Spring 2020 college graduates have emerged into a world turned upside down by COVID-19. The job prospects and lifestyles after college that these graduates had imagined a few months ago are largely non-existent today.
The slogan of the season seems unprecedented, notes Roseanne Bensley, deputy director of the Center for Academic Advice and Student Support at New Mexico State University (NMSU). The coronavirus pandemic has affected everything from relationships to career planning for new graduates.
"It's not part of their lives, it's every part of their lives," says Bensley. "Employers are insecure and do not know when things will improve day by day. … Nobody has enough information to provide answers. This is new territory for employers and job seekers."
Bensley, however, would like to add a second keyword to the class of the 2020 lexicon: resilience. As she emphasizes, these students, many of whom unexpectedly had to finish their thesis online, can claim an advantage in terms of adaptability and comfort with technology.
COVID-19 opens up new jobs and new business methods. This will trigger a new wave of change and [employers] may not be the way it was, ”says Bensley. “These students are ahead of the curve. … you will be able to work with what you have learned. "
at a loss
Licensed Professional Consultant (LPC) Patricia Anderson recently worked with a new college graduate who was afraid of the pandemic last spring. The young woman had changed jobs, and the restrictions associated with COVID-19 meant that she was unable to meet any of her new employees in person. Their entire hiring and induction process had been completed via video and electronic communication. She had also recently moved into her own apartment and had started to live separately from her family for the first time.
The client was stressed, anxious, and struggled with her confidence, recalls Anderson, a member of the American Counseling Association who has a private practice in the Georgetown section of Washington DC. As she worked through her feelings in counseling, it became clear that the young woman – naturally extroverted – felt grief over the lack of social connections at work and in her private life.
During the pandemic, the customer stopped using an online dating platform. As a result, she experienced a sense of loss of opportunity to meet people and a decline in the trust that she typically gained through interacting with data and new relationships. Anderson worked with the client to create a self-care plan that included time for hobbies and exercise, socialized, and reconnected with friends with whom she had lost touch.
Anderson also focused on strengthening the client's trust and equipped her with strategies to prevent her soliloquy from becoming self-critical. Anderson also helped the client realize that she was experiencing grief that could hit the waves. Together they combined some of the client's feelings with family problems that added to her stress.
Anderson also helped the client focus on the reality that her current situation would not last forever. "We talked about things that she can look forward to in the future: back to online dating, finding a new normal, looking forward to meeting colleagues personally, planning a trip and working on another business opportunity," he said Anderson says. "The time she had [from dating] had undermined the trust that she once had and aroused her fear. Staying in the game can be beneficial for some [clients]. In this way you can get to know yourself and develop socially. "
Many of Anderson's clients are young professionals, current college students, or graduates. During spring and summer, many of these customers experience feelings of loss, she says. This includes the loss of transition rites such as graduation ceremonies and personal celebrations, the loss of internships and immediate employment prospects, and for some the apparent loss of entire career plans.
"Their world and structure [sense of] have changed and they don't really know which way to go," says Anderson. "On some days they feel like" OK, I understand that ", and on other days they have doubts about" where am I going? ". The floor fell out of what they expected. … They are concerned that everything has been pulled out from under them, and now they have no road map."
It is crucial that counselors help these clients process their feelings of loss before trying to get them to reconsider their career options or life path, Anderson says. One of the most important things counselors can do is to listen, validate, and normalize the emotions these young adults feel after COVID-19.
"Be where the customer is," says Anderson. "If you are unable to do a job that has failed or has been canceled, really sit down in this room with them before you open up and the possibilities of 'what else? & # 39; you understand them and where they come from. "
All feelings of loss should be treated as real and valid, Anderson says, even if customers themselves express guilt about feeling in this way or dismiss these feelings as trivial when the world faces more serious problems. For example, some graduates may still face disappointment that they missed the last chance to go on a spring vacation trip with friends or were unable to study abroad due to the corona virus. Consultants should reassure these clients that it is okay to have these feelings and then give them room to talk about them, she emphasizes.
"[Help them] know that they are not alone and that it makes perfect sense to fight now. They may also be afraid of feeling unsettled, which may be a new feeling for them," explains Anderson, who does contract work for the QuarterLife Center, a therapy office in Washington, DC that specializes in working with young professionals in their twenties and thirties
In addition to normalizing feelings, Anderson has offered clients psychoeducation on self-care, non-linear aspects of grief, and the importance of maintaining social support and a structured daily schedule. She asks customers whether they stay in touch with friends and family through technology and are equipped with coping mechanisms such as meditation and self-reflection exercises. She also asks if they are eating well, exercising, going outside, and participating in other wellness activities.
