The impact COVID-19 has had on the economy is undeniable, a fact that can be particularly troublesome to recent college graduates. Because of the unique challenges facing those entering the workforce, the School of Business created a Graduate Virtual Toolkit to address the needs of their newest alums.
The idea for this special offer for graduates came from a conversation in late May with the Business Advisory Council, a group of dedicated industry leaders who advise Dr. Ellen Durnin, Dean of the School of Business, offering their expertise, resources, and ideas to benefit Southern Business students.
BAC members said students needed opportunities to expand and strengthen their networks and connections, and many offered to have one-on-one conversations with graduates themselves. They suggested offering special trainings to make students more marketable and giving graduates the chance to use this unexpected time of transition to add new skills to their resumes.
The Business Success Center at the School of Business took these ideas and offers of support and quickly pulled together a comprehensive toolkit to send to graduates that included professional job search support, one-on-one conversations with BAC members, special courses from faculty members, a two-part training course on personal marketing through virtual calls and video, curated content from various online sources, a free one year membership to PULSE, the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce young professional group, and access to a School of Business class of 2020 LinkedIn group.
In addition to all these offerings, the Business Success Center is still working with students and graduates on resume and cover letter writing, internships and job search support, and mock interviews. Students and graduates have access to Handshake and Big Interview, two online platforms that provide additional resources in these areas.
Durnin says, “In the School of Business, our focus is on preparing the next generation of leaders in the business community. Our BAC encouraged us to create this virtual toolkit, which will allow students to succeed in the job market. I thank our BAC for their vision, and I look forward to hearing from our graduates about how the Toolkit helped them and how we can continue to refine it.”
Recent management graduate Jenna Zakala, ’20, says, “The School of Business Virtual Toolkit has truly been a hidden gem for me, opening up many doors and opportunities during these uncertain times.”
If you are a recent School of Business graduate or a rising senior and would like to hear more about the Graduate Virtual Toolkit, please contact Amy Grotzke at grotzkea1@southernct.edu or Patty Conte at contep2@southernct.edu.
