The University Career Center has been making the transition to have more resources available online since the beginning of the summer 2019 semester. The goal of the University Career Center is to make its resources more readily available for all students and alumni.
“Over the last year, we’ve been building towards a future state of career management for our students and alumni,” Mario Vela, Executive Director of the University Career Center, said “One where we are offering customized programming, using new tech platforms to enhance our offerings, collaborating throughout UTSA and with our employer partners, and experimenting with new initiatives. The shift to virtual accelerated our efforts, and we look forward to rolling out new options to partner with our students and alumni.”
This past summer, the University Career Center launched a plan to bring VMock to all students at UTSA. VMock is a 24/7 online resume review tool that uses artificial intelligence to review, score and provide feedback to students based on parameters placed by the University Career Center counseling team. The University Career Center has always had online resources available to students, including: Handshake, InterviewStream, CareerShift, and our online Resume Samples. Students can learn more about these resources on the new University Career Center Online page.
Services formally available in-person have been scaled to be conducted virtually. Students can request an appointment on Handshake, as they normally would, and our Career Counselors will send students a link to a Webex meeting. Students will still receive the same standard of service, but in the comfort of their home. If a student or alumnus is preparing for an interview and wants to practice before they meet with the company, they can visit the University Career Center Online and use InterviewStream. Here students and alumni can verbally practice their interview and get feedback from the system on how they could improve.
Adrian Ramirez, Director of Career Development and College Relations said “Our career counselors continue to meet with students virtually, offering career planning resources and recommendations tailored to student interests. Additionally, our services are available to UTSA alumni for life. We welcome the chance to serve the UTSA community and encourage students and alumni to access our team of career counselors”.
Students and alumni can also utilize Handshake and CareerShift to conduct their job search. Handshake is a platform where students can find employers looking to hire UTSA students and alumni. Jobs posted on Handshake are with organizations that are directly working with universities. CareerShift is where UTSA students can find jobs and internships outside of our partners. CareerShift pulls job postings from job boards like Indeed, LinkedIn, etc., but it also pulls from organizations’ job boards. Opportunities that may not be posted in any public job boards will be presented to users on CareerShift.
Rachael Fletcher, Associate Director of Internship Development is presently working with employers to assist them in the transition of their internship opportunities to virtual opportunities, so students can continue to earn experience in their field.
“The internship landscape has changed rapidly over the last month and I anticipate that it will continue to change as we enter into the summer semester, a time when a majority of student internships occur,” Fletcher said “While there are a number of companies canceling their summer intern programs, others are exploring the option to convert them to virtual experiences.”
The University Career Center is providing resources to students through COVINTERN to identify programs being cancelled, those looking to hire, and companies expanding their current programs. Students also have the opportunity to pursue Micro-Internships, short term projects with industry partners to hone technical and marketable skills. The University Career Center continues to connect industry partners to virtual internship training and development through InternBridge, to equip them with the tools necessary to continue their internships virtually.
About the University of Texas at San Antonio University Career Center
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) University Career Center’s mission is to empower Roadrunners to discover their career by building relationships and engaging in experiences across San Antonio and the global community. The University Career Center provides students with information and resources on how to be marketable in today’s workforce. Learn more online, on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram.
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