Queen’s Career Services is offering support for students and new graduates who have lost work or internships because of COVID-19.
Career Services continues to provide their core resources remotely, including one-on-one advising and career counselling, through phone and web technology. The service has also updated all of its workshops to include information about working remotely.
“Remote working, job searching, and professional development are all top of mind for many students, and we want to make sure they know they are not alone,” Cathy Keates, director of Career Services and Experiential Learning, wrote in a statement to The Journal. “Even though we can’t be physically together, we can still work together remotely.”
Career Services has also created a new COVID-19-specific website to provide links to information, services, and strategies to support students who are looking for remote work or who are currently working remotely. The website also provides tips about how to stay connected with colleagues, how to develop useful skills, how to stay healthy while working remotely, and links to Queen’s Human Resources and IT guidance.
According to Keates, Career Services has recently seen an increase in questions about how to work remotely.
“Amidst all the changes and uncertainty, students can learn about strategies they can use to keep up their career momentum […] We are here to help them,” she wrote.
For students looking to use the upcoming summer for professional development, Career Services suggests taking summer courses, volunteering, building a network on LinkedIn, and using LinkedIn Learning, an online learning platform free to Queen’s students that provides training on topics like software, technology, and business skills.
“While COVID-19 has impacted many jobs, there are still opportunities, and we can help students identify and access them,” Keates wrote.
Career Services will also be holding workshops about remote work on May 5 at 10 a.m. and May 15 at 11 a.m. If preferred, students can take advantage of Career Services’ drop-in remote career advising any Monday to Thursday from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. using MyCareer.
Those who lack the necessary technology or internet connection required to access Career Services’ online resources can make appointments with them over the phone.
“We want to ensure all students can access us, regardless of what technology or internet access they have,” Keates wrote.
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