Harper College will be closed Monday, September 1, in observance of Labor Day.
Harper College's Job Placement Resource Center arranged for two translators to be present at a meeting with a student from Ukraine who is deaf. With the help of the interpreters, Workforce Coordinator Annie Sylvester (second from left) was able to provide tailored recommendations to enhance the student's resume. JPRC staff provide a range of services for Harper students and alumni.
From the moment Jay Sojitra started classes at Harper College, landing a good-paying job was on his mind.
His plan was simple: Complete a few internships to prepare for a career in computer science, but he wasn’t sure where to start. After speaking with instructors and library staff, the 20-year-old Itasca resident discovered how Harper’s Job Placement Resource Center (JPRC) could help.
“I received a lot of services,” Jay said. “They gave me career guidance, and they knew how to do a computer science resume, so they helped me to fix a couple of points in my resume to get a software developer job or Geographic Information Systems job.”
Jay also prepared for his internship search with JPRC’s mock interviews.
“They use your resume as a guide to ask you questions, so they were able to ask a couple of technical questions, like, ‘Can you describe what C++ is?’” he said. “They also helped with behavioral things like how to be positive and make eye contact, to get me ready and make me feel positive so I can do better in the interview and get a job.”
Jay is now a Geographic Information Systems intern for the Village of Schiller Park. He’s also one academic year away from completing a bachelor’s degree in computer science at Northern Illinois University through The University Center at Harper College, a program that allows students to take classes from partner universities at Harper’s Palatine campus.
As a Harper student, Jay Sojitra sought assistance from the Job Placement Resource Center, which he said helped land him an Geographic Information Systems internship with the Village of Schiller Park.
Harper’s JPRC helps students get ready for the job search and partners with employers to connect Harper students with jobs, internships and apprenticeships. It also supports students seeking student aide positions and offers one-on-one appointments and weekly training sessions on interviewing, resume writing best practices and job search during the fall and spring semesters. Open positions can be accessed through Hire a Hawk, Harper’s job management system. JPRC assistance is available to current students taking credit-earning classes and Harper alumni.
“We talk with students about communication, teamwork, leadership, technology – those sorts of qualities that employers are really looking for,” said Darice Trout, senior director of workforce solutions and job placement. “We also help with job search strategies like how to network, creating a LinkedIn profile and what websites to use to look for jobs. We work heavily with faculty and do a lot of classroom presentations. They have assignments where students come and utilize our service, or they ask us to review resumes.”
Last year, JPRC acquired VMock, an AI-powered career tool that helps students write or upgrade their resumes. VMock provides feedback on format and word choice and allows users to request help from one of the school’s trained workforce coordinators. Using the optimizer tool, a student can compare their resume to a job description and get suggestions for aligning their skills with the job posting. For interview preparedness, JPRC uses Big Interview, an online platform that allows students to record video answers to interview questions, reflect on their performance and receive feedback from Harper faculty.
JPRC encourages students to increase their communication skills in combination with using AI-powered tools as they prepare for interviews.
“We’re very intentional about telling students that they have to be able to speak about their experience,” Darice said. “AI can suggest that you put a whole bunch of different things on your resume, but if it’s not genuine when they get to that interview, they’re not going to be able to really speak to how they had that experience. We’re really seeing a shift in focusing on how they can speak about their experiences once they have the interview instead of using the resume to get the interview.”
At Harper's Job Placement Resource Center, workforce coordinators such as Nancie Mohedano (left) help Harper students and alumni improve their resumes and learn how to use Hire a Hawk, the college's job management system.
Darice said JPRC is continually searching for new ways to prepare students for the workforce and help them build financial stability.
“Harper is dedicated to helping students find positions that are family-sustaining wages,” she said. “Last year, we also acquired Modern Campus Pathways, which pulls labor market data. So now we have labor market information available on many academic program websites that give students the ability to look at what the occupational growth is, what the median salary would be and get to an idea of what types of positions might be available in an area. We’re very responsive to employers’ needs. So, for apprenticeships, we’re really thinking about ways that we can work with employers to help meet our local community needs and also meet the needs of students who might not have the ability to go to school full time without working.”
Jay said JPRC gave him support that led to his internship.
“I booked an appointment with them every week and they worked with me,” he said. “When I was curious about why I was not getting positions, they were very positive and supportive and told me one day I would get it. I feel I’m working in the Village of Schiller Park right now because they helped me.”
For more information, visit the JPRC webpage or call 847.925.6400.