Searching for employment during a pandemic...

There is of course much uncertainty concerning the broad economic effects of COVID-19, let alone the direct effects on student and graduate work experience and job opportunities. 

Amid the seemingly bleak early data - the Institute of Student Employers (ISE), for instance, reports that 68% of employers have "cancelled work experience and insight opportunities altogether." The marketplace is likely less dismal than most headline statistics suggest, which are typically drawn from samples containing only larger firms. This means there are some employers that are still hiring!

As students being applying for jobs and internships, they should make sure they’re applying to a more diverse array of employers than usual, including smaller and medium-sized organizations, at least as often as larger ones. 

Students should state somehow on their cover letter or resumes, “also willing and able to work remotely” to be considered more favorably and widely.

Given the tight jobs market to come, soon-to-be graduates should be advised that while virtual/remote placements may provide less complete experiences as compared with in-person placements, they will typically carry the same weight on a resume among future prospective employers (in part, because it is not common to describe a placement as remote, in-person or otherwise on a resume). 

This message was adapted from an email written by a City Internships representative.