Not since the classes of 2009 and 2010 has a group of graduates entered a job market as constrained as that for the class of 2020. Indeed, the jobless ranks are much larger than any other time in US history.
Georgetown consists not just of a set of degree programs producing graduates, but a community of faculty and former students. Faculty are key links between the academic and the employing organizations, through recommendations and other contacts. Alumni form a Hoya network of lifetime value to graduates. The 2020 class may need this network more than prior classes.
“Hoya Gateway” is a coalition of Georgetown alumni who volunteer to help soon-to-be and recent graduates of Georgetown with support in their job searches. A website HoyaGateway.georgetown.edu is the portal for exploring these services. It allows interested students and graduates to see what alumni are part of Hoya Gateway by clicking “Browse Alumni.” The visitor can browse through the thousands of alumni on Hoya Gateway by industry, location, undergraduate/graduate affiliation, company, and areas of expertise or interest.
At this point, it involves over 4,300 alumni who receive meeting requests from student seeking information about specific industries or career types. Thus far, thousands of meetings have occurred, on the telephone, on Skype, and when it was possible, face-to-face between an alumnus or alumna and a student.
In essence, Hoya Gateway is a manifestation of Georgetown’s value of women and men for others, in this case, the “others” are Georgetown students and recent graduates.
The kind of discussions that take place between students/graduates and more experienced alumni include:
• case interview preparation
• help in applying for graduate school
• industry interview preparation
• informational interviews
• job shadowing
• networking/introductions to others in the field
• resume/CV reviews
• informational interviews with alumni in various industries see here
In addition, there are scheduled webinars that could be of great use to new graduates:
May 13 – I’m Graduating…Now What? with Jason Levin (MBA’06)
May 19 – Find Your Place in the World of Work with Hallie Crawford
May 27 – Making Work from Home Work for You with Peter Swiek (B’10)
At a time like this, with recession woes affecting the job market, such a program is even more important. The Georgetown community of alumni, faculty, staff, and students looks out for one another. In the midst of a pandemic, this solidarity is even more important. Pass the word.
The year 2020 is the Covid year, Stay Safe Stay healthy Stay at home, but do study with various Online Courses available to make future bright.
Unfortunately with the current situation the job market has become more difficult.