dream job’ they may have desired since entering college,” she said. “I would encourage students to broaden their options and look for ways to get some additional training or certifications to ramp up their credentials, so that they can create greater appeal for potential employers.”<\/p>\n

A number of free, short-term training programs are also available online.<\/p>\n

“Adding a little something extra to your portfolio of academic and cocurricular experiences can only help in the job search process, especially when it is an employer’s market,” Avant said.<\/p>\n

Other suggestions for job-hunters are:<\/p>\n