Do you remember writing your first resume? Most of us don’t. Resumes are designed to help us get our foot in the door when we are looking for jobs. It is an employer’s first look at who we are and what skills we bring to the table. Often, our resumes determine whether or not we will get a call for an interview. So, how do you write a resume that leaps off the page and helps you get the job you want?

If you are a student at Marshalltown Community College, you would visit the Student Success Center. At the Student Success Center, we have all of the tools and resources available to help students explore career paths, write a resume (and cover letter), complete job applications, practice interview skills, and much more. We also help them network with local employers and get their start in their chosen field. We do our best to help our students navigate the job search process, and give them skills that will help not only with their first job search, but every job search going forward.

Find the Right Field – Often students come to college without knowing what they want to do after graduation. We talk to them about their interests, and provide a career interests inventory, which helps them navigate which interests can lead to a profession. The students are scored either by career clusters or occupational interests. This helps students to begin their career search in an area they are drawn to. Personality assessments can also come in handy to assist students in finding a good career fit.

Help with the Job Search — Career Services also assists with resume writing, filling out job applications, writing cover letters, job searching, interview skills, and searching for internships. MCC is a member of College Central Network, where students can create a profile, job search, search for an internship, and watch tutorial videos on resume and cover letter writing, job searching, and interviewing skills.

Network with Local Employers — In addition to resources like the College Central Network, we host a career fair every fall or spring. The career fair is a great opportunity for students to meet employers to discuss job opportunities, line up interviews and network with hiring managers. If an employer can’t attend the career fairs, we also post job openings from local employers on specific bulletin boards around campus.

Searching for a job can be a challenge; we do everything we can to prepare our students to face this challenge and find the right career for them. We are open to all students, free of charge, to teach them the job search skills they will need now and in the future. The Student Success Center is open from 8 a.m. — 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday when school is in session. Hours are also available over the summer and winter breaks.

Interested in networking with our students? Consider attending our job fair. We’ll be publishing details later this spring.

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Teresa Klostermann is the Tutoring

and Career Services Coordinator at

Marshalltown Community College