As Anderson's clients speak in sessions, she listens to a hopeful language that suggests they are ready to rethink their future. "I try to help them expand their scope a little when they're ready. I let them talk about what they need to talk about, but then spend some time looking at other parts of what else might be possible [I] try to get it out of your head a little, ”says Anderson,“ because if I [as a client] always thought I would become a dentist and find out that it won't be me. As a dentist I have to grieve. But at the same time, there may be some things that free me from not being a dentist. ”
"If you can build a trusting relationship with a [client]," she says, "you know you understand them and we can investigate all sorts of things whether they [previously] appeared unrealistic or not."
Rethink career plans
Flexibility must be the buzzword for graduates looking for jobs, says Lynn Downie, vice director of careers and professional development at Presbyterian College, South Carolina. In her work with students and alumni of the small, rural college, Downie notes that those who had a "hard and defined, defined path" in mind, such as entering the healthcare or hospitality industry right after school, face the most problems have
Those currently looking for work can benefit greatly from the guidance and encouragement of a consultant, says Downie, who recently completed a two-year term as President of the National Employment Counseling Association (NECA), a department from ACA. "Give them confidence that things have not changed completely. Emphasize [the idea] that the paths to a specific goal are not always the same. There are other different paths," she says.
Downie helps customers identify workarounds as they adjust their perspectives to become more flexible and become more flexible through rejection letters or the idea of taking a job that may not have previously addressed them. Some of their clients have adjusted their career plans to do entry-level or short-term work in positions or areas that they would not have considered six months ago. Others have turned to the possibilities of national utilities such as AmeriCorps.
Downie, a member of ACA, also reminds the youngest graduates that they need to find a fit right now. That doesn't mean that their long-term career goals need to change. "Help [these clients] realize that choosing a job for the rest of their lives will make no choice or [especially] their first job," she says. “Your life will be full of linchpins. Some are planned and some are unplanned and enforced. There is a wide range from 18 to 65 or retirement age. … You can have [still] ambitious goals that apply across the board. "
Downie worked with several business students who had hoped to get into health administration. However, since the industry is currently changing, not many administrative offices are open at the entry level. With these students and graduates, Downie focused on how their administrative skills could be used in alternative environments, such as nonprofits, community development, or public health organizations. Another tactic is to hire low-paying medical assistants or assistants in environments where there are currently few staff (e.g. nursing homes) and which do not necessarily require special certification. As Downie points out, even working as a contact tracer as part of the COVID 19 virus response – a job that didn't exist six months ago – could help these new graduates gain experience.
A job in pharmaceutical or medical sales could also give these graduates valuable visibility. "They would still interact with medical professionals instead of applying for jobs that don't exist," she says.
Bensley notes that starting a “Plan B” job in an area or environment where a graduate did not originally want to work can show other potential employers that the graduate has good work ethic and the box thinks outside. It also encourages students and graduates to broaden their search to consider temporary, freelance, or even gig jobs, rather than focusing solely on full-time employment.
"[A first job] may not be professional, but it is work, and [the individual] can be introduced to people through this work," says Bensley. "It also tells an [future] employer that you are a hustler and are not waiting for the golden egg to show up."
When advising clients who are rethinking their career plans, Downie finds it helpful to identify a topic they are attracted to and then consider various types of work that fit that topic . For example, a graduate who enjoys building relationships can use this skill in any number of job settings. You could start in sales, but build teams as managers or even maintain customer relationships as a professional consultant.
"Find a topic for your life – the one you stick to, what you're good at," Downie tells her customers. “You can work on that in all settings. A core competency can be translated into different areas, and if you stick to it, you get a sense of continuity and purpose. "
Networking during a pandemic
Bensley often encourages NMSU students to think about how professional athletes deal with the pandemic: their season can be interrupted or even canceled, but they stay in shape.
"Just because the competition side of their sport stopped, they don't watch Netflix 10 hours a day. They still maintain their skills, train, train, and prepare," notes Bensley.
The same philosophy should apply to career planning during the pandemic, she emphasizes. Now is the time for applicants to put even more energy into enriching and expanding their professional networks.
