Students Engage in Innovative Career Planning and Job Search in the Time of COVID

The BMCC Center for Career Development coaches students to job search online and compete in the remote workplace.
The BMCC Center for Career Development coaches students to job search online and build skills for the remote workplace.

November 4, 2020

“Career thinking and planning is on students’ radar the day they arrive at BMCC,” says Christopher Thunberg, Director of the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNYCenter for Career Development. “We help them solidify their plans and we share career information with them through the lens of BMCC’s Academic and Career Communities, as well as through extracurricular, co-curricularand on-campus experiences such as job fairs and free workshops — all of which are online now.”

That switch to full virtual delivery of services happened last spring as classes at BMCC moved to an online format, and New York City went into quarantine in response to the rapidly expanding coronavirus pandemic.

“Student career readiness and employer engagement — in this unsettled time — are more critical than ever,” Thunberg says. “We have always been focused on preparing students for what’s next. Now we’re finding that a few key things we’ve stressed in the past are essential strategies today, as students explore the pandemic-impacted workforce environment.”

These strategies include embedding career awareness into as many sides of the student experience as possible, doubling down on the importance of technology literacy, building social capital through mentoring and internships, and recognizing that academic skills — to communicate, analyze, problem solve and work with a team — are also valuable workplace skills.

The remote workplace “isn’t a phase”

“Today’s focus on the remote workplace isn’t just a phase,” says Thierry Thesatus, Associate Director of Career Services and Employer Relations.

“A number of tech companies; Twitter and others, have said they may not ever go back to the huge office buildings they once used to house employees. Even when the pandemic is no longer a threat, they may continue to allow staff to work remotely on platforms such as Sales Force, Google and others.”

The Career Center itself is a model for the successful delivery of remote services — and many of these robust strategies are likely to remain, even after in-person services are once again an option.

“We are set up now to accommodate virtual walk-ins, and our students can upload their resumes and use the job search functions of our online database, Career Express,” Thesatus says. “We coach them through the interview process, provide job fairs and encourage career exploration — all online.”

Communication skills are more important than ever

In order for students to take full advantage of career development resources at BMCC, they need to strengthen their communication skills, says Driada Rivas, Associate Director of the Center for Career Development.

“We have always stressed the importance of communication in job search and career exploration activities,” she says. “Now, when all communication is online, being comfortable enough in these new formats to ask questions, articulate expectations and get a point across is critical.”

To help students develop their online communication skills, “We do one-on-one coaching,” Rivas says. “We do mock interviews and continue our coaching sessions as they go through the steps of building a resume, applying for a job and meeting with an employer.”

In addition, Rivas says, workshops have been developed that are relevant to the pandemic-informed environment.

“One of our new workshops focuses on wellness and reducing the stress of the job search by using mindfulness techniques,” she says. “One looks at how expectations of employers are shifting to an emphasis on technical skills and the ability to adapt quickly to new environments.”

Still another workshop, she says, helps students clarify their career goals.

“That’s not a new idea for a workshop,” Rivas says, “but it’s especially important now for students to focus in a guided way on what they envision as their career path. It helps ground them in a time when their focus is scattered by the unrelenting changes they are dealing with.”

In a time of change, creativity emerges

As challenging as virtual career development might sound, “It gives us great opportunities to be creative,” says Thesatus.

While students develop online interviewing skills and career awareness, staff at the Center for Career Development model how to use various platforms in new ways.

“We meet the students ‘where they’re at’ on social media,” Thesatus says. “For example, on Instagram we are able to go live using two phones and two Instagram accounts. My colleague Elaine Flowers went live with a human resources specialist, asking him what employers are looking for. Students were able to watch the conversation and direct questions to the guest speaker himself.”

Creativity can also mean being innovative with familiar resources such as LinkedIn.

“We want students to see it not just a platform for their resume and a way to connect with employers, but as a way to build networks with peers, faculty, staff and alumni of BMCC,” says Thesatus. “We’ve also guided students to take advantage of resources such as LinkedIn Learning, so they can develop the technical skills that employers, especially now, are looking for.”

Another opportunity for BMCC students can happen remotely in the form of a micro or short-term internship, such as those offered by Parker Dewy, an employer connected with the BMCC Center for Career Development and which provides project-based student internships with a deliverable — a tangible product such as a PowerPoint presentation — provided by the student intern.

“This is a great way for students to build inroads into various industries,” Thunberg says, adding that another way for students to build a bridge to professional opportunities is to take advantage of alumni events at BMCC.

“Alumni provide professional role models that relate to students’ career interests.” he says. “It is eye-opening for them to hear the voices of professionals who were once BMCC students, themselves. Students benefit from hearing alumni perspectives, and can develop them as allies and champions who open doors to opportunities in their field of interest.”

Matching student skills and goals with evolving employer needs

Something that hasn’t changed since COVID-19 hit, is the Center for Career Development’s emphasis on building strong alliances with employers whose mission aligns with students’ career goals.

“We’ve been reaching out to employers in a lot of different industries; finance, business management, technology, communications, human services and others, since we switched online,” says Thesatus.

The Center for Career Development has hosted Zoom panels in which employers talk about their recruitment needs. In the remote workplace, he says, students’ facility with technology, which has always been important, is absolutely critical.

