By: Alex Willis
As the semester draws to a close, seniors might be thinking about what’s next. This new normal can be kind of scary because plans have changed.
Instead of walking across the stage at graduation and starting a new job, seniors face a world in which businesses have either closed or reduced hours. More people are working from home.
But Bellarmine Career Development is still available to help seniors find jobs and prepare for interviews.
Jackie McNatt, assistant director of Career Development, said the career center offers more resources than just those for job hunting. It offers support and can help prepare students for interviews, help students write resumes and cover letters, show students how to network, and assist with preparing for graduate school.
“Students need their resumes and cover letters to be tailored to each job/company, and our career advisors want to help you get those materials ready,” McNatt said. “We also offer mock interview appointments to help students practice their interviewing skills, and we will be offering virtual mock interviews for students using Microsoft Teams video chat.”
Austin Berger, a senior business administration major, said he isn’t too concerned with COVID-19 having an impact on his job search.
“I think after this COVID-19 stuff blows over people will get right back to where it was if not better. I think this stuff just has everyone shaken up,” Berger said.
As the demand for healthcare workers is on the rise, many nursing students are taking full advantage of the opportunities available. Senior nursing major CJ Corsiglia is going right into the workforce after he graduates.
“I currently have an internship working in the emergency department at Norton Hospital downtown,” Corsigli said. “Which is where I have accepted a full-time night shift position as a nurse following graduation.”
Some seniors are growing more worried as officials in some states are extending stay-at-home orders into the summer. This worries senior communications major Jeremy Crush.
Crush said ever since the COVID-19 pushed classes online he has been actively looking for jobs almost every day.
“I am very concerned about the job market opportunities due to COVID-19,” Crush said. “I originally planned on this semester to focus a ton on my classes, but because of COVID-19, I have been extensively researching job opportunities online every day.”
Morgan Merrill, a senior accounting major, said she accepted a job offer at Ernst & Young for January but is still slightly concerned how the pandemic could affect it.
“I am still concerned and have wondered if this will impact my start date or job security in any way,” Merrill said.
Some seniors are going to spend their next couple years going to graduate school.
“I’m planning on going to law school or possibly getting my MBA here at Bellarmine,” Berger said.
McNatt said although this may be a stressful time to be looking for a job, there are still plenty of opportunities out there.
“Seniors may need to exercise more patience with companies as they navigate hiring in these uncertain times,” said McNatt. “There are many companies nationwide that are now hiring.”
Corsiglia said he has used the resources at the career center to help improve his resume and cover letter.
“They have helped me a ton to find the right format and items to include on those professional documents, and I feel much more prepared for the professional world because of it,” Corsiglia said.
Merrill said she has taken full advantage of the career center and all the resources they offer. “During all four years of college, I have used the career center, probably more than any other resource on campus,” she said. “The staff helped me in more ways than I can count, and I would not have a job without them.”
The career development services are available to alumni as well. “We want seniors to know that we will always be here to help them along their career journeys,” McNatt said.
“We are also working in partnership with the Bellarmine School of Continuing and Professional Studies to create a free resource for all graduating seniors that will serve as a hub for their career development support,” she said.
To talk with someone from the career center, sign into Handshake and make an appointment or check out the career development resource page for tips on how to be career ready: