Career Services

Not sure what comes next? EICC Career Services can help you identify your strengths, explore career possibilities, and create a plan for your future. Schedule an appointment today to: 

• Identify your interests, skills, and strengths
• Participate in career exploration activities
• Learn about careers that match your goals
• Develop a plan for your next steps

The resources below are not affiliated with EICC, but may give you additional insight:

• CareerOneStop: CareerOneStop is the flagship career, training, and job search website for the U.S. Department of Labor. The website serves job seekers, businesses, students, and career advisors with a variety of free online tools, information and resources.
• Glassdoor: Find salaries for specific companies, company reviews provided by actual employees, in addition to job postings.
• Iowa Career Pathways: Iowa Career pathways are designed to educate and inform our students and workforce about the occupations available, and how to effectively enter and successfully navigate them here in Iowa.
• O*NET OnLine: Find, search, or browse across 900+ occupations based on your goals and needs. Then use comprehensive reports to learn about requirements, characteristics, and available opportunities for your selected occupation.
• Occupational Outlook Handbook: The official source for national data on career fields, published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• 16 Personalities: A free online personality assessment. Provides an in-depth look into your dominant personality type, including what career fields might fit you best.

Iowa Career Pathway Maps

• Advanced Manufacturing Career Pathway
  PDF | Document Text Content 
  
  
• Building Trades Career Pathway
  PDF | Document Text Content 
  
  
• Business and Financial Services Career Pathway
  PDF | Document Text Content 
  
  
• Energy Career Pathway
  PDF | Document Text Content 
  
  
• Health Sciences Career Pathway
  PDF | Document Text Content 
  
  
• Information Technology Career Pathway
  PDF | Document Text Content 
  
  
• Distribution, Transportation, and Logistics Career Pathway
  PDF | Document Text Content 

Go to library of videos

• Mission: Employable
  The Iowa Workforce Development podcast includes exciting interviews with thought leaders in business and industry, workforce stakeholders and economic developers among others. Interviews will include discussions about key workforce programs, initiatives, innovations and resources available to Iowans. New episodes are released every Tuesday.
• Real Piece of Work
  Matt Rebro of Russell Construction and Melissa Pepper of Total Solutions talk with people from a wide variety of professions about what they do, how they got started, and how you might follow in their footsteps. A Real Piece of Work is a partnership between Junior Achievement of the Heartland and WVIK, Quad Cities NPR.

Job Search Resources

Besides Handshake, there's a variety  of online sites you can use to search for jobs which are not affiliated with EICC. Here's some: 

• AmeriCorps
• Career Bliss
• CareerOneStop Job Finder
• DE Jobs by DirectEmployers
• Federal Government Jobs - USAJobs
• Glassdoor
• Iowa Workforce Development
• Indeed
• Iowa Nursing Jobs
• Jobapplicationdb.com
• LinkedIn Internships
• LinkedIn Jobs
• Monster
• Nationwide Nursing Jobs
• Philanthropy Careers
• Robert Half
• Snag a Job
• Team Work Online
• ZipRecruiter.com

Resume & Cover Letter Tips from Handshake

Cover Letter Tips from Purdue Global

Using the Resume Template

Before you begin, review the Resume Building Checklist and use it as a guide while completing your resume. The checklist will help ensure your resume includes the information employers are looking for and follows recommended formatting and content guidelines.

Getting Started

1. Download the resume template to your computer or cloud storage before making any edits.
2. Save the file with a new name (for example: Jane_Doe_Resume.docx).
3. Replace the sample information with your own education, experiences, skills, and accomplishments.

Customize the Template

1. Use the Resume Building Checklist as you complete each section.
2. Delete any sample text and instructions included in the template.
3. Remove sections that do not apply to you. For example, if you do not have certifications or leadership activities, you may delete those sections.
4. Add or rename sections as needed to best highlight your qualifications and experiences.
5. Keep formatting consistent throughout the document.

Save Your Resume

1. Save your work frequently as you make changes.
2. Store your resume in a location you can easily access, such as: 
   
   • Your computer
   • OneDrive
   • Google Drive
   • Another secure cloud storage service
3. Consider saving both a Word version(.docx) for future editing and a PDF version for submitting to employers.

Review Before Submitting

Before sharing your resume with employers:

1. Compare your resume against the Resume Building Checklist one final time.
2. Proofread carefully for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting consistency.
3. Ensure your contact information is current and accurate.

