Launching a job search can seem like a daunting task. Luckily, Northern Essex Community College is here to help.

Before you start on your next career move, be sure to check out these common-sense tips, courtesy of the NECC Career Center team, to perfecting your application. Who knows – they might just help you land your dream job.

1.      Sharpen your resume heading

The devil is in the details. Take a close look at the contact information you list in your resume heading — it is, after all, the way that employers will reach you.

Make a good first impression by having a professional email address. Preferable professional emails include some variation of a person’s first and last name. (If you have a common name and encounter some trouble finding an appropriate email address, you can use numbers as well.)

If you do choose to include numbers in your email address, be sure to avoid using a combination that might indicate your year of birth. Including your age can, in certain instances, increase the possibility of age discrimination. Employers are prohibited from discriminating against people over the age of 40 under the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

Make sure to use a modern and recognizable email service such as Gmail — this is particularly important for individuals who are looking for jobs in high tech fields, like IT or Computer Science. An outdated email service like AOL or Yahoo can lend the impression that you are not keeping up with the latest tech trends.

If you put your phone number on your resume, expect a phone call. With that, consider what your voicemail sounds like and what type of impression it will have on an employer. Do you have a ringback tone? Are you using an automated voicemail that just states your number? A professional voicemail should include a personalized greeting with your full name. Including your name in the voicemail will help an employer ensure that they are leaving a message with the correct applicant.

2.      Make a resume appointment with the Career Center

The NECC Career Center is here to help students and alumni! Making a resume appointment with one of our enthusiastic team members will help ensure that your resume is current and easy to skim and read.

Fun fact: Did you know that, on average, a recruiter or HR professional will look at your resume for six seconds before deciding whether or not it should go in the “no” pile? Knowing this, you should take the time to ensure your resume is clean, well-formatted, and easy to skim. We recommend that your resume focus on highlighting marketable skills, quantifiable career accomplishments, and relevant experience for optimal results.

Resumes should be free from grammatical error. To boost your chances of passing the six-second test, run a spell check on your resume and have several people proofread.

3.      Use social media wisely

We often hear about how social media can negatively impact your job search, but consider the ways in which you can use it to positively enhance your brand.

Find one to three social media platforms that are manageable and relevant to your future career. Spend time on boosting the quality of your posts on their platforms, rather than focusing on having presence on all social media platforms. Schedule and time your posts that are geared toward your target audience. Post content that is positive and related to your future career or target industry. Follow thought leaders, target companies, and professional associations to learn from them and to remain current on industry trends. Social media can also be useful for researching employers in order to prepare for hiring interviews.

4.      Prepare your references… and respect their time

Nothing is worse than a surprise reference call or an unprepared reference. Before you list someone as your reference, contact him/her to request permission. Doing so will give your prospective reference the opportunity to agree or to explain why they may not feel comfortable.

Help them to prepare for the conversation by sending them an up-to-date version of your resume, along with a copy of the job description you are applying for.

Keep them informed about your job search and the timelines, so they know when to expect a phone call.

5.     Send follow-up communication to your prospective employer

Take the time to thank the person/people who interviewed you. A hand written note is nice, but is certainly not required in today’s job market. A post-interview email thank you is expected, however.

During the interview you may meet with just one person, or multiple people. Make a point to collect business cards so that you can send the proper acknowledgements after your meetings.

To help remember specific conversations with individuals, jot down notes on the back of the business cards. Taking this step will help you personalize the thank you email(s) that will follow.

Want to learn more about career services at NECC? Visit the Career Services page to explore jobs and internship opportunities, sign up for upcoming workshops, and more.

Business management major, Joann Mejia meets with a representative from Fitchburg State University.

The majority of students who enroll at Northern Essex plan to transfer on for a bachelor’s degree. That’s why Northern Essex plans Transfer Days each semester, one in Haverhill and one in Lawrence, where students can meet with representatives from 30-plus public and private colleges and universities and discuss programs, financial aid, and other topics.

When students arrive at Transfer Day, they are greeted by academic advising, where they can get questions answered about their academic paths and pick up a bag to carry all the items collected from visiting schools.

The fall 2019 Transfer Day was held in Haverhill on October 9, and in Lawrence on October 17.

