Shift to Virtual Offerings a Success for the Office of Career and Professional Development

ALBANY, N.Y. (May 20, 2021) – UAlbany’s Office of Career and Professional Development has become a staple for helping students of all class years and majors prepare for their post-college journey. But, when COVID-19 shifted classes to fully remote last March, the career and professional development office, like most other units on campus, had to rethink the way it provides services and information.

Career Center Director Noah Simon walked us through some of the changes his team has made for virtual success.

Virtual Offerings

The Office of Career and Professional Development traditionally holds an annual career fair at SEFCU Arena. Due to the pandemic, four virtual career fairs were offered over the last two semesters instead, targeting students based on their area of study. Topic areas included: business, science and technology; health and human services; non-profit, law and government; and education.

Students were able to attend any of the virtual career fairs of interest through the University’s career services platform Handshake. More than 2,000 students and 250 employers registered for the events.

Simon and his team hosted a number of smaller virtual career and professional development workshops during both semesters as well.

“Developing an online career fair gave us the ability to quickly work through some of the obstacles that come with a virtual learning environment,” Simon said. “Along with our larger virtual career fairs, we were also able to host 100-plus career workshops over Zoom. There is a huge need for career and professional services during this time and I’m thrilled that we’re able to meet it.”

In addition to virtual career fairs and workshops, the career education staff and Peer Career Advisors (PCAs) remained available for students by doing virtual appointments. Professional staff and graduate assistants continued to help students with all areas of career and professional development as well.  The role of the PCAs is to offer resume and cover letter critiques with undergraduate students. Shifting to a Zoom platform allowed all the staff to continue to work with students regardless of whether they were on campus or fully remote, Simon said.

Looking Forward

Despite a planned return to in-person classes, Simon doesn’t anticipate the ability to host a traditional large-scale career fair this fall, but smaller campus recruiting opportunities with employers are likely to return. “We will work closely with our employer partners to help meet their recruiting needs,” he said.

Even when a large-scale event can be safely held, Simon expects his office to maintain some virtual offerings because of how well they were received by students over the past two semesters.

“The Office of Career and Professional Development plays a vital role in the success of our students. We could not be more grateful to have the ability to provide them with opportunities that can lead to internships, full-time employment, or even just the skills necessary to begin the job hunt,” Simon said. “Regardless of class year or status, we’re here to help.”

Check out the resources and latest offerings available through the Office of Career and Professional Development by joining its Handshake community.