By Carina Noyala and Jonathan Ghattas
Staff Reporters

No campus department or organization is as involved in Welcome Week 2020  as the CSUDH Career Center, which by the end of today will have hosted six virtual events in four days. It only makes sense,  as with one out of six Americans estimated to be out of work due to the pandemic, now would seem the time to research the job market and find the career that is best suited to you and vice versa.

Career Exploration with Focus 2

One tool the career center uses to do just that is Focus 2, which was the focus of a session on Tuesday. Focus 2 is an online interactive program that helps users choose a career path that factors in their ubjective interests, values, skills, needs and aspirations.

The Career Exploration with Focus 2 session was led by Alexis Teodoro Lopez,  the center’s student development engagement specialist. He led the nine virtual visitors on a 40-minute virtual walk through the system , which is available to students and alumni at no charge.

Focus2 is an intuitive system that helps students find their career path, based on individual responses to a series of questions. IF you’re unsure whether you major will position you toward the career you want, or you’re unsure of a career at all, Focus 2 can help you make better decisions for your future.

Another feature of Focus 2, Lopez explained,  is that it provides information on whether a particular career field is expected to show growth in the near future.

For more information, go to the CSUDH Career Sources Web Page and click on Focus 2.. New users can use the given access code (gotoros) to sign up. For more information visit the career center.

Get Ahead With Handshake

Another resource available to students through the Career Center is Handshake, the subject of another Career Center virtual open house yesterday and one today offered again at 3 p,.m.

Handshake is  a job and internship site designed to  students achieve their career positions. The site offers access to full-time and part-time opportunities, as well as internships and on-campus positions. Other information such as workshops and on-campus activities are available through the site. 

The open house was led by career center administrator Mariah Glenn, who provided detailed explanations on how to utilize the site best. Glenn announced that an application has also been created for Handshake, and now can be downloaded on both google and apple platforms. 

Students can access Handshake by logging onto their student accounts and clicking on the career center link. This will lead students to setting up a profile in order to help them find more opportunities related to their field. Students can also submit their resumes to be proofread and checked by career center counselors, who then provide and tips in order to how to best stand out to an employer. 

Another virtual Handshake 101 open house will be hosted by the career center today, Thursday, Sept. 3 at 3 p.m.