By: Vanessa Gleklen

No one was expecting the Spring of 2020 to turn out like this.

When the year began, many people were thrilled to start a new decade and year. College students and staff across the globe looked forward to coming back to campus to finish out their semesters.

Immediately, reports about COVID-19 swept the world. News outlets reported about the spread of the virus, and the inability to cure it with a vaccine. Increasingly, there was concern on how far this virus could reach.

Soon, American officials were able to respond to these reports. Colleges began moving to virtual learning plans for weeks, which turned into months, which has now become the remainder of the school year.

Now, students are looking toward the future. During the transition period of online classes, these students are doing what they can to retain normalcy, including seeking internship opportunities.

Virtual Interviews

In seeking these opportunities, many internship interviews have been shifted to virtual interviews. Certain resources, including ones given to Loyola students by the Loyola Career Center, aid in students’ preparation.

“One resource that I have recently found that’s helpful for Zoom interviews is called Big Interview,” junior Grace Homany ‘21 said. “You can record yourself answering interview questions as many times as you need.”

“I just think it’s super useful,” she continued. “It’s basically like virtual interview practice.”

I, myself, have had to prepare for some virtual interviews during this time. One company recorded a digital interview with me prior to a later virtual, live interview, and used a website called HireVue.

HireVue provided similar opportunities to what Grace described with Big Interview, but these practice recordings ultimately culminated in recorded responses for a digital interview. Still, the practice was useful.

Telecommuting

If students are able to be employed, there is still concern about telecommuting. Senior Emily Hopkins ’20 is currently employed by 2 companies as well as a Loyola on-campus job, and has certain thoughts on the matter.

“My main concern…is to make sure that everyone’s time is respected and used efficiently,” she recorded for our interview. “With that, make sure there is thorough communication.”

"There shouldn’t be unnecessary meetings or assigning tasks just to have tasks," Emily described.

The impact of this virus and the shift towards digital media in this age has been felt by everyone. I have found that most feel similarly to Emily as we work to navigate a balance in this new time.

Overall, people are doing the best they can with the current situation. Digital technology has enabled us to do more from home than previously thought possible, and that ability has been immensely useful during this time.