Career expert offers advice to students on maximizing virtual recruiting events to land jobs

A local expert is offering advice to students on how to make the most of virtual recruitment to land a job during these times.

Universities are tackling distance learning and distance job placement.

"Our students have, you know, encountered a lot of challenges since they've gone virtual, but a lot of our employers have actually stepped up to make a lot of opportunities virtual for them," said Branden Grimmett.

MORE: Here's who is hiring in SoCal amid coronavirus economic slowdown

Grimmett is an associate provost of career and professional development at Loyola Marymount University.

"We're seeing an increase in virtual recruiting activities from our employers. They're still preferring live interactions with our students, such as webinars and discussions, but they are stepping up to the plate," said Grimmett.

The university connects current and recent graduates with alumni in different fields, recently offering a Zoom call to hear from some of them.

MORE: College students - Here are tips to find a job virtually

College seniors and new grads will need to adapt to the virtual job-hiring scene in the COVID-19 era. Here are some helpful tips from the director of CSUF's Career Center.

"Professional development in the virtual world I think means still having conversations with, you know, for instance LMU alumni that are working in fields that interest our students to learn about skill building project work that could still be happening," said Grimmett. "So, even if internships have been curtailed, our students are still able to work on a lot of those projects that are being offered by our alumni, by our professors and by many of our employers."

Part of their goal is increasing diversity in the workplace.

"We're trying to connect our students, for instance, with other students of color, but also faculty and employers that value diversity at the same time," said Grimmett.

Grimmett encourages job seekers to take advantage of the fact that employers might be more readily available.

MORE: How to ace a virtual job interview

"Networking is so critical. And again, you know, all of the people that you'd want to network with are much much more available today than they were before," said Grimmett.

And Grimmett says based on trends they're seeing, hiring will continue to be primarily virtual for the foreseeable future.

"We're actually seeing a lot of our employers planning for complete virtual recruiting from the fall semester," said Grimmett.

MORE: Here's what you need to know if you're looking to get hired during COVID-19 pandemic

If you're looking for a job, here's what you need to know to give yourself an advantage during the coronavirus pandemic.