Student, Alumni Search, Interview for Jobs Online

Career Fair Poster

Although the coronavirus forced the Huntley College of Agriculture to switch from in-person classes to virtual instruction, it has not stopped most students from finding jobs and internships.

Opportunities still abound in the farming, food science, and nutrition fields because they are essential. However, some employers are offering only remote work.

Those looking for jobs in the retail sector had more difficulty, especially apparel merchandising and management students.                             

“As the country shut down, so did all major retailers,” said DeVoniea Jordan, the college’s career counselor. “AMM students are having to apply for remote work and positions that offer work remotely such as buyers, online stylist, and others.”

The pandemic also affected the hiring process: most employers are interviewing students by phone or Skype, although some are still doing so in person, she said.

Still, students did experience obstacles in their pursuit of jobs and internships.

Phuc Nguyen, who graduated in plant science this spring, had an internship that was supposed to start in April but was delayed a couple of months after the shelter-in-place guidelines were instituted in March.

“I still kept in touch with my future boss and prepared myself for the position by training myself,” she said.

Nguyen, who is interning at Arroyo Irrigation in Ladera Ranch, took and passed the Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor (CLIA) exam. She’s still waiting to hear about a test date for the Pest Control Advisor (PCA) exam.

Viral Shukla, who graduated this spring in food science and technology, was planning on attending a doctoral program in food science at Cornell University in New York.  Unfortunately, the university couldn’t offer him a spot in the program because the coronavirus pandemic resulted in funding cuts.

Trying to find a job was difficult, but Shukla did find one – ironically enough, involving coronavirus research – with the American Association for Precision Medicine.

“This definitely would not have been possible without the current situation,” he said. “I hope to attend Cornell in the spring or next fall.”

To help students and alumni find jobs, the Cal Poly Pomona Career Center organized a July 21 virtual career fair.

Forty-two prospective employers participated in the online event, adapting to the new coronavirus reality.

Students and alumni could participate via an app that they could download to their Apple or Android devices. About 540 attended the event, signing up for virtual interviews with employers.

The participating companies held more than 1,100 interviews.

“Employers thought this was a great way to connect with the students, because the students had to submit their resumes in advance,” Jordan said.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]