"Don't limit your strategy to just sending resumes and waiting for an answer," urges Bensley, instructor for global admission as a career developer at NECA. “While employers may have slowed down their initial hiring plans, it doesn't mean that a candidate should slow down. If anything, it means that you may have to work harder to follow employers on LinkedIn, check their homepages, and read job ads to see if you have the skills that employers need. "
Bensley suggests that it is also the perfect time for graduates to reverse the usual dynamic and interview experts who are already working in their desired area. Job seekers can identify contacts through LinkedIn or other networks and ask if they have 20 minutes to talk about their job or industry.
Bensley encourages students and graduates to begin with professors and mentors who they already know or have worked with. You can then use these connections to introduce yourself to other professionals in your desired field. These experts can recommend others with whom they would connect in an expanding circle, says Bensley.
Specialists are currently particularly open to such requests, since many work from home and are free of personal meetings, conferences, and business trips. In many ways, motivated students and graduates currently have a “captive audience,” she says.
"This shows curiosity and the desire to learn something about your craft, makes your name known and helps you to develop and gain insight into what [professionals] you think is important," says Bensley . "If an employer said," We value teamwork, "there is a hint: Everything [you might say in a job interview] should focus on teamwork. Instead of saying" I did X ", you say," We did X. "That may be the small percentage you need to get ahead – understanding the employer's value system because you talked to him about it."
Forward view
Since advisors offer support and security to the youngest graduates and young professionals who have difficulty adapting to the personal and professional life changed by COVID-19, the following important points should be noted:
>> Concentrate on listening. Downie urges the counselors to slowly begin therapeutic or professional work with these clients. She often opens her sessions with the question, "What do you want to talk about today?" With so many concerns currently bothering these customers, her answers may be unexpected and completely different from the issues they discussed earlier in the session she.
“Give them the floor to speak about anything they want. We [counselors] must always be good listeners, but now that we're isolated, there is a real temptation to give advice, ”says Downie. “In this crisis, you have to listen now – listen more and give no advice. That was important. Students who initially opened slowly now need extra time to feel comfortable. We have to build relationships [therapeutic]but also step back and allow calm. So much is being said at the moment that [clients] takes time to catch your breath before you speak. "
>> Look at the whole picture. Downie says college students and graduates may live unexpectedly at home and navigate family stress factors. Regardless of the question that brings these clients to counseling, counselors should ask questions that will help them fully understand the client's situation. Downie says she has worked with students who have had to graduate from college while sharing a computer with family members or doing all of their job hunting on a cell phone. Others tried to secure temporary work long before they wanted to start a career to supplement household income because their parents had been fired.
"When the students went home and the courses went online, the family structure changed," says Downie. “It took an emotional toll. … The stress was enormous from the very first day of the pandemic.
Some students and graduates expressed the pressure of the parents about their job search or life decision (even if the parents did not necessarily express these concerns) that they had not lived on campus. Counselors should be aware that home life gives these clients' experiences a whole new dynamic, says Downie.
Presbyterian College administrators, including Downie, split the list of students and called each student to check in by the spring semester. This aspiration confirmed a saying Downie had heard from colleagues: "We are all in the same storm, but not in the same boat." The needs and stressors that the students were exposed to varied a lot depending on their circumstances, she says.
“The truth of this proverb quickly became clear to me. For some, doors opened that were not there before. There were some who were faced with new opportunities, but their best friends experienced a completely different one [reality]”she explains.
>> Turn clients into authors of an ongoing story: Tina Leboffe, an ACA member and advisor who is seeking a license under supervision in a therapy practice in Douglassville, Pennsylvania, uses narrative therapy with clients from many of whom are college students concerned about finding a job after graduation. "I see my customers as meaning-makers in their own lives. When working at a loss [related to the COVID-19 pandemic] I think it is important to go with the client when he is telling the story of his experience and at the same time to support what that loss is supposed to mean for his life story. This can look like the client has room to feel the emotions caused by loss and to look forward to what their life should be like as a result of the loss, ”said Leboffe, an associated addiction counselor.
"When we work with a customer to refocus and redefine their future, we can listen when they add context to their story," she says. “Despite the shift in their history, the customer is still the author. We can help our customers integrate a new reality into their life story by asking questions that focus on making the customer the expert of their life. As consultants, we may not be able to change the job market, but we can help our clients figure out what their lives should be like given the changes that have occurred. We can help them identify decisions they want to make in the face of change. "
>> Take the opportunity to explore identity: Leboffe and Anderson find that while this is a time of stress and change for young customers, it can also offer opportunities for personal growth. Consultants can support and promote this process.
