Rent, credit cards, phone and cable bills are late, again. Now is the time when you need a job. But how is it done when the "Help Wanted" ads have few or no jobs that meet your interests? So where else can you go? Well, all you have to do is walk up a fight of stairs in the Student and Community Services Building to the De Anza College Career Center.
The Center provides students with information on career exploration and job searches. It provides a career reference library, counselors, workshops and computer programs. There are a variety of technological tools and office equipment for student use, including a phone, fax and copy machine.
Career Exploration
Students may sign up for a no-cost personal career counselor or obtain ID codes for two career assessment computer programs, Eureka and Discover.
This will help students to "craft their choices, to gain focus," Cindy Lister, the Center’s coordinator said. It enables students to find a career that fits.
Eureka and Discover are Web sites that offer career development information. Eureka explains career fields, as well as college preparatory programs and contains a database of career titles. Students take skills tests rating their attributes, and Eureka returns suggested occupations. Discover presents occupational information, including the predicted demand for personnel in a particular field.
Job Search
The Career Center partners with Monster.com, which gives students access to information about thousands of jobs located in the Bay Area. The "Bay Area Jobs Weekly" is a job bulletin that stocks and distributes information. Files of job listings are kept for up to a month.
The listings selected for inclusion are generally aimed for those who are just entering the market, called entry-level. Those looking for more advanced jobs can log onto different boards to search for employers with open positions. Students can send cover letters and resumes to employers over the Internet.
Workshops
To help students with their career quests, the Center offers one-hour workshops on job searching, resume writing and interview execution. Schedules are available at the Center and at their Web site, www.deanza.edu/careercenter.
Career Library
The Career Library, for use only at the Center, helps students with career information. One reference is a bibliography, which lists occupations and describes how individuals achieved their positions. A series of videos explains what people do in different careers.
