Career Development & Placement Center Newsletter
Fall 2008… Volume X

Holiday Jobs!!

The Career Development and Placement Center sponsored Holiday Job Fair on Wednesday, October 22, 2008 from 9:00am to 12:00 pm in the Student Cafeteria “Taste Buds Area” at the Ocean Campus.  Over 10 employers were on-campus to recruit students for seasonal/holiday jobs.  For more information about holiday jobs, call (415) 239-3117 or drop by the Career Center located in Science 127.

CDPC Online Student Employment/Job Readiness Sources

Career Connection:
The Career Development and Placement Department’s web-based job-posting service, Career Connection, has just celebrated its 2,500th active student subscription! Since the service’s inception in 1995, we have had over 197,700 hits on the site. This exceptional student service was originally developed, improved, funded, and supported by the Office of Career and Technical Education and VTEA grants. Beginning in 2006, the Office transitioned program oversight and coordination to CDPC, and Career Connection has been expanding ever since. Both employers and student job-seekers share regular positive feedback about the effectiveness and success of the service. As of October 1, 2008, employers have placed 15, 807 job orders on the system!
There have been some very positive improvements and additions in the last several months that will greatly enhance the quality and the quantity of student and alumni jobs. CDPC has been approached by San Francisco’s Health and Human Services Department to engage in a cooperative effort to provide First Source job listings as well as recruitment for a new internship program for companies having contracts with the city. In September of this year, the Career Connection staff met with the Director of Human Resources for the University of California at San Francisco to discuss ways to assist their department with staffing recruitment. UCSF is a huge institution encompassing both an educational campus as well as a nationally recognized hospital. This is a very exciting collaboration with and will result in many great employment opportunities for City College students.

As part of CDPC’s continual effort to expand Career Connection, we are continuing to work with various academic departments to assist them in contacting potential employers as well as gaining advisory help and internship positions. Currently there are ongoing collaborations with Architecture, Engineering/Drafting, and the Computer Networking/Information Technology departments. This is only the beginning. If you are interested in subscribing to Career Connection to receive customized listings or in accessing all posted job placement referrals, go here:

New On-line LERN 62 Course

Beginning in the spring semester of 2008, CDPC started development of a new Successful Job Search Techniques (LERN 62) class for delivery through CCSF’s on-line learning program. The first section was taught during summer session to 35 enthusiastic students! Since this course was so well-received, CDPC will be offering the on-line version again for fall semester (starts October 20th) as well as spring 2009. This course is taught through seven modules, beginning with the examination of each student’s previous job search experiences, then proceeding to resume development, using the internet to job search, and developing a network, and concluding with strategies for keeping the new job and finding opportunities for advancement. This course features student/instructor discussion boards, as well as student/student discussions and sharing. This on-line delivery mode allows for many more students, some of whom may be in throes of unemployment or unable to take time to attend an on-campus class, to engage in learning essential job search techniques. For information about this class, contact the instructor.

MIS Career Center

The Mission Career Development and Placement Center is located at the Mission Campus, Valencia Building. The Center is open to all credit, non-credit and prospective students to City College of San Francisco. It is open Monday to Thursday from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm and Fridays from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. For more information call (415) 239-3117.

Interviewing Tips

Do your research: Learn as much as you can about the company or agency before the interview. You can learn a lot from the internet or visit the CCSF Library or CDPC Career Center.
Practice: Do as many practice interviews as you can with your friends, family or career counselor. You can also practice in front of the mirror.
Be prepared: Bring extra copies of your resume, list of references, and sample of your work if applicable. Don’t forget a pen and paper and your list of questions.
Dress like a professional: Plan your interview attire in advance and make sure that your clothing is pressed, your shoes are shined and your hair and fingernails well groomed.
Be prompt: Allow plenty of time to get to the interview. If possible, visit in advance and time how long it takes to get there.
Act like a professional, maintain eye contact, and be enthusiastic.
Express yourself clearly: Speak slowly and take care to enunciate your words. Don’t be afraid of pauses in the conversation.
Be honest: Don’t try to cover up mistakes. Instead focus on how you learned from them.
Be assertive: Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Remember that the interview isn’t only a way for the employer to learn if you’re right for the job – it’s a way for you to learn if the job is right for you.
Follow up: Ask the interviewer for a business card and send a thank you note or email as soon as possible (excerpt from Job Choice Magazine 2008).