SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Emily Hinton is nostalgic about the campus life at the University of San Diego and she's only a junior.
She says she misses her friends, the professors, and the picturesque campus. Hinton's now one of tens of thousands of San Diego college students attending classes virtually. She's attending lectures from her parent's home in El Cajon.
"I never thought I would be taking my Zoom class from my bed or sitting on my desk with pictures in the back," Hinton said.
Classes have changed - and so has the job search.
Gone are in person career fairs in which recruiters pack the campus.
Instead - students are searching online - amid soaring unemployment.
"I think students are really nervous," Hinton says. "I think especially graduating seniors. No one was anticipating this."
Hinton, however, worked with the USD career center to land an internship with the Susan G. Komen Foundation - one she hopes sets her up for a career in public health.
She did everything over the internet - and learned to role with the punches.
"The microphone stopped working, the headphones stopped, and you don't really know what to do," Hinton said.
Emily Baxt, a career counselor at USD, says students must focus on the things they can control - things like writing the strongest resume and cover letter possible, maintaining an online presence, and networking enthusiastically.
"The same things that make for a strong job search before the pandemic make for a strong job search now," Baxt says.
Baxt says it's vital to stick to the basics of the job search. Do it right and all else will fall into place.
