Gen Z goes virtual for job search during COVID-19

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - As some students were forced to learn virtually during the pandemic, their internship and job searches went virtual too.

“I was very nervous about finding a potential internship,” said Sydney Beasely, a college student at Xavier University of Louisiana.

Beasely is a member of Generation Z, anyone born between 1997 and 2015. The pandemic left her future uncertain.

With in-person networking opportunities for jobs and scholarships no longer possible, she turned to Tallo, an online networking website, and secured an internship for this summer.

“It was actually a very easy process,” she said.

Tallo is one of many social platforms designed to help students and young adults access internship opportunities and full-time jobs in many career fields. Last year during the pandemic, more than 600,000 “Gen Zers” started using Tallo, doubling its size. Tallo CEO Casey Welch said the platform is similar to LinkedIn, but it is designed for the next generation.

“This generation is adaptable,” he said.

Tallo encourages users to showcase their education, certifications, skills, and most importantly according to Welch, future aspirations.

“We can highlight those skills that aren’t just a test score, grade or a GPA because that leaves a lot of great candidates out of it,” said Welch.

But making an online profile does not come without risks. Cybersecurity expert Keatron Evans at the InfoSec Institute warns be careful about the person information you post.

“Once you put it out there, there’s literally no possible way to get it back,” Evans said.

Evans said before you sign up for a new website or app, make sure it has privacy and security controls in place. He also recommends making sure you can control who has access to your personal information.

Tallo allows recruiters to see students’ information, but students cannot see each other’s profiles.

“We’re not a traditional social media platform,” said Welch. “When we’re dealing with minors, we allow them to add parents, mentors, educators to their accounts to also be able to connect with them, see what’s going on, help them through those processes.”

Welch said he is confident in Tallo’s security safeguards, including conducting background checks on its recruiters and keeping students’ contact information private.

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