College students about to graduate are entering a field of uncertainty as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to put people out of jobs and renders some “non-essential.” What was once the hottest job market is now at a total standstill, and just this week 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment. 

Spinnaker spoke to Associate Director & Adjunct Instructor of the Career Development Center Scott Curry to find out what graduating students can do about employment in these uncertain times. 

Challenges For Graduates Entering Job Market

Curry talked about what the challenges for graduates entering the job market will be during the pandemic. 

“We are in an unprecedented time in which most employers have decided to halt or delay new-employee recruitment for the time being,” said Curry. “This means that newly-graduated Ospreys will likely face a delay for their first day on the job.”

However, Curry did note that there is opportunity for employment right away.

“Additionally students can still utilize our job board Handshake to see what opportunities are still being posted. It may seem crazy but our UNF career centers are still taking employer calls and emails this week to discuss hiring in the immediate term and for later summer/fall. Many companies are trying to plan for when we are on the other side of this when it comes to hiring from UNF.”

How to Cope With Not Finding Dream Job

There are ways that students can cope with chances of not landing a job in their field of choice.  No matter what, there are always other jobs out there that can lead to the job one desires. 

“We are still in the early stages of the impact of the virus on professions that require a college degree. Saying that a field of choice is closed to new graduates is a very broad statement and I don’t think that we are at a point yet where new graduates are being excluded from whole-fields. Accounting firms are still going to need Tax Accountants and companies will still need effective Public Relations Coordinators. That said we will have certain employers decide to delay or even cancel entry-level roles in the near-term, including internship programs in the Summer semester.”

What’s The Number One Issue At Hand

For many graduates, they don’t know what their top priority is at this point. It can seem to be the most difficult thing about. But according to Curry, Ospreys have to be ready and have a positive outlook no matter what. 

“This is a tough situation for sure, but our graduating Ospreys have worked hard to be ready to fly after graduation. This will pass in time but keeping an attitude of perseverance will go a long way,” Curry said. “Everyone is struggling right now but there will be another side and when we are finally there our Ospreys need to be ready to apply, interview and get to work at the position that they are wanting to be at.”

Additional Information

For any additional information on the subject at hand, the UNF Career team is ready to help you with any questions you may have. 

“Our UNF Career team is remote and ready to help you with any career questions via Zoom, phone or email. We can help you craft the best resume and show you how to effectively apply for the right roles. Additionally, our job and internship website Handshake is also being updated with all of the latest positions for students and alumni. On this site students can research employers, see upcoming events that we are doing remotely and apply for jobs.” 

Students can also use this site for more information on the UNF Career Services. 

No matter what the current challenges, UNF and UNF Career Development Center are here to help Ospreys succeed.

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