Shivish Makkar knows he’s been one of the luckier ones.
The rising junior, who’s double majoring in economics and computer science, lined his summer internship up early. Last fall, he agreed to an IT innovation gig with Schneider National, the logistics company located in Green Bay, WI. And then he returned from spring break to discover that not only was the rest of his semester going to take place remotely, but his internship offer had been abruptly rescinded. It was to become a common story for many Badgers who found their proactive planning and career prep upended by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Luckily for Makkar, he was already connected with SuccessWorks, the College of Letters & Science’s professional development center. He’d met several times in one-on-one appointments with Amy Yang, SuccessWorks’ career and internship specialist for technology, data and analytics. In fact, Yang had given Makkar advice that helped him get the offer from Schneider National.
Now, Makkar, who’s spending his summer working remotely for the UW-Madison’s Office of Data Management and Analytics, is turning to SuccessWorks for a different reason.
“The hiring process is going to be harder this fall,” he says. “I’m very interested in picking up some tips and tricks in terms of what will be different. All of it will have to be online.”
Makkar’s signed up for two of the four virtual workshops SuccessWorks is offering in June and July as part of its new Badgers on Track initiative, designed to help current students and recent graduates recover their momentum and navigate the new online environment. One workshop is focused on the importance of networking, the other on interview tips. The latter’s especially interesting to the New Delhi, India native.
“I’m hoping to hone the ability to use everything I would do in a normal interview in the online setting,” Makkar says. “It’s sometimes distracting when you’re trying to do something business-oriented in the setting where you live. You’re not in the ‘interview zone,’ and that’s causing me some nervousness.”
Acknowledging the mental and emotional stress UW students are facing in an environment that’s still very much about physical distancing is a central thread in Badgers On Track, explains Rebekah Paré, associate dean and executive director for SuccessWorks.
“The economy changed so abruptly and students have had to adapt very quickly to the changing environment, navigating the disappointment about losing an opportunity while trying to stay optimistic about finding a new one,” she says. “Now we’re focused on offering resilience and hope to these students, while reminding them that their skills are still very much in demand. We want our students to know we have their backs.”
Ani Subbarao, a 22-year old rising senior pursuing a computer science degree, is trying to piece his job situation together from Woodbury, Minnesota, where he’s spending the summer.
“It’s been stressful,” Subbarao admits. “Some of the social interactions needed to successfully search for these opportunities just aren’t there.”
In the spring, Subbarao applied to some internships and landed a few interviews, but had no firm offer yet. While searching Google for job-hunting resources, he landed on SuccessWorks, just in time to register for and attend an online event with TCS Basys Controls, an electronics manufacturer in Middleton, that SuccessWorks shared through its career community e-newsletter.
“It gave me a great opportunity to learn more about the company, and what it’s like to work there, in that industry,” says Subbarao, who’s also registered for some of the Badgers on Track virtual workshops, including the one on job opportunities and internships that took place in mid-June. “I also picked up some techniques for networking and developing soft skills for interviewing.”
Subbarao’s been impressed by the breadth of resources at SuccessWorks, and by the fact that those resources are targeted to students’ individual interests.
“You find stuff that’s for you no matter what you’re studying or pursuing,” he says. “But more than anything, it’s good to see there are others who are going through the same things I am.”
To learn more about SuccessWorks’ Badgers on Track offerings, including the opportunity to RSVP for the remaining virtual workshops, click here.