At the Haverhill event on October 9, music major Mirabella Platt said she was grateful to receive support from academic advising before the event. Platt was most excited to meet with Grand Canyon University, a private university in Arizona, and was pleased to find out that the college credit classes she took in high school would be recognized by the university as applicable credits towards her bachelor’s degree. What’s so special about the event? “Connection, the ability to talk face to face instead of do my own research, it’s a lot more helpful” said Platt.

James Andrews another music major who attended the Haverhill event, met with his “dream school”, University of New Hampshire where he said he wants to pursue a future as an audio engineer. The transfer event, he said, helped him feel more confident about transferring and enrolling there, despite feeling timid about participating at first.

Assistant Director of Transfer Admissions at UMass Amherst, Amanda Haskins, had a table at the Haverhill Transfer Day. “This is one of my favorite types of events to come to, just because it’s a lot easier for us to come to students,” said Haskins. Haskins wants students to leave the event knowing that there are many options for continued education and that that there are people who can support them with the options, she said.

Jacklyn Haas, Salem State director of undergraduate admissions, was quick to remind students of the MassTransfer Pathways program agreement that partners Northern Essex with other public colleges in Massachusetts and allows  students to save significantly on the cost of receiving their bachelor’s. “Ideally the students are gaining the opportunity to figure out what’s going to be a good academic and financial fit for them,” said Haas.

Paula Richards, English professor at NECC, brought her English Composition 1 class to the Haverhill Transfer Day. She’s having her students write a source-based paper about pursuing a professional and personal goal and she said that most of her class plans on transferring. “This is a chance to network, and to find out where they might want to transfer,” said Richards.

“The students are getting a very nice treat because we have an array of colleges here who are eager to meet them and tell them all about the journey or at least the next step in their academic journeys,” said NECC’s Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs, Dr. Jennifer Mezquita.

Transfer Day allows Northern Essex students to think about their futures beyond NECC, “the sky is the limit,” says Noemi Custodia-Lora vice president of the Lawrence campus and community relations.

To learn more about starting at Northern Essex and Transferring, visit the NECC transfer information site.

Jessica Figueroa

Getting a college education has been an 18-year journey for Jessica Figueroa of Haverhill, a 34-year old mother of two.

Through the years, Figueroa majored in accounting and physical education at three different colleges, and most of the time she was working full time.

When choosing her first two majors, Figueroa made decisions based on practicalities like the earning power of accountants and the family-friendly work hours of being a gym teacher, but she wasn’t necessarily following her passions.

A summer trip to a campground that uses natural energy for all of its power is what finally captured her interest and brought it all together for her.  “It fascinated me…I decided I wanted to be an engineer and work in the energy field.”

Figueroa, who already had an associate degree in General Studies: Movement Science from Northern Essex, switched gears, and dove into her classes, focusing on math, engineering, and chemistry, which she found she “loves”.

Last spring, she earned an associate degree in engineering from Northern Essex, and she is now enrolled at UMass Lowell in the chemical engineering program.  This past summer, she also landed a prestigious STEM fellowship with Station 1, a unique science and technology program with a focus on societal perspective and social innovation and impact.  Program coursework and an internship with Aphios Corporation, a Woburn biotechnology company developing treatments for cancer, infectious diseases such as HIV, and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and opioid disorder, created an “eye-opening” experience for her.   “It made me realize how important it is to not just find solutions, but to also think about what the consequences are to the solution and also look deeper into what causes the problem,” she says.

While she has found her niche in engineering, Figueroa admits there are still decisions to be made.   “After I finish my bachelor’s degree, I am torn between continuing school for my PhD or going right into the workforce.   I feel like I’m still on this journey of figuring out what I want to do ultimately.”

Figueroa advices other students juggling college, work, and family responsibilities not to get discouraged.  She encourages others to be aware of the many resources available, especially the tutoring center, her go-to when she needed help in any subject.  She also gives a great deal of credit to her partner of 10 years.   “If it wasn’t for his support and his being there as a father figure to my children, I don’t think I would have made it this far into my education.”

Northern Essex offers an associate degree in Engineering Science that transfers to colleges and universities like UMass Lowell.   Students can choose from concentrations including chemical, civil-environmental, electrical/computer, and mechanical.  To learn more, visit the website.