Career-Readiness Workshop Helps GCC Students Prepare for the Workforce
Glendale Community College students received career preparation skills and assistance on Thursday during a workshop presentation that focused on resumes, interviews, and skills needed to enter the workforce.
The workshop was held from 11 a.m. to noon on Sept. 10 at the Counseling and Career Services Center, the glass-walled building on the west side of the central mall, north of the student union and south of the Administration building.
The event was designed to help students develop professional materials and prepare for job opportunities in their field. GCC offers nearly 30 career workshops each semester, with some available in person and remotely.
Mollie Sutherland, Director of Career Services and Experiential Learning, gave a statement about how the workshops help students prepare for employers who are looking for strong communication and problem-solving skills.
“They are looking for students who are ready to enter the workforce with strong communication skills, can problem-solve, and sometimes work in a fast-paced environment. When our students can have a professional resume and a document ready to share with our external stakeholders, that item can help represent the student and what they have learned in class projects… “
Students can receive assistance in creating professional resumes and preparing for job interviews. Career specialists also provide sample interview questions and guidance on what to wear to an interview.
Sutherland also said mock interviews give students the opportunity to build confidence and receive feedback that can improve their interview performance.
“Another benefit for students is having an expert career specialist review their resume or take them through a mock interview so they can build some confidence and receive some constructive feedback that will help their document be better as well as their performance in an interview, to help them secure that job” (Sutherland).
Students can also schedule individual appointments with career specialists. Appointments typically last 45 minutes to an hour and can include resume reviews or mock interviews.
Students can strengthen their resumes through activities outside the classroom, including participating in clubs, taking leadership roles, and volunteering. These activities can help students demonstrate their skills and experience to potential employers.
The workshop allows participants to ask questions and receive individual attention. Sutherland said, “Very one-on-one and very comfortable, so students can participate and ask questions”.
The career services program aims to help students prepare professional materials, make strong first impressions with employers, and find positions that align with their skills and career goals.
Make an Appointment: https://www.gccaz.edu/student-life/career-services
Contact Mollie Sutherland, Director of Career Services and Experiential Learning: career.service@gccaz.edu
How useful was this post?
Click on a star to rate it!
Average rating 5 / 5. Vote count: 2
No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.
Hi Ashiyah! This was an excellent article. Everything was well organized and explained thoroughly. I really enjoyed how thoroughly detailed the when and where portion of your introduction was. It would probably be best to keep it more concise to keep people’s attention. You could likely take out everything after the “Counseling and Career Services Center” part, but as someone who has only ever attended campus online, more complex descriptions like this are preferable to me so I would not get lost if I decided to attend. You explained how the skills they teach at these events help support students. Your quotes also backed up these claims. You provide some more specific techniques the meetings use to help with career preparation, such as with mock interviews and sample questions. I liked how the information you provided answered some outside of the box questions. One example of this in your work is where you mentioned that GCC offers around 30 career workshops each semester, a fact I would never have known without this article. Is there a specific length to these meetings? Is it similar to the 45 minute appointments you mentioned, or does its scheduling work a bit differently? You mentioned towards the end that the workshop is more personalized and allows for everyone to receive individual attention. Do you have an idea of how many people on average (if there is one) attend these workshops typically? I really appreciate your work, you did an amazing job!
Hello Ashiyah, this was a well informative article. A small detail I appreciated, though think could be reworked is the end of the second paragraph describing the Career Services Center, as although the description is helpful for any unfamiliar with the campus and looking to attend the workshop, it is not entirely necessary. The overview of how this workshop helps GCC students is brief and direct, you concisely explain how this event assists students prepare for employers and what students should expect when entering the workforce. I like how you highlighted key elements of the workshop readers may want to look out for, like general interview guidance, resume crafting, and expert career specialist resume reviews. I also like the quotes you included from Mollie Sutherland as they effectively provide more insight into the services this event offers and how they benefit students. For example, “Another benefit for students is having an expert career specialist review their resume or take them through a mock interview so they can build some confidence and receive some constructive feedback” this quote both explains what the workshop offers, as well as how that experience can help students in ways more impactful than say, simply researching advice. This news story is great overall, though it does leave me with a few questions about what the experience is like to attend one of these workshops. How do people generally feel coming out of this workshop, assured, confident, anxious? I think, although the quotes from Sutherland are quite insightful of the workshop’s components, a quote from a student who attended the workshop about how helpful it was, could enhance the article by providing a more personal perspective on the experience, though this article already good as is.
Hi Ashiyah! I think your news story is very well-constructed. I love how much detail you provided in your post- especially when emphasizing where the Counseling and Career Services Center is! I thought that was very considerate of students that don’t know where that building is located, and first year students who aren’t familiar with the campus yet. I also liked the fact that you bolded the quotes in your story. Because you have a lot of information, the boldness of the quotes makes them stand out, and is more visually appealing for your audience. Additionally, I think the inclusion of the links at the bottom of your post is also very helpful! You included information about how to reach out to Mollie Sutherland, the Director of Career Services and Experiential Learning, and someone you directly quoted in your post. Overall, I think you did a fantastic job covering all the who, what, when, where, why, and how, as well as writing about a topic that’s interesting and relevant to GCC students and faculty. The details incorporated throughout the post makes it an effective news story by ensuring that readers have a thorough understanding of the event, with little to no additional questions.