What college grads should know for job hunting amid the coronavirus crisis

FOX 2 - Many college graduates are worried they may not be able to get a job right now.

But a Detroit employment expert says they may actually have an edge, especially in our current remote work environment. Trisha Plovie from Robert Half gives us some insight.

FOX 2: "A lot of people are feeling for these graduates put all of this hard work in, wanting to enter a strong economy then Covid strikes - what do they do know if they are looking for employment?" 

Trisha Plovie: "One thing about Gen Z, they are very tech-savvy, right? They are very (comfortable) in their own virtual world of Zoom, Skype and they are already doing a lot of activities virtually, so they've got that in their corner." 

Recent college graduates who are digital natives, need to use that to their advantage according to Plovie from Robert Half - a firm which works to link job seekers with employers.

She says right now they need to make sure they are prepared, marketable and networking with online groups.

"Their resume highlighting activities they did in school, any special awards they won, or internships, volunteer experience, work experience to make sure that makes it on their resume and also carrying that forward to their social media presence," she said. "So if they are on LinkedIn, make sure that they are highlighting all of their experience because that is a talking resume for you on your social media field."

Plovie says even with an entry level position, applicants must be prepared to interview virtually.

"So when they get to the virtual interview they can shine, so role play with mom, dad or a friend to make sure your response skills are strong, you are confident with your communication skills and you can carry that to the interview," she said.

Jobs may be harder to come by for now, but Plovie says there is still plenty of opportunity especially with essential businesses, which are working remotely.

FOX 2: "What about employers what jobs seem most available for applicants?"

"A little bit all over the board, what we are seeing are customer service reps, call center specialists, help desks, accounts payable, accounts receivable, credit and collections, a number of health care a lot in medical billings," she said. "Another key point is what they went to school for is maybe not what their first job will be in being flexible being nimble if it is an industry excited to get into maybe it is not their dream job but it gets their foot in the door."