Career Services provides resources to all students and RCC alumni. We strongly encourage you to consider creating a strategic career action that will guide you during your time at the College and ensure that you are investing in enhancing the skills that you will need to compete in the ever-changing job market. As you bridge your academic experiences with professional development, we are here to support your career exploration We look forward to helping you, wherever you are in your career journey!
Students are encouraged to sign up for a Handshake account so that they can interact with employers, attend career events, and explore valuable career resources.
Handshake is an online recruiting platform for higher education students and alumni. Handshake partners with universities and employers to streamline and simplify the recruiting process.
As a student or alumni on Handshake, you get a personalized opportunity to:
***When you sign up for Handshake please make sure you fully read the Handshake terms of service.
Be sure to check out general career services news: monthly content to students, faculty, and alumni to increase engagement and keep everyone abreast of all career service activities and programs.
Are you career-ready?
NACE is a professional association that connects recruiting professionals, companies, and college career services professionals. They are the leading source of information on the employment of the college-educated, and forecast hiring and trends in the job market. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has identified eight key competencies that college students need to acquire so that they can be competitive candidates in job markets. Being “career ready” also means that you can demonstrate your competencies through your resume, cover letters, LinkedIn profile, and interview opportunities.
Because each person has a unique situation, skill set, and career objectives, career paths vary widely and there’s no set formula for professional development. Typically, individuals who take responsibility for planning their own development and actively seek growth opportunities are the most successful in achieving their goals. Listed below are some career tools that can assist you as you begin designing your career path and professional future.
It's important to dedicate time to your job search. New positions are posted daily and competitive opportunities can be filled quickly. Networking and building your social capital are critical components to tapping into the, “hidden job market.” Utilizes the job search tools below to maximize your job search efforts.
MassHire connects jobseekers across the Commonwealth to quality education, skills training, and employment opportunities. Log in using the city “Boston” and zip code “02115 or 02116” or any other city/zip code combination. This Commonwealth of Massachusetts website provides a wealth of occupational and educational information.
Tracking System-Do you have a system for tracking your job search applications, interviews, conversations? It can quickly become overwhelming. These recommendations are simple tools to organize and track your job search:
Whether you’re negotiating your salary for a brand-new job or asking for a raise at your current one, the first rule of negotiating is to know what you’re worth. But figuring that out can be harder than it sounds. How, exactly, are you supposed to know what salary you should ask for? Here is a handy list.
Networking is an ongoing process of discovering and utilizing connections between people and can help you to clarify and define your interests and career goals. Networking is NOT about meeting people to ask for internship or job opportunities but is about building mutually engaging and rewarding professional relationship that may open the door for career enhancement. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 70% of jobs are found through networking.
You can network face to face, via phone, video, email, or other online communication. You can network at: Career Fairs, Company Information Sessions, with RCC Alumni, at RCC Clubs, while participating in community volunteering, career fairs and events, Career Panels, Online groups such as LinkedIn, Professional associations/conferences, Connections of family, friends, faculty/staff,
Be prepared to talk about yourself and ask focused questions of the people that you meet. You may want to create a spreadsheet so that you can keep track of your contacts. Remember, networking is not an event but an ongoing, lifelong process of building relationships with individuals and exchanging mutually beneficial information when possible.
