CU’s Career Services Helps Alumni Navigate their Job Search During Pandemic

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 07:00:00 +0000

CU’s Career Services Helps Alumni Navigate their Job Search During Pandemic Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 03/11/2022 - 00:00

Helen Olsson

Ever since graduation, Stephanie Brudwick (EnvSt’04) had been working at Thorne Nature Experience in Boulder. In 2020, she considered transitioning to a new job.

“I was feeling ready for a change,” Brudwick said, “but leaving a job during a pandemic was an added layer of scary.”

To explore her options, Brudwick signed up for Zoom counseling sessions with CU’s Alumni Career Services.

“I did a few different tests like Myers-Briggs, and we tweaked my resume,” she said. “It helped me see things more clearly.”

Since the beginning of the pandemic, CU’s Career Services has ramped up its offerings in response to a growing demand.

“When people started to get laid off, we knew we had to do some-thing quick,” said Jennifer Duncan, Alumni Career Services program manager.

In addition to offering two free one-on-one advising sessions (which are unlimited for new grads), the department launched a Virtual Job Search group, with sessions attracting 70 to 90 alumni worldwide.

Duncan also reports an uptick in alumni looking to make career pivots.

“We’re seeing waves of people resigning,” said Duncan. “The silver lining: It’s forced people out of jobs they hated.”

In response, Career Services bumped up the offerings in its Career Transition Series, and because the sessions are held virtually, Duncan said, more alums from across the country can participate. Additionally, in September 2020, the Forever Buffs Network was launched, a platform of more than 10,000 CU alums that connects job-seekers with potential mentors. It’s like LinkedIn, but just for Buffs.

Brudwick ended up landing a job with EarthHero, an e-commerce marketplace that features sustainable products. The new job offered not only a salary boost but better work-life balance — and an ethos that aligned with her experience and passion.

“The career counseling sessions were so helpful for me,” says Brudwick. “They gave me the confidence to follow my heart.

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Photo by iStock/fizkes

Alumni Career Services offers free counseling to alumni.

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