I’m sure you have all seen the updates from Chancellor Blank on the University’s response to the outbreak of COVID-19 (the 2019 novel coronavirus). You can find updates on the University’s response as they come out on the website here, https://covid19.wisc.edu/; and medical guidance on COVID-19 can be found here, https://www.uhs.wisc.edu/coronavirus-2019/. In addition to the medical guidance UHS is providing, the Career Engagement Team would like to offer some guidance on how this outbreak will affect spring semester recruiting processes.
Firstly, out of concern for your health and safety, all on-campus recruiting events between March 23 and April 10 have been canceled. This includes information sessions, on-campus interviewing, and on-campus events hosted through student organizations. Our employers are being notified of this policy. We understand the potentially negative effect that the absence of in-person networking opportunities may have on your job searches and professional development, and are actively working on resources and responses to mitigate that effect.
Secondly, we would also like to provide you some alternative means to utilize our Career Engagement Team services, even while students are recommended to stay off-campus. The Career Engagement Studio and Career Coaches can provide all their services virtually!
· Students interested in receiving virtual career advising for resume/cover letter review and general career questions, can e-mail their materials to: bbacareers@wsb.wisc.edu
o Please convert all documents to PDF format and include your first/last name, and major.
o All requests sent during the work week will receive a 24 hour response. Requests sent on the weekend (including Fridays) will receive a respond by Tuesday of the following week.
· All other career related questions, including interview preparation, exploration, networking, job/internship search, can be completed 1:1 with a Career Coach.
o Please sign up on Starfish for an appointment time and include if you would prefer a phone call (include phone number) or Teams (similar to skype) appointment.
· Feel free to e-mail your Career Coach with any questions!
- Caitlin Quillen (caitlin.quillen@wisc.edu ) : MHR, OTM, IS, Real Estate, Supply Chain, Bus. Certificate Students
- Claire Jablonsky (claire.jablonsky@wisc.edu ): Marketing, Actuarial Science, Risk Management & Insurance, International Business
- Brian Whitmore (brian.whitmore@wisc.edu ): Finance, Accounting
Thirdly, we will recommend that employers move their spring recruiting activities to virtual formats. Please keep an eye on the Handshake events page to learn about opportunities as they are posted. I’ve included some tips for virtual interviewing and participating in webinars below.
· Virtual interviewing
o Always test your setup! Try and do a “mock call” with someone you trust before your scheduled interview. Make sure to test out:
§ Your camera: Does it work?
§ Your microphone: Is the volume right? Can your words be heard clearly?
§ Your background: What can your interviewer see behind you?
§ Your outfit: Does it look different from a different angle?
§ Your overall body language: Can your camera capture your hand gesture or head movements? Do those gestures look different through the camera than in person?
o If you’re using a phone or a tablet as your camera, do not hold it yourself: prop it up against something stable so that it does not move.
o Try and set up your camera so that you are in front of a clear wall, if possible. Having a colorful or pattern background behind you can be distracting for your interviewer, and interviewers might have strong reactions to wall decorations.
o If you can, use earphones during the interview, so that you can hear your interviewer clearly and so that their voice does not echo back into your microphone.
o Dress the same as if you were interviewing in person, even for the parts of your body that will not be on camera.
o Enunciate your words clearly. If you speak quickly and your words blend into each other, your microphone might not pick up everything.
· Webinars
o Participate, but only when you mean to! If an employer is hosting a webinar or some other kind of virtual engagement, their aim is to get to know you, just as if they were here for an in-person networking opportunity.
o If they ask you to ask questions via a chat function or by asking questions through your microphone, please participate actively by asking thoughtful questions.
§ However, always mute your microphone until you are ready to speak, and then re-mute yourself after you’re done.
Fourthly, if you are invited to in-person engagement opportunities, please see below for some advice.
· If you have visited an affected area, proactively communicate!
o If you have been in contact with an individual diagnosed with COVID-19, or have been in any of the areas marked as regions of special concern (any country with a Level 3 Travel Health Notice) within 14 days of an in-person recruiting event, please self-quarantine and do not attend. Instead, you should reach out directly to the contact listed for that event to let them know that you are unable to attend, but you are nonetheless still interested in that company. If it is an interview that you are scheduled to attend, they may request a video interview instead. If you are unable to identify a contact at the employer, please contact any member of our Employer Engagement Team:
§ Amanda Eannelli, Amanda.eannelli@wisc.edu
§ Bryan Zaramba, bryan.zaramba@wisc.edu
§ Brett Jones, brett.jones@wisc.edu
· Respect boundaries, and don’t shake hands!
o In order to maintain hygienic boundaries, we recommend avoiding shaking hands. Some employers have already instructed their interviewers to do so, but we will also message employers on your behalf to expect our students not to shake hands.
o In general, please be aware that in times of heightened concern over contagious disease, some interviewers or recruiters may exercise additional precautions such as maintaining further-than-expected distance when speaking to you. Please respect others’ sense of personal space.
o Try to adhere to medically-recommended precautions while around employers. Behaviors like scratching your nose that might normally have been ignored may be given additional scrutiny by interviewers who have been advised to touch their face as little as possible.
We will do our best to keep you all notified of updates. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
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