“This is a good time for them to learn about themselves, what their values are and what is important to them. … [It is] a time to explore her inner world and find out what her 22-year-old self looks like, ”says Anderson. "How are you with stress? How do you deal with ambiguities? How can and can they advance and adjust in such a difficult time? If they have space to talk, they can process [these things]. "
"In my experience with young adults and graduates – and when I myself was not so long ago – I found that this time in their lives can be filled with identity research and transition," says Leboffe . "You may be faced with new levels of independence and responsibility, such as" What should my life look like? "Or" Who do I want to be? “Can pose. This can be important when we think about it when working with or parents of the youngest graduates because it can serve as the underlying context to help us be sensitive to their lived experiences as they develop their sense of identity
. "
>> Remember that productivity is relative. Anderson found it helpful to remind young customers that, although they spend a lot more time at home, they may need to temper their productivity expectations.
"This shouldn't be a time when you plan to be overproductive. It's hard to do when you're going through something so emotional and so stressful," Anderson told customers Time to learn six new languages, clean your entire house, or complete a large art project. Instead, focus on what works for you. What are things that calm you down and help you [that] that you can do routinely? Be less hard on yourself. At the same time, it's a good time to try something new if you have the motivation to do so. "
>> Build trust. Bensley urges advisors to focus on the positive when communicating with students and graduates during the pandemic. "The most important thing we can do for customers is to build their trust," says Bensley. "The tone of my email was:" Hey, you understood that. I cheer you on. "I'm trying to use my language as this [needed] encouragement, even if they don't ask for it or don't seem to need it."
>> Take it seriously. The transition to adulthood is difficult enough without the additional concerns and burdens of COVID-19. Validation by a consultant is critical during this lifetime, says Anderson.
“Take your concerns seriously. We generally know that people land on their feet and things get good on their way to the world. [But] They have to be kept in the emotional space they are in, ”says Anderson. “Getting into adulthood is very difficult. It can be a very turbulent time – and one that promotes growth. "
"[These clients’] Fights and needs are serious," she continues. "Finding dating, jobs, and social things – that's all important. Stay in their room and create this [trusting] relationship. Know that your concerns are legitimate, even if we give them all the confidence in the world that they They’re going to find out. They’re really worried they’re not going to find out. And that’s true [because] they’ve never been here. ”
****
Entry into the consulting profession in the middle of COVID-19
Graduates from counseling programs are certainly not immune to the burdens and uncertainties faced by graduates from 2020 in other areas.
Darius Green graduated from James Madison University (JMU) in May with a doctorate in consultancy. Green says that he and many other graduate graduates feel the pressure to find jobs that can offer financial stability, "rather than being able to choose which positions best fit [our] personal and professional goals."
" I don't come from a financial privilege environment, so this was high on my list of priorities," said Green, a member of the American College Counseling Association, a division of ACA. “I [have] found some of my colleagues looking for a mixture of success and difficulty when looking for work. For those who started early and found a position that matched their expectations, the process seemed easy. It seemed to be more difficult for my colleagues who couldn't start looking early or simply couldn't find the ideal position. … I had trouble finding a job I wanted and was looking for a job longer than planned. "
This summer Green lives in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where the JMU is located. She has a full-time job as a teacher in the JMU's Learning Center department and part-time work as a consultant at the ARROW Project, a community mental health organization about 30 miles away in Staunton.
Green hopes that at this time of crisis, established professional advisors will remember the role they play as lawyers in the profession and look for new advisors who will try to enter the field.
"I think consultants who are already working can be aware and sensitive of how stressful it can be to be in such a position [graduating during a pandemic]. I also feel that counselors within their agencies or communities can work to make our contribution known to the youngest graduates, ”says Green. "This could include contacting advisory faculty members to share information, or even liaising with colleagues who may know of new advisory graduates in need."
"One thing I want to think about [counselors] is that not everyone has connections to others in the counseling profession and other areas of mental health," he continues. “Some students come from countries where there may be a lack of networking opportunities or who do not appreciate the mental health professions. Ich denke, es wäre wichtig, diesen Schülern besondere Aufmerksamkeit zu schenken, damit sie nicht durch die Ritzen fallen oder einer anderen Unterdrückungsebene ausgesetzt sind. “
****
Bethany Bray ist eine leitende Autorin und Koordinatorin für soziale Medien bei Counseling Today. Kontaktieren Sie sie unter [email protected].
****
Es sollte nicht davon ausgegangen werden, dass Meinungen und Aussagen in Artikeln, die auf CT Online erscheinen, die Meinungen der Herausgeber oder Richtlinien der American Counseling Association widerspiegeln.
