Centers provide career aid

By Tiffany Davis, south news editor

     The career and employment services center is a great place for TCC students to seek assistance if they need help creating a resume, selecting a university, making student and career assessments or searching for jobs. Career centers are located on all four campuses.
The South Campus career and employment center is located in the SUB. The staff works with counselors to aid students with a successful transition into college. Often students start college without selecting a major degree or the student may be unsure of the degree he or she has chosen. Either way, the staff can provide students with a student assessment test providing the student has a referral from a counselor.
     The student assessment tests are a series of questions about one’s personal preferences and or personality type. Some tests predict problems that may arise due to the individual’s personality type to help the person increase his or her chances of success in a chosen career field.
     The tests include Myers Briggs, Strong, Texas Cares, Oscars and The Keirsey internet website.
     “After a student takes these tests, a counselor will review the results with the student to ensure that the student understands the feedback and how he can use it to his advantage,” Josette Jackson, student assistant for the South Campus career and employment center office, said.
     The center also offers a computer-aided tutorial to help the student write resumes. The staff keeps a current listing of on-campus and off-campus jobs. They have information on part-time, full-time and temporary positions and student assistant jobs.
     They also host Recruiting On Campus (ROC) days. The center invites employers who are seeking college students for employment to visit the campus and meet with students. Students are able to obtain information about different companies while speaking with representatives.
     The center keeps college catalogs and applications on hand for students who need to research a university. They also have a vast amount of information covering various careers. The career center staffs on all campuses are available to help students achieve a successful college career, Jackson said.
     SE Campus career and employment service center is located in the east wing, C-106. “The career and employment services at SE Campus are unique in the services the center offers to TCC students,” Michael Cinatl, career and employment services center coordinator, said.
     The center has a career counselor on staff, who works individually with students to formulate a career plan. The center also has a career planning specialist, who first helps students develop a resume. The specialist personally interviews the student to assess what type of job qualifications the student has and what type of job the student wants to apply for. The specialist aids students with their job searches and helps them prepare for an employment interview.
     The SE Campus center offers Vocational Implications of Personality (VIP), a student assessment test. The center also offers Myers Briggs, Oscars, Texas Cares and a variety of internet websites. “The center accepts walk-ins, and the staff will set an appointment if necessary,” Cinatl, said.
     The NE Campus career and employment services center is located in the Student Center, room 156. The center has on-campus job recruiting throughout the semester. This center does not offer assessment tests; however, student and career assessment tests are offered in the counseling office. The NE Campus hosts a multitude of job fairs and the upcoming events will be posted soon.
     NW Campus career and employment services has job recruiting all semester long right outside the bookstore. This location allows students to drop by between classes and fill out an application.
     The career center is located inside of the counseling center.
“Students are encouraged to use the computer-aided career and assessment tests,” Cathy Westbrook, student development attendant, said.
     Counseling services are necessary upon completion of the assessment test.
For more information on career counseling on each campus, call NE, 817-515-6692; NW, 817-515-7785; South, 817-515-4551; or SE, 817-515-3592.