COVID-19 Response Updates from OCP

Meredith’s Office of Career Planning (OCP) is monitoring economic and hiring trends nationwide and we are in regular communication with employer partners. We know you are in close communication with students who may be feeling uneasy or overwhelmed as they make decisions and post-graduation plans. We want to share with you some highlights of what we are learning:

Hiring and employment trends:
While there are employers pulling back on internship and job offers, there are also reports of employers in the Triangle that are moving forward with summer internships.  Companies like GSK, IBM, SAS, Cisco, MetLife, and NetApp will offer internships virtually. Employers are engaged with OCP and are continuing to schedule virtual events with us.

Insights from NACE & the Handshake platform:

• The majority of students are completing a fully-virtual job search. 73% of college seniors are still hunting for a full-time job.  
• Many are opting to continue their education over pursuing full time work:  57.6% of students surveyed said they are considering applying for graduate school instead of pursuing a job or internship.
• And, if students need reason to stay positive and engage in a job or internship search, let them know that 82% of all jobs and 52% of all internships being posted right now in Handshake are for full-time opportunities.

What students can be doing now to continue planning for their career:

• Continue their plans while managing expectations.…this pandemic will pass and when it does, organizations will need employees. Encourage students to think broadly about their skills and how they can be applied.
• Engage virtually...Employers have very little bandwidth right now; students can make it easy for employers to find them online. This is a perfect time to improve and complete their Handshake and LinkedIn profiles. Follow organizations in industries that are hiring.
• Seek targeted campus and community resources.  The OCP team has compiled a digestible resource for all students to navigate everything career-related in a remote and virtual world, which is available to all students, all majors on Handshake. Networking will continue to be the most effective tool for job and internship seeking. Talk with students about building and renewing strategic relationships.

OCP staff are available for consult, please let us know how we can support you and your students. We will continue to communicate with you as economic and workforce trends evolve. Students can make appointments via Handshake or participate in virtual drop-in hours (Mondays 10-12, Tuesdays 1-4).

Contact Us: career@meredith.edu | 919.760.8341

Sources: NACE 2020 Survey, NACE Coronavirus Quick Poll (updated April 10, 2020), Handshake employer COVID-19 survey, March 2020, Handshake student COVID-19 survey, March 2020 & Handshake platform data, March 2020 compared to March 2019