“We’ve also connected with our contacts at Microsoft,” says Thesatus. “They’ve facilitated a number of Excel and other free workshops in collaboration with student groups at BMCC like UMLA, ASAP, College Discovery and others including Student Affairs and the Panther Partner mentoring program.”

“We have been expanding what it means to be technically proficient,” Thunberg explains. “It’s not just office productivity students need to focus on now, but how to use Microsoft Teams, or platforms like Zoom and team chat platforms. We are also helping them to explore how office programs, spreadsheets, design applications and other tools can be maximized in the collaborative virtual environment.”

In addition, says Thesatus, while there has always been an emphasis on the development of a personal brand or style of presentation, “The focus now is an online brand that students can develop using resources we’ve developed through partnerships with companies such as Way Up, which links undergraduate students or those who have just graduated with employers. Our students are able to submit applications to the Way Up staff and receive feedback within 48 hours.”

Feeling comfortable with the video or online interview is another area of focus that now takes on heightened significance.

“Even before the COVID crisis, employers were moving toward virtual interviews, at least for the first round — and now that’s all they have,” Thunberg says. “Students have to be prepared for confident, successful interviews and presentations, so we offer training and workshops to build their skills in those areas.”

The employer perspective: Patrick Splitt, District Sales and Operations Manager, Fastenal

Among the employers who have provided opportunities to students and participated in BMCC Career Fairs over the years is Fastenal, one of the world’s largest construction supply companies.

Patrick Splitt, a Fastenal District Sales and Operations Manager for New York City and Long Island, first learned about the company at a college career fair when he was a student himself at the University of Pennsylvania. As someone who has experienced career fairs from both sides, job seeker and employer, he has a good perspective on their switch to a virtual format.

“At Fastenal, we’ve already participated in online career fairs with BMCC, and we’re all getting used to how the world has changed,” Splitt says. “In some regards it’s easier. Instead of transporting a booth into an auditorium where students can stop by and talk to us, the digital approach is proving to be a good way of meeting more students one on one.”

“Either way,” he says, “virtual or face-to-face, the career fair is an opportunity to educate students about what we do and how big the organization is. Fastenal is a $6 billion, business-to-business Fortune 500 company that most students haven’t heard of. We are definitely looking for interns and students interested in part-time positions. We promote from within, so internships can sometimes roll into full-time positions. We’re looking to fill our pipeline so part-time positions are also good training ground to promote into a full-time job.”

Fastenal has hired BMCC students for the last 15 years, he says. “Most of these positions are sales-related or managerial positions. In the past, we’ve placed employees at our brick-and-mortar locations for the wholesale trade, selling in bulk to manufacturers and government contractors.”

Before the pandemic, “We were more forward-facing with customers and recruiting, but now as an organization, we’ve adapted by using platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom.”

Community colleges, he says, are a good place to recruit entry-level employees.

“There is an awareness of professional goals in the community college environment. The students might have a little more of a blue-collar background; they’re helping to pay for their own college, working in retail and restaurants. We’re looking for outgoing, ambitious and hardworking people to hire, and that’s what we find at BMCC.”

The student perspective: Attending workshops and a career fair 

In early Fall 2020, the Center for Career Development presented an online talk, “The 60-Second Pitch,” by Precision PR founder Rochelle Hill.

Hosted by Driada Rivas, the workshop provided tips on how to maximize a first meeting with a human resource or hiring manager.

“Planning is the most important part,” Hill advised. “If you understand what you may be walking into, you’re going to be much more comfortable. It’s important in a competitive landscape to understand and be clear about what you’re looking for: Remote-only work? Full time? Part time? Do you want to use a computer? Are you comfortable engaging face to face? Also, make sure you understand the company and what they stand for.”

She also offered encouragement: “Remember, you’re interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. You’re a fresh voice, a fresh face. You have fresh eyes when you join a company. You may see things they might not see.”

Students engaged in a conversation with Hill, asking questions such as, “Are there subjects to stay away from, in an interview?” and “What if they offer something I’m not qualified for?”

After preparing their interview skills in workshops, BMCC students including Psychology major Kenia Nunez attended a virtual Career Fair presented by the Center for Career Development in Fall 2020.

“We had break-out rooms and I talked to employers from three companies, at least two people from each company,” says Nunez. “One of the employers was looking for a nurse. One was a recruiter and gave me options for where my resume might fit. I sent my resume to her afterwards, and somebody got back to me, asking when was my best time for an interview. The third employer was a school looking for teacher’s aides, an elementary school.”

Nunez, who lives in the Bronx, is currently working as a home health aide. Her goal is to build a career in mental health care.

“I would like to work with kids in the school in a clinic, kids that need counseling for their mental health,” she says. “Kids really need it right now, this is a very stressful time. Remote learning is not a good environment for most children.”

“I have a lot on my plate, even though I’m in school part-time,” she says. “I’m a wife, I’m a mother — but in my classes, I only need to be a student. Sometimes it’s hard. I feel like, ‘Do you really want this?’ And the answer is ‘Yes.’ ‘Yes, I do.’”

 

The BMCC Center for Career Development is open and ready to assist students in preparing for new jobs and internships. Students are invited to schedule a virtual walk-in and learn about resources by clicking here.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • In the COVID era, student career readiness and employer engagement are more critical than ever

  • BMCC Center for Career Development applies creative strategies to guide students through the virtual job search and build workplace skills

  • The Center surveys employers in zoom panels to gauge their changing recruitment needs

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