Meet with Career Services

Career Services is available to help you create a strong, professional resume. Once you have completed a draft, schedule an appointment for personalized feedback and recommendations. 

Tip: Don't worry about making your resume perfect before meeting with Career Services. Bring your best draft, and we'll help you strengthen it.

 

One-on-One Interview Prep

You got the call and have an interview. If the nerves start to set in and questions fill your mind, reach out. We'll help you walk into the interview with confidence.

Let's meet one-on-one and run through a mock interview. We'll offer some constructive feedback and advice to land that next job. Make an appointment with our Career Services Coordinator. 

Additional Resources

Prefer to do some research on your own to prepare for your interview? Check out the resources below:

• Interview tips from Handshake
• Interview Warm-Up: A quick way to prepare for your next interview, practice key questions, get insights about your answers, and get more comfortable interviewing.
• Interview Advice and Tips from Monster.com

CareerLink QC

CareerLink QC is the bridge linking students and career seekers to work-based learning opportunities that employers are offering. These opportunities are hands-on learning experiences such as internships, job shadows, and tours that offer real-world insights into careers. 

What Is a Job Shadow:

A job shadow is a short-term career exploration experience that allows a student to observe a professional in their workplace and learn about a specific career firsthand. During a job shadow, students follow an employee through their normal workday, watching daily tasks, learning about job responsibilities, and gaining insight into the skills, education, and experience needed for the role. Unlike an internship or part-time job, a job shadow is typically a short experience, often lasting a few hours or a single day, and focuses on observation rather than hands-on work. Job shadowing provides students with an opportunity to: 

• Explore careers they are considering
• Learn about workplace expectations and professional environments 
• Ask questions about career paths, job duties, and industry trends 
• Build professional networks and gain exposure to potential employers

What is an Internship:

An Internship is a temporary position that provides supervised work experience related to a field of study. Internships offer practical application of classroom knowledge, career exploration, and valuable professional networking opportunities, and can be paid or unpaid.

• A typical experience usually lasts 3-6 months
• Internships offer opportunities to connect with professionals in the field and build valuable relationships
• Some internships lead to job offers upon graduation

What is a Micro-Internship:

A Micro-internship is a short-term professional project that allows a student to gain experience and build their skills while exploring different career paths.  These experiences are often project-based, offering a flexible and accessible way to gain practical experience.

• Projects completed in a short timeframe. Often a few days to a few weeks
• The work is typically structured around a specific project, allowing students to focus on particular tasks and skills
• These experiences provide an opportunity to develop and refine skills and gain practical experience

Which Programs Require Internships?

Many of EICC’s career and technical programs offer an internship component where you can earn credit toward your degree. Some internships are optional and some are required. Contact your advisor or program faculty for more information.

 

Interested in creating a video, or already have one? Contact: 

Interested in offering a work-based learning (WBL) experience?

These include activities such as, classroom speaker, industry tour, hands-on experience. 

Complete our participation form

Step 1: Set up an account on JoinHandshake.com

How to create an account
Set up an account

Step 2: Post a job

How to post a job

Sign up to receive information about upcoming career fairs

Register for an Employer Recruitment Table on our Campus

 

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges welcomes employers from a variety of backgrounds on both a local and international scale. Employers who are ineligible for our services are organizations that:

• Offer services in direct conflict with Eastern Iowa Community College’s mission
• Charge fees for participation or placement including out-of-pocket financial expenses and test taking, etc.
• Teaching English Abroad Programs
• Modeling/acting agencies
• Is a personal service-oriented jobs for individuals rather than organizations such as Babysitting and Nanny/Au Pair Agencies, Pet Sitting/Dog Walking, House Sitting, Modeling Agencies, etc

Employers eligible on a case-by-case basis:

• Tutoring firms
• Personal assistant jobs
• Third-party recruiting firms/temp agencies

Right of refusal

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges reserves the right to terminate from or refuse the participation of any organization in one or all recruiting activities. Reasons may include misrepresentation, complaints by students/recent alumni or violation of Eastern Iowa Community College’s recruiting policies. Furthermore, we reserve the right to deny organizations access to one or all recruiting activities that are in direct conflict with Eastern Iowa Community College’s mission. All decisions concerning registration of companies and organizations are made in the college’s sole discretion.