Career Success Center

Written by Jeramey Reamer

The college experience can have a profound impact on a student’s occupation.  However, the uphill climb to finding a meaningful career can prove difficult.  To help make this process run more smoothly, Front Range Community College Westminster campus offers many resources to give its students the confidence they need to place themselves into a rewarding vocation.

“We guide students to make decisions and gain direction,” said Andrea Wieland, coordinator of the Career Success Center. She described how this is not like an employment agency of the past. “We are here to teach development skills.”

One of the most effective strategies to landing a great position is through networking.  Putting yourself into highly visible projects is vital for future employers to get a sense of who you are. By interacting with professionals regularly, those in leadership roles will become aware that you are their ideal candidate.

To help students gain focus, the Career Success Center is proud to announce its Resume and Cover Letter Lab.  Through this program, started by Wieland, students can drop in to get their professional documents critiqued by FRCC staff. Those preparing for an upcoming interview are encouraged to bring in their resumes for an expert’s review.

By incorporating the Lab’s supportive feedback, students can be certain that their resumes will be up to high standards.  The Resume and Cover Letter Lab will be open Tuesdays from 2 to 4 p.m., and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to noon in the Career Success Center (L-278).

“The resume lab sounds especially helpful for international students,” said Kotaro Kitatusa, who came from Japan to study at FRCC. “Having someone look over my resume will give me extra confidence that my English grammar is correct. This will reduce much anxiety!”

In addition to offering its students these valuable career resources, FRCC is now offering a series of workshops focused on writing scholarship applications. Students will receive direct guidance from the Writing Center faculty to ensure their essays are thorough and competitive.  Peer review will also be available for applicants to help one another to create a community of support.

Anyone interested in refining their scholarship package is invited to visit the Writing Center located in the TRIO office (L268) during the following times to meet with these writing advisors:

Monday, 2/5, from 3-4: Julie and Josh

Wednesday, 2/7, from 10 – 11: Julie and Tino

Thursday, 2/8, from 4:30-5:30: Julie and Josh

Monday, 2/19, from 3-4: Stewart and Josh

Tuesday, 2/20 from 10 – 11: Michelle and April

Thursday, 2/22, from 4:00 – 5:00: Kelli and Michelle

Finally, FRCC offers 4-Year Fridays, which are events aimed at making the transition to a university as painless as possible.  Admission is $5 and can be purchased from the Student Life Office.  Upcoming campus visits include CSU on 2/23 and UNC on 3/2.  Be sure to get your seat reserved and take part in this informative activity.   

An earlier version of this article misspelled Wieland’s name.