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MOMENTUM
A Web Letter from the Office of the Provost - April 2020

By Mary Jane Chew

Purdue Center for Career Opportunities expands virtual options

The Center for Career Opportunities (CCO) is leveraging its existing on-line tools and technology partnerships to continue its services for students and alumni in the new remote reality of COVID-19.

The CCO provides valuable career services to students and graduates and helps them make connections with professional opportunities. Before the shift to remote instruction, the center’s services involved a combination of on-campus job fairs, face-to-face career coaching and on-line options.

The center always has previously offered on-demand and on-line services, says Executive Director Tim Luzader, but now it’s flexing that muscle even more.

“We are now connecting one-on-one with students via WebEx or phone meetings and are hosting and participating in virtual job fairs,” says Luzader. “In addition, our popular On-Demand Resources continue to be available.”

The on-demand, virtual resources include mock interviews, resume review, career sector research, and help creating an elevator pitch.

Luzader says the CCO is addressing the absence of on-campus job fair opportunities by using its connections, partnerships and technology.

“For instance, last week our students participated in a Big Ten Plus consortium virtual job fair, which includes the 14 Big Ten institutions plus the University of Chicago, DePaul University and Notre Dame, “ he says. “This week, we hosted our own virtual job fair exclusively for Purdue students — 61 employers and more than 700 students participated.”

Luzader says the virtual fairs feature a series of on-line chat rooms.

“Students submit their resumes and indicate their employer interests, while organizations indicate whom they would like to invite to their exclusive chat rooms,” he says. “It is real-time engagement and sometimes students will experience employer representatives one-on-one in a chat room much like they would be at an in-person fair. Sometimes they are part of a small group conversation. Great connections are being made and jobs or internships will be offered to many students as a follow-up.”

Luzader says even with the current economic challenges, it’s not all bad news.

“I’m proud of employers that are taking risks to honor offers accepted by interns and graduates,” he says. “Some employers can simply transition a professional position from an on-site job to working remotely. While others are starting the onboarding process virtually with a plan to bring the employee/intern to their location at a later date.”

What hasn’t changed, according to Luzader, is the CCO staff’s commitment to go that extra mile for each student or graduate with whom they work.





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