CAREER SERVICES CENTER

CAREER SERVICES PUTS STUDENTS ON THE ROAD TO EMPLOYMENT

As our culture gets more into technology and less into human-to-human contact, employers across all industries are concerned about a widespread trend among potential new hires: awkward handshakes, poor eye contact, inattentiveness and lack of engagement in conversations – in short, a lack of personable, professional behavior or what experts call “soft skills.”

Fortunately, the experts at the Career Services Center at NCTC are on the case and devoted to the cause of coaching students in the type of “artful behavior” some social experts fear is on the way out the door of societal norms.

“You need to be able to engage professionally, shake a hand, look someone in the eye, speak confidently, listen attentively and respond appropriately,” says Daphne Riddle, Career Services coordinator.

Her department has an entire program – and a slew of tools – designed to assist students in understanding and improving their professional personas, and Riddle says no detail is too small.

“We’ll teach you how to enter the room, send a professional email, communicate your skills and abilities, and listen in a way that shows someone you are listening and what they say matters,” she explains.

Added to the mix is a popular online program called Skills2Succeed Academy. Guiding students through a variety of workplace scenarios, the interactive technology tool allows students to choose the appropriate responses to a wide range of situations. Skills2Succeed is offered to alumni as well as students and is easily accessed online from the comfort of home once students come into a Career Services office to receive their personal access codes.

“It’s a bit like a flight simulator,” says Shannon Solomon, a Career Services advisor for the Corinth, Denton and Graham campuses. “It lets you choose which response would be the most appropriate and helps you recognize what the right thing to do is when you’re confronted with similar situations in your own life. It’s a fun way to learn and develop necessary professional skills.”

Career Services advisors offer individualized career coaching appointments, assisting students with interview preparation and guiding them through the particulars of interacting appropriately with bosses, fellow employees and customers. Coaching is both specific and nuanced, covering everything from career exploration to portfolio development, so that students are well-equipped to function in professional settings.

“What we do is kind of three-tiered, Solomon says. “We support students with job preparation, getting a job and also maintaining a job.”