By Kasey Brammell
When ASU transitioned to a remote learning environment last spring, the Cronkite School knew it had to step in to support students who were close to entering the job market or summer internships or who were facing a new way of learning.
“Adapt & Conquer” was created and featured hiring managers and alumni to give tips on how students could adapt to their circumstances and conquer their fears of an uncertain economy and new learning environment.
Fast forward to the fall semester and “Adapt & Conquer” continues with a lineup of interesting guests like recruiters from ESPN and Report For America. The Zoom sessions focus on ways that students can maximize their online workspace to prepare for career opportunities. Sessions for the upcoming semester include “Making the Most out of a Virtual Internship” on Sept. 8, a discussion with Report for America on Sept. 22 and “Working in the Bubble: The Phoenix Suns” in October.
“We’ve got to have these types of Zoom sessions just to give students some reassurance that things are going to be okay. We all have to adapt,” said Mike Wong, director of Career Services at the Cronkite School. “Not only do we have to adapt, we have to conquer it.”
“Fine Tune Fridays” takes a more general approach, teaching students how to polish their skills for the work environment. The series is replacing “90-Minute Mastery,” which is on hiatus this semester to comply with social distancing guidelines.
Wong said the Career Services team had already been working on a way to bring this important information to students and the empty time slot presented the perfect opportunity for them.
When developing topics for “Fine Tune Fridays,” the team considered what students need to know to succeed in landing an internship or job and what they can do to stand out.
Topics like learning how to create a professional-looking resume, maximizing LinkedIn profiles, developing soft skills and sharpening interviewing skills and professional correspondence emphasize Cronkite Career Services’ goal of preparing students for landing a dream internship or post-grad job.
Despite distancing, Wong is excited for what Zoom offers Cronkite students. “It’s given us a new way of bringing recruiters in who may not have had it in their budgets to visit the school. The possibilities are endless right now,” he said.
The “Adapt & Conquer” series is available to all Cronkite students by RSVP.
“Fine Tune Fridays” will be from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. every Friday, by RSVP. Upcoming sessions can be found on the Cronkite events page.