Doing the job of finding the job

Events like the meet and greet have been the start of many students’ professional careers. Sometimes the path to the right job is quick. Take Brandon Butler ’19, who just graduated from North Central with a degree in entrepreneurship and small business management. He’s working for Impact Networking in Naperville.

Butler met with Nunez early in his career at North Central and found an internship, but she knew a recruitment event was missing from the puzzle.

“She looked into my eyes and said to me, ‘You are going to this career fair.’ So I did,” he said. “When I got there, I met my current manager Rocco, and had a fantastic conversation about the job. Rocco wanted me to apply and go through the interview process.

“I am now on the Bolingbrook sales team as an account manager with two sales under my belt and (I’m in) an amazing environment. I couldn’t have done this, or found Impact, without Haydee’s guidance.”

The Career Development staff have a computer system to help keep track of their working students. They use it to keep in touch with students while they work at their internships and jobs. They encourage students to talk up North Central while they’re at work, too.

For example, Jordan Rembrecht ’20, a human resource management major, is interning for Molex and helped get her company ready for the Meet and Greet at North Central.

“I registered Molex for the event as well as ordered the items we (had) at our table,” she said. “I posted our open positions on North Central’s Handshake account so students (could) apply for them ahead of time. I also contacted Molex employees who were alumni and told them they should come to the event.”

The job search as part of college life

The Career Development staff knows how busy students are. Nunez pointed out how the office provides options for every student to work on their career search around their other commitments.

“Our students are very active, so we have focused attention on online support,” she said. “That includes career videos, an online résumé builder and video interview practice.”

None of these things are as good as meeting in person, so staff considers that, too.

“We offer a range of individual appointments to students and are always somewhere on campus delivering a presentation to a class or group,” Nunez said. “Our students really like going to our drop-in center when they need to get their résumé reviewed, ask an internship question, or get help with the job hunt in general. The staff are all students who are trained career advisors, and that makes it easier.”

The help North Central students get from Career Development staff stays with them long after they graduate.

“Being on the talent acquisition team at Molex, I have seen firsthand how valuable the interaction is between an employer and students at recruiting events,” said Rembrecht. “It gives you an advantage over other students who did not attend.”

It’s no accident North Central students are well equipped for their first impression on potential employers.

“We focus on a student’s development of career readiness skills while at North Central,” said Nunez. “(Our) students are always working on the skills bosses look for, like leadership, teamwork, communication and problem solving.

“We hear from employers that they love partnering with us and how we give them direct access to potential interns and full-time staff.”

When asked about job search advice for prospective students, Rembrecht said, “Start early! Begin working on your résumé and applying to internships and jobs right when the school year begins. While it may seem early, recruiting season gets earlier every year so you want to be sure you don’t wait too long to start looking.”

To find out more about North Central College and start your application, go to northcentralcollege.edu/apply.