By Kona Momoh, student reporter
Need help finding a major or career path? Not sure how to write a résumé or prepare for interviews? Collin College’s Career Centers offer a variety of tools to get you on the right path. Here’s why visiting the centers can benefit you.
Career fields are constantly evolving. Fortunately, Collin’s Career Centers help equip students with the skills to step into any career field with confidence. Cougar News sat down with Wes Moran, manager of the State Farm Career Center on the Plano Campus, to hear the rundown on how he prepares students.
The process of finding a career path begins with “helping students learn more about themselves to assist their efforts in identifying careers that match their preferences,” said Moran. “What sort of clubs and hobbies are they involved in?” Moran asks about their involvement and what they’re passionate about.
The next step is to take an assessment through a career program known as “My Plan.” Students have the opportunity to take a variety of assessments relating to personality, interests, skills and values. Through the process students gain an overall better understanding of themselves, which can aid with their exploration and decisions.
Moran encourages students to, “answer the questions based on who you truly are, not what you think you should say or what someone else thinks you should say. The center is here to empower students. This is their process, and no one else’s.”
After taking the assessments, Moran gives students the opportunity to look at their results and determine whether they are accurate or not. The results of the assessments are combined, and students are then able to browse a list of possible careers that fit their results. The path towards finding a career path, however, doesn’t end there.
“This list does not box you into a specific set of careers. Instead, it’s a starting point,” Moran said.
In fact, Moran encourages students to use this list as way of expanding their knowledge of a wide variety of career fields and then creating their own list. Using various resources provided by the center, like “my plan,” students can begin to narrow down their options.
The centers not only help students find careers but also prepare them for the jobs they desire. The Career Centers provide workshops and events such as Resumania, an all-day event, which offers students the opportunity to drop by the center and get a quick résumé review. A few other events and resources the centers provide are mock interviews, networking tips, choosing a major, how to find jobs and internships and business dress and etiquette workshops.
Visiting the career centers and attending workshops can open the door to many opportunities. Student Ebrima Endow shared with us his personal story on how the State Farm Career Center benefited him. Originally from The Gambia, Endow wasn’t familiar with the expectations of jobs in the U.S.
“I was used to people offering me a job based on what I was already doing. When I came here it was totally different. I had to have a resume. I would go to job interviews, but I wouldn’t get the job. I realized there was something wrong. I decided to come down to the Career Center and figure out what the problem was. They helped me edit my résumé , and I attended some of the events. There were so many things I learned like after a job interview you’re supposed to send a thank you note to the person that interviews you, but I didn’t know that. It’s those little things that count.”
Now, Endow works as a student assistant at the center and helps students who were once just like him.
Interested in making an appointment? Send an email to career@collin.edu or stop by. Walk-ins are also welcome.
Here are a few upcoming events at the State Farm Career Center on the Plano Campus:
Resume & Cover Letters Workshop
Thursday, Nov. 15
5-6 p.m.
Room D-103
Communication/Soft Skills
Tuesday, Nov. 27
Noon-1 p.m.
Room J-133
Job Search Strategies
Thursday, Nov. 29
5-6 p.m.
Room D-103
For more information about these events and events at the other Collin College Career Centers in Plano, Frisco and McKinney, visit http://www.collin.edu/studentresources/career/index.html.