Career Resource Center
The CAREER RESOURCE CENTER, located on the 4th floor of the MEGA structure, offers a wide variety of services to both students and alumni. Staff is available to guide students through online job search, Cooperative education/Internship search, career guidance & counseling, and assessment software which enables students to find jobs and determine appropriate educational goals and related career choices. Assistance is provided for resume critiquing, cover letter preparation, interviewing techniques, job search strategies and leads. In addition to the online postings, employment opportunities are made available through on-campus recruitment by area employers and job fairs are scheduled throughout the year.
The CRC maintains a resource library with quality texts and videos pertaining to occupational selections and interviewing techniques and a six-station internet ready computer lab. The resource library, computer lab, and CRC staff are available to assist students each day from 9:00 to 5:00 and two nights a week until 7:30pm.
The interactive, online job search network, eRecruiting, provides many opportunities for both part/time and full/time employment, career related jobs and cooperative education/internship experiences. Students are issued a username and password after submitting an approved resume and orientation to the system. If the student does not have a resume or needs assistance with updating one, the CRC provides critiqing for them. Students are then able to access jobs that employers post with ECC, apply for jobs online, interact with employers, post resumes and cover letters in addition to viewing the Calendar of Events for upcoming job fairs, recruitment events and special notices.
The career guidance software, Coin Career Library is also online and provides four separate career centers for students, counselors, staff and faculty to use in exploring career options. The Exploration Center, used most, contains assessments, occupation searches, college searches, and a video library with over 200 occupational videos in English and Spanish that show actual on-the-job footage of job duties. The Planning Center contains a Resume Builder which is helpful in working with students who have never created a resume. The Resource and Activity Centers help students in finding relevant links, articles and interview questions.
The newest software application that the CRC has acquired to assist students in developing their career paths is VAULT. This online virtual library of careers and industry contacts is a valuable tool in helping students determine their majors and outlook for their career choices. VAULT is the leading media company for career information, and is a valuable asset in the CRC’s arsenal of career resources.
Additionally, the CRC is responsible for on-campus job placement through the Federal College Work/Study Program. The office staff conducts student orientations and facilitates assignments to Departments throughout the year. Cooperative Education opportunities are also made available through this Program.
The CRC collects, tracks, and reports to Institutional Research valuable data by conducting its annual ECC Graduate Survey. This Survey collects the responses of the graduating class for each year concerning employment, transfer to four-year institutions and evaluation of student services used while in attendance at ECC. Statistics are also collected as a result of job development initiatives and placements for inclusion in the Federal Fiscal Operations Report and Application for Funds. In addition, the CRC produces the Hired Student Statistics Report each year to track the progress of matriculated ECC students entering the job market annually due to receiving career services at the college.
The CRC maintains ongoing partnerships with the corporate sector to provide employment and internship opportunities for students. ECC is an Option One School with UPS Earn and Learn Partnership and through the institutional Job Development Committee regularly sponsors Career Fairs, Workshops, Resume Critiquing, Employment Panels and Career Seminars.
Students are encouraged to visit the Career Resource Center in their first year of attendance to utilize the career software while determining career paths and job availability. Targeted correspondence is sent to students who have earned 40 credits toward their degree requesting that they register in eRecruiting so they may begin applying for career-related jobs prior to graduation.
All of these resources, in conjunction with the irreplaceable individual guidance provided by the staff, are why The Career Resource Center at Essex County College is
WHERE GREAT CAREERS BEGIN!
