Job expert offers recent graduates advice for job hunt amid pandemic

PHILADELPHIA - The coronavirus has taken a toll on many, but recent and upcoming graduates are feeling it more as they get ready to enter the job world.

The uncertainty of not being able to have a graduation or to not be able to celebrate their final moments before hitting the job market may be unsettling but one job expert is offering advice to job hunting during the pandemic.

Rick Hearin, the Executive Director of Career Exploration and Success at Rutgers University appeared on Good Day Philadelphia to offer his advice to recent graduates of the Class of 2020 about to head into the job market at a time where jobs are hard to find.

“There’s a couple things that come most readily to mind for graduating seniors and the first one of those is to take advantage of the full reign of services available at their colleges and universities, particularly through the university’s career centers or offices like mine in career exploration and success, ” offers Hearin.

While taking advantage of all the resources that universities have to offer their students as they are leaving, Hearin says that it’s important to focus on the skills that interviewers are looking for.

“In this kind of a job market, it is really very, very important to concentrate on the fundamentals, to be well-prepared for interviews and to have flawless paperwork, to have well-prepared resumes.”

The job market may look a little bleak to students leaving the comforts of college life, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, but Hearin says to not wait and to take the opportunities now to jump in.

“You shouldn’t wait for this job market to become better before you jump into it. The best opportunities are going to go to the students who jumped into it now and persist, even in light of the difficulties that they are going to find at least initially. But there are opportunities out there and employers want to hire talent.”

Organizations like Macy’s and CVS Health who are currently helping through the pandemic are places that Hearin says are looking for help. He says looking through smaller retailers rather than bigger ones may be the way for graduates to go, at least for now. As for finishing the school year, Hearin says not to let up and to finish the rest of the year strong.

“One word of wisdom that I pass along to students is don’t let up on your academics now, achieve a strong finish as you complete your senior year because many employers do look at grades and grade trends. So those who stay engaged in their academic pursuits are going to have a competitive advantage.”

The Class of 2020 may be missing on some key moments of their lives from the coronavirus pandemic, but it doesn’t mean that they have to stop fighting. While Hearin suggests having possible back-up plans for employers, he says that all the tools are right in front of them to succeed and they can all be found at the student’s university career centers.