At a time where job hunting is difficult and many students are trying to explore ways to pay off their tuition, students are in a search for the best job opportunities possible.
Before the Fall semester, many students at NECC had part time jobs to pay off personal luxury, debts, etc.
Now, due to the life-changing pandemic as well as in need of a bigger opportunity, students’ plans have changed significantly.
At NECC, handshake.com is the focal point of job hunting where it is a website that helps students with deciding what they want to do to help pay for their college, pay for books, food, and many other personal needs.
Noreen Fantasia, a Career Center Coordinator, is someone that helps many students out who don’t know how they want to pay off their debts or what to do, and is one of many coordinators at NECC.
“Handshake is our new career management tool and acts as an online job board. It is a platform that allows students to take their first steps into finding a career,” says Fantasia.
“Every student at the college has an account on Handshake. Students will log on using their MyNECC credentials. The Handshake tab is located on MyNECC or a student can go to join handshake.com. Once on Handshake, students have the option to create a profile, upload a resume, search for a job or attend an event such as the hiring fairs.”
As Fantasia said, you can search for either a job or attend hiring/job fairs that the Caree rCoordinators hold to discuss with students about potential hirings.
“The Health Science Virtual Hiring Event was one of three hiring events Career Services offered in October and November,” ssays Fantasia. “By utilizing Handshake, we were able to offer these online events that during normal times would be offered on campus, in person. Like an in-person event, employers who are interested in hiring NECC students and alumni sign up to attend the event.”
Every month, Career Coordinators hold events where students that take an interest in a certain role attend — they’ve held events including Business and Accounting, STEM, and The HealthScience Virtual Hiring Event in particular.
“By offering these events, especially during remote school, they allow students to engage with companies who would in normal times visit our campus to recruit students. These events are a great chance for students to learn how to communicate with companies and to highlight all they have to offer as well as get hired!” Fantasia continues.
The job surfaces around NECC’s Career Center, as Fantasia states, is a great way to help students decide what they currently like to do, but it also specifically helps students connect with their companies and their peers, which helps with communication in the work life.
The Career Navigation Tools which the Coordinators provide is one of the first elements thatstudents are informed on once enrolling into NECC, and Fantasia says that the main goal for theCoordinators is for students not to feel too pressured about making career decisions.
“The Career Services staff is here to assist any students with their career needs such as resumes,cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, and mock interviews. The best way to make an appointment isusing Navigate. We hope every student will log on to join Handshake.com and create a profile! It is a great site and a powerful online tool to start your career search.”
