Career Services
SPRING 2014
STUDENT
NEWSLETTER
Northampton Community College
New Inter nship Office
How can you impress an employer if you have limited work
experience?
Dumb Things Said
by Candidates in
Job Interviews

Can we wrap this up quickly?
I have someplace I have to go.

What is your company’s
policy on Monday absences?

My old boss was a monster
and it’s really scarred me
emotionally.

If I get an offer, how long do
I have before I take the drug
test?
Excerpts from CNN & CareerBuilder
Consider an internship. Career
Services now has a new Internship Office to help current students find non-credit internships
in their field of interest.
An internship is an on-the-job
learning experience in a work
setting related to your interests,
career aspirations, or major. It is
a structured and supervised experience where you learn about
the demands of a particular profession.
You become more marketable as
employers assume you will transition better from college to the
professional world.
An internship is evidence of
your abilities. It provides the
opportunity to refine skills
you’ve learned in college and
learn new skills in a professional
environment.
An internship gives you the
chance to experience a career
field that interests you and you
know little about. It’s a handson way to determine if this is the
best career or major for you.
This is your chance to improve
your self confidence by gaining
practical experience—and improve your resume by adding
concrete professional experience
that employers seek.
provide leads on other workplaces that might be hiring.
For more information or to
access this service, call Career
Services at 610-861-5344 to
make an appointment with our
Internship Manager.
With a successful internship,
you develop references and
professional contacts who can
Inside this issue:
Why Should I Hire You? 2
Follow Unexpected
Opportunities
2
Interview Follow Up
3
Calendar of Events
4
About Us
4
Professional Behavior
4
Transfer rable Skills: From Here to There
When someone advises you to
include your transferrable skills
on your resume, what are they
talking about?
Transferrable skills are those
that can be used in any occupation or setting.
Are you transitioning from college to your first job? Or changing careers? There are skills
you’ve learned in your courses
or in your past jobs that transfer
to your future work environment. These are skills that all
employers value. Here are just
a few.
Communication. This skill
group includes writing, verbal,
listening, and even communication with social media. Companies value employees who can
make presentations confidently
to groups, write proposals or
instructions, research and analyze information, and relate
information successfully to
coworkers.
Remember that your body language and professional dress
also communicate a message to
employers and coworkers.
Critical thinking. Problem
solving is valued by most em(Continued on page 3)
CAREER SERVICES
Why Should I Hire You?
When an employer asks this
question in an interview, she is
really asking what skills and
experience you have that would
make you the best fit for this
position.
tice so you can confidently state
them to the employer. Relate
these qualities to the open position, providing examples of how
you’ve used your skills in previous positions.
the challenges that may face
someone in this position. Go a
step further and show how your
particular qualities will resolve
problems and overcome those
challenges.
You want your response to be
brief, but strong. To prepare for
this question, look at the job
requirements listed in the ad.
Next, make a list of the qualities
you have that fit these requirements.
Demonstrate your understanding of the job’s responsibilities
and requirements by relating
them to your skills and education.
Include the transferrable skills
you developed in classes, internships, and work situations. Tie it
all together for a potential employer.
The employer already believes
you are qualified or you would
not be interviewing with them.
Illustrate your understanding of
Connect your skills to the job
requirements and give the
employer good reason to offer
you the position.
Now select one or two specific
qualities from this list and prac-
Follow Unexpecte d Oppor tunities
“Being open to new
ideas, following your
interests, or acting
on unplanned
opportunities may
help you build a
successful career.”
PAGE 2
Career decisions are not always
a result of deliberate and logical
strategies.
Planned happenstance is the idea
that being open to new ideas,
following your interests, or
acting on unplanned opportunities may help you build a successful career.
Be flexible. Be open to new
opportunities, even if they don’t
quite match your ideal career.
Sometimes these opportunities
turn out to be wonderful experiences.
Be positive. Assume good
things will happen if you accept
unexpected invitations, attend
networking events, and try new
activities. Wonder how you
can, rather than listing reasons
why you can’t.
Follow your curiosity. If
something looks interesting to
you, see where it takes you.
Explore. Take a class, read a
book, talk to someone with
experience in the field.
Take action. Pursue your interests here at NCC. Join a club.
Find a cause to champion. You
may find a new career direction
within your major by refining
your skills and getting involved.
Recognize opportunities.
When something produces an
unexpected outcome, don’t
assume you are off track. Ask
yourself if this could be an opportunity in disguise.
Be ready and open to chance
meetings and conversations.
Take calculated risks. We
don’t mean the “walking a highwire across Niagra Falls” kind of
risk. We mean take a risk and
ask someone you don’t know
about the work that they do.
You might discover more about
your career options by gathering
information from differing
points of view.
Developing your career is an
ongoing process. Discover your
interests and pursue any opportunity that will allow those interests to evolve.
Be prepared for the unexpected
by having your resume ready,
your response to the “tell me
about yourself” question well
rehearsed and refined, and by
keeping your mind open to opportunities. Those opportunities
may not be exactly what you
were looking for, but if you’re
willing to take a chance you
