Graduating seniors and other students can land jobs and internships even amid the pandemic if they keep an open mind, says the executive director of the Toppel Career Center.
“The worst thing students can do during this time is have a lot of criteria when looking for job,” Christian Garcia said. “When you do that, you see the positions just diminishing and diminishing,”
Garcia, also an associate dean, compares the current job market to the recession of 2009, especially for students.
“This is not the time to be picky,” he said.
But finding employment in a country coming out of a pandemic can be grueling, said Justin Arenas, a senior motion pictures production major.
Photo credit: Toppel Career Center
The Toppel Career Center is hosting the annual Career Expo this Wednesday, Feb. 24 from 1-5 p.m. However, unlike years prior when the event was hosted at the Watsco Center, the event is being hosted exclusively online. A total of 53 employers ranging from Amazon to Aldi will be set up on a Handshake platform for students to meet with virtually.
Students must have registered for the event via Handshake, under the ‘fairs’ tab on the website. Students can register for one-on-one 10 minute sessions with individual employers or for larger 30-minute group sessions.
“The group sessions range from discussing the culture of the workplace to positions that they are hiring,” said Sasha Espinola, assistant director for Career Events at the Toppel Center.