Contact information: 413/775-1420
Web link:

Contact: Liz Carroll
Phone: 413/775-1420
E-mail: carroll@gcc.mass.edu

Media contact: Liz Carroll
Marketing & Publications
413/775-1420 | carroll@gcc.mass.edu

Release date: March 14, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GCC's Career Center is hidden secret for the community

"I like to think of us as a hidden secret for the community,” says Career Center Director Colleen Kucinski, "and every service we provide for our students is also available to the larger community. All of our services are free, which is very different from other employment agencies in the area. We're just here to help people.”

Most people think of a job search as writing a resume and cover letter. But though the Career Center will certainly help you with this task, that's actually a very small part of the services they offer. "Many of our community members are looking to change careers,” says Kucinski, "but they don't know where to begin. They have no idea what they'd like to do in this next stage of their life, and we can help them figure that out.”

A true job search starts with an understanding of who you are. "Help with a resume is a hook to bring people in here,” says Career Counselor John Cornman, who works with Kucinski. "Then we start talking about what a successful job search entails.” So, what does a career change demand that so many people are missing? According to Cornman the process begins with career assessments. "The assessments allow people to gather data about who they are in terms of personality type, skills, etc. We sit and talk with clients about their values systems and the kind of company they want to work for. Instead of just taking an offer, they actually go out and find the right place for themselves. When it is time for the interview, the interviewee knows the questions they want to ask the employer.”

Through the assessment process very often new and exciting possibilities are discovered that were previously overlooked or unknown. "Sometimes success isn't changing careers or even landing a new job,” say Kucinski. "Sometimes it is understanding that there's more out there. Many folks don't even realize there are other things they can do. I have one success story that involves a younger community member who, when she first came to see me, could not articulate a single interest. Through a lot of work on her part, some assessments and a lot of talking between the two of us, we defined for her not a specific job, but the skills that she wanted to use. We've matched those skills with several different types of jobs. She now looks at job openings in a whole new way. She hasn't tied herself to one career choice.”

******

"I was applying to transfer to a four year college in the fall and wasn't really decisive about my choice of major,” admits Sarah Peck, 19, of Bernardston. "So I went to the CareerCenter. I learned things I knew about myself that I just couldn't see with my own eyes. Colleen was great; she was very patient. Before I took the assessment, she had me tell her things about myself and things I like to do. The assessments reaffirmed that I like to be in control of things and that I prefer working with facts and figures. I like hard data! The outcome was me deciding that I wanted to be a business major. It was a huge help to me because I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life”

******

"Career development spans from birth to death,” says John Cornman. He most often helps people who are looking for a second career. "They've either finished their career and started to retire, or they've decided in mid-life that they want to do something different. So we work through the career exploration phase with them before we even start looking for the right job.” Cornman just received a call from one of his "second-career” clients informing him that she was offered a position. "She was a student here in our CAD (computer assisted design) certificate program. She came to us for help in finding a job after getting her certificate last June. What I did was teach her an approach I've used for years in the business world.”

Cornman's approach equates the job search process with traditional business titles: CEO, CFO, VP of Marketing, Director of Sales, and Sales Rep. "Most people don't explore all five roles, usually forgetting the first two or three. They jump in, put a resume together really quickly and start answering ads. This program teaches to plan first, as a Chief Executive Officer plans, to develop and introduce a new product to the marketplace. This new product is the jobseeker, what their skills are and what they bring to the job market.” It is this same strategy that Cornman will share in its entirety at the Career Center Job Search Workshop.

******

"I was going to GCC because I thought I wanted to do something with art, but I wasn't entirely sure what,” explains Kate Hesse, 25, of Brattleboro. "So I went to the CareerCenter to get some guidance. I learned that I don't want to be an actual hands-on artist, that I would rather do something administratively in the art field. The end result is that I've applied for Art Administration or Museum Studies Programs at Seton Hall, ColumbiaTeachers College, and DrexelUniversity. "I've had a lot of experience with Career Centers over the years, at three other colleges, and this was definitely the most helpful. They actually helped me move in the right direction. I find that frequently the help I get is programmed ‘this is the help we give everybody' approach, but this was more individualized.”