In a competitively driven workforce college students need as much exposure and experience as possible, but not all college campuses provide a large variety of tools to help their students land their ideal jobs and internships while still in school or post grad.
Santa Rosa Junior College on the other hand offers a handful of events and resources to assist their students in becoming successful in the their future workplace.
Job representatives, like the recruiting service Nelson Staffing, agree that internships are one of the biggest leading causes to landing a permanent job in the field that one desires.
Recently SRJC had its annual Career Hub Job Fair April 24 in Haehl Pavilion which offered students the opportunity to meet representatives face to face for possible job and internship options.
“I know, and have been told by, so many people that its gotten really competitive out there, I want a job in the tech world too and I know how hard that might be for me while living in this area, so landing an internship now is super important for my future,” said Ericka Castro, a first-year SRJC student is anxious to land an internship while still in her first year of college.
Due to SRJC’s many career resources, students like Castro have been able to use the tools in order to help guide them in the right direction. The Career Hub on SRJC’s website holds various tools: career resources, career advising, career counseling, career preparation and workshops and events.
According to Career advisor Jill Mead, these are the top three most valuable things students can receive help with during career counseling:
- Career assessment/exploration – Take an assessment and learn the web tools to match your personality to careers. Learn about web tools to help you research the occupational outlook, job functions, and work environment
- Resume development – Learn about what to include on your resume and the appropriate format for your information. Hiring a resume service costs a minimum of $200.
- Practice interviewing and first impressions coaching – Having a solid self-introduction, being prepared with how to respond to the common job interview questions, and knowing how to dress will boost confidence and help job candidates have a successful interview.
Internship experience, deemed the new entry-level job according to careervision.org, is what employers are valuing in applicants. Although, college education was enough experience and background to push one into the applicant pool, nowadays, the combination of work, plus, internship experience helps an individual stand out in the competitive application world.
SRJC has students and alumni covered when it comes to supporting their career pursuits, using these free tools and resources will not only prepare one for the workforce but will help you with every step of the way in the process with advisors like Mead there to assist.
These services are available even after students graduate from SRJC. They may contact the Career Hub front desk at 527-4329 to make an appointment with Mead on the third floor of Bertolini.