might be pleasantly surprised
where they take you.
SPRING 2014
Inter view Follow -Up
Ok, so you think you nailed the
job interview. You thoroughly
prepared: researched the company, dressed professionally,
and practiced interviewing with
NCC’s Career Services.
The employer seemed impressed, indicated enthusiasm
for your background, and told
you, “I’ll be in touch soon.”
Fast forward a week and you
haven’t heard a word back from
the employer. So what do you
do now? Can you follow up
with the employer without
seeming desperate or looking
like a pest? The answer is definitely, YES!
Here are three tips to help.
1.Ask the employer about the
hiring timeline at the conclusion of the interview. Some
companies move at a snail’s
pace when it comes to hiring
decisions. If you have an idea of
what happens next, you are less
likely to become frustrated with
the process. If the employer
indicated that she will be in
touch in a week and nine days
have passed, feel free to touch
base and remind her of the
timetable she gave you.
2.Write that Thank You
Note ASAP! Thank-you notes
matter: They give you a terrific
opportunity to follow-up with
the decision-maker right away.
Tailor the thank you to each
individual you’ve met in the
interview process. A generic
“stock” thank you note will
not set you apart from the other candidates! The thank you
note also gives you the opportunity to reaffirm interest in the
position. NCC’s Career Ser-
vices recommends a typed or
hand-written thank you note. A
thank you email may not cut it.
(Could land in the spam folder!)
3.Ask if you can connect via
LinkedIn after the interview.
LinkedIn n provides you with
the opportunity to develop a
professional relationship with
the employer. It is perfectly
acceptable and beneficial to
connect on LinkedIn, it keeps
you in the loop. Unlike Facebook, LinkedIn is the social
media sight dedicated to
providing professional networking avenues.
Happy follow-up! It is an important part of the interview
process. Your goal as a job candidate is to stay on top of the
employer’s mind.
“Can you follow up
with the employer
without seeming
desperate or looking
like a pest?
Definitely, YES!”
Transfer rable Skills
(Continued from page 1)
ployers. Critical thinking is a
systematic way of looking at a
problem, discovering the cause,
creating solutions, and evaluating the results of those solutions.
Teamwork. Working smoothly and respectfully with others
who have different backgrounds, areas of expertise, and
responsibilities keeps a team
working as a productive unit.
(Yes, this is the reason many of
your courses require you to
work on group projects and
presentations.) Teamwork requires cooperation, thinking
about the goals of the team, and
keeping your commitments.
Technical. In addition to the
skills required for a specific
technical career, employers
expect knowledge of all computer and internet based applications. It’s important to keep
updated on new technology,
newer versions of existing programs like MS Office, as well as
any technology and software
programs that are specific to
your industry.
The best way to keep your
transferrable skills fresh? Use
them. Regularly.
If you don’t currently have a
job where you can do that, find
an internship or volunteer
opportunity where you can use
those transferrable skills before
you lose them.
Transferrable skills are
those you carry with you
to any setting or job.
PAGE 3
Calendar of Events—Spring 2014
Emerging Student
Leaders:
Career Fairs
Career Workshops
The 13th Annual Lehigh
Valley Collegiate Career
Expo - Wed. Feb 26, 12 noon to
4:30 PM. Holiday Inn Conference Center, Fogelsville.
Interview Dos & Don’ts
(Presentation by Northwestern Mutual) Tues, Mar 11 from
11 AM to 12:15 PM.
Professional Seminars
Bethlehem Campus
Unsure About Your College
Major? Thurs, April 10, 5 PM to
7 PM. College Center 333.
Repeated on Thurs, May 1, 5 PM
to 7 PM. College Center 333.
Writing Dynamic Resumes
and Cover Letters, Thurs,
March 6, 11 AM to 12:15 PM,
College Center, 190.
Health Careers Job Fair,
Bethlehem Campus, Mon,
Mar 10 from 10 AM to 2 PM.
Spartan Center, Gym C.
Spring Career Fair, Monroe
Campus, Wed, April 9, 10 AM
to 2 PM, Community Room.
Looking for a job?
Hospitality Job Fair, Bethlehem Campus, Mon, April 14
from 11 AM to 3 PM. Alumni
Hall, 130 A-D
College Central Network is
our online job database,
available exclusively to
NCC students and alumni.
Spring Career & Internship
Fair, Bethlehem Campus,
Wed, April 23, 10 AM to 2 PM,
Spartan Center, Gym C.
www.collegecentral.com/
northampton
Professional Behavior -Beg in Now
Your professional behavior in
the workplace is key to your
future success, whether in a
temporary part time job or
your first job out of college.
It can affect your ability to keep
your job and to advance your
career.
So what can you do to conduct
yourself as a professional in the
workplace?
Dress appropriately. Wear
the style of clothing that is the
norm for your type of position.
Observe co-workers and follow
company dress policy. Always
be neat and clean.
Be on time. Arriving late for
work or meetings gives the
impression that you don’t care.
It can also be disrespectful to
your co-workers.
Own up to your mistakes.
Don’t blame others. Correct
your mistakes and learn not to
repeat them.
Check your attitude. Leave
your bad attitude outside the
workplace door. When things
need to be changed, do what
you can to facilitate change.
Offer to help co-workers.
Share your knowledge or offer
an extra pair of hands when
needed. One person’s success
reflects well on everyone.
Watch your language. No
swearing at all. It makes you
appear to have a limited vocabulary and is unprofessional.
Are You LinkedIn? (& other
social media), Thurs, March 13,
11 AM to 12:15 PM, College
Center 364
Preparing for Interviews,
Thurs, March 27, 11 AM to 12:15
PM, College Center 190.
About Us
Bethlehem Campus—College Center, 348
610-861-5344
Monroe Campus—Student Services Area,
570-620-9221
Online—www.northampton.edu/careers
careers@northampton.edu
Karen Veres, Director
Jennifer Napierkowski, Assistant Director
Nina Rehrig, Career Development Specialist
Rosaan Barker, Perkins Placement Support Specialist
Robert Colletta, Student Success Specialist
Janice Kenyatta, Internship Manager
Lynn Fischer, Office Manager
Fran Maiatico, Secretary