Jobs and Internships During Hard Times

Jobs and Internships During Hard Times

By: Olivia Rae Hernandez

LOS ANGELES- 

Landing internships and jobs is a feat of its own.

Now with COVID-19, a worldwide pandemic, it has presented new challenges for college students seeking a job. Internships are a key part of developing your skills and using what you learn in the classroom to apply it in real life during college. 

According to the U.S. News, Blake Barnes of LinkedIn said, “We did see a lot of companies step back and reassess their hiring needs,” Barnes says. “As a result, the number of jobs available on the (LinkedIn) platform did decline substantially.”

Due to the economy shutting down, most businesses did not hire potential or already committed college students because of quarantine orders and having to cut costs to keep their business afloat. 

“I lost my internship at Tinder due to coronavirus and it just set back when I wanted to start working. I was bummed for a while because I wanted to start working this summer and I’ll have to wait till hopefully next summer so I can work there,” said Chris Pimentel real estate major of the University of Southern California. 

This is just one case of many college students losing an opportunity to expand their skills. 

One of the top jobs for interns right now from Glassdoor data is health-related jobs. These are surgical, RA and volunteer listings that are in a hiring surge. In fact, Glassdoor listed over fifty jobs all across the United States. 

Most of the top available jobs currently are those that are considered “essential” or that can be completed remotely. Some companies that are continuing to hire according are TikTok, Datadog, HomeAdvisor and Rex. 

Some important essential businesses are childcare centers, golf courses, veterinary clinics, warehousing, storage and some educational institutes. 

If none of these seem to apply to your major or interest there are other ways to find jobs during coronavirus.

One way to find jobs for college students or recent graduates is through the school’s career center. Luckily, for most college students they have a career center or app that shows them available jobs that they could apply for. 

Unfortunately, sometimes these opportunities are not in areas preferable to the user nor updated to current times and are heavily applied to during these times. Therefore this path may not be your best option if you are in need of a job now, but are resourceful if you are looking for the Fall, Winter or Spring. 

Another way to find an opportunity is through your own personal network. If you are a college student whether it be community or four-year, you could reach out to previous teachers, fellow students, family members, or school counselors for possible places hiring that are in your interest. 

Although this may be awkward and uncomfortable at first, they may have something that is not listed on job websites. They may not give you the answer you are hoping for but it is important to realize it’s not you, it’s the times that aren’t putting the odds in your favor. 

If these two options are leaving you with nothing, an older method could help you find the work you are looking for. Depending on your location, you could look up different businesses via google and call or go to the business itself to see if it is open or hiring. 

Coronavirus has essentially shut the world down. Hopefully, with these tips and tricks, college graduates and students will be able to find internships and jobs easier amidst these trying times.