Finding Your Future: Carrington College Career Services

Writing and Optimizing Resumes

Writing a resume may seem straightforward or mundane, but it has a huge impact on your job search. Writing and optimizing resumes plays an important part in getting candidates into employers’ candidate pools, especially since many employers use ATS keywords to screen and qualify applicants. According to 2018 data from Jobscan, 95% of Fortune 500 companies use ATS systems to screen resumes. This means even candidates that meet educational and skill requirements can be eliminated from job opportunities for unoptimized resumes. The Career Services office at Carrington College helps students and graduates align their resumes to the positions they want through best practices and proven strategies.

“We ask staff to bring prospective students in to meet us,” says Diana Jimenez, Career Services Advisor at the Mesa campus. “We want to let them know even if they need a resume for a part-time job now, during school, or job searching tips—we can help with that.”

Having an optimized and well-written resume to present to potential employers is a crucial aspect of today’s job search process. Many job applicants write their resume without knowing what employers are looking for. For example, research from Cultivated Culture found that only 51% of the resumes surveyed listed important keywords and skills, and the vast majority lacked soft skills. These oversights may seem harmless, but when applying for competitive positions, every aspect of the applicant’s resume is carefully scrutinized. Career Services Advisors at Carrington College are experienced in optimizing resumes for selective employers.

Resume Keywords to Avoid

When written effectively, a resume can be a powerful tool to gain the attention of an employer and subsequently get hired. Conversely, knowing what to exclude from a resume can be just as important as the information you include. Just as employers know ATS keyword searches to find education and skills they want, they also use negative keywords to screen candidates. Some keywords may hurt your chances of getting the job, but Career Services Advisors know which words to include and which to avoid for the job at hand.

At Carrington College, your Career Services Advisor will help you craft an effective resume. These professionals are well-versed in a resume’s ideal verbiage, formatting, proofreading, information to include and beyond.

Your advisor will provide tips on building an effective resume, including:

• Contact information to include or exclude
• Personal details to include or avoid
• Experience and accomplishments to include
• Formatting and organization
• Optimized digital resume formats
• Tailoring a resume to fit a specific job role
• Proofreading and optimization
• Cover letter best practices
• How to update a resume periodically

Interview Preparation

Whether they are in-person one-on-ones, group interviews, or completely remote like a Zoom meeting, interviews are one of the most important aspects of today’s job applications. According to data from Forbes, the average job opening receives 118 applications. Of those 118 applicants, roughly 20% make it to the interview stage of the application process. For especially competitive roles, these rates may be even more daunting.

Job interviews are a two-way street. For employers, the interview gives them insights into an applicant’s professionalism, culture, fitness, hard and soft skills, education, personality, relevant experience, and other aspects that may not come across on a resume. For applicants, an interview indicates whether the position at hand is a job worth pursuing. Just as employers are taking cues of professionalism and integrity from the interviewee, the applicant can size up and scrutinize the interviewers. Our Career Services Advisors can inform applicants on best practices for putting their best foot forward in a job interview, while educating them on “red flags” to watch out for while being interviewed.

Job Application With Multiple Interviews

A significant number of companies vet their applicants with multiple interviews. A 2017 Recruiter Sentiment Study MRI Network reports recruiters say 82% of jobs require more than two interviews before a job is offered. This means most job applicants will most likely need to interview repeatedly for the same job. To maximize the odds of a job offer, applicants should not approach each interview the same way; subsequent interviews require different strategies than the initial interview.

Several important aspects influence the follow-up interview strategy, including:

• Interviewer changes between interviews
• Number of interviewers
• Time between interviews
• Titles and departments of interviewers
• Number of applicants in the running

Beyond making a strong first impression, interviews are opportunities to demonstrate consistency, professionalism, dedication, and initiative. If you present conflicting qualities between interviews, there is a good chance the position will be filled by another candidate. For this reason, the Career Services Advisors at Carrington College provide insights on multiple interviews. No matter how many interviews the application process requires, our Advisors are uniquely qualified to guide students and alumni with effective interview strategies.

Practice & Mock Interviews

Carrington College offers interview practice activities and interview workshops for students to help job applicants feel at-home and confident during interviews. Though it may seem uncomfortable at first, practicing an interview in a mock setting gives applicants familiarity with the interview process, with ample opportunities for Career Services Advisors to identify areas for improvement.

Interviewers are apt to ask “curveball” questions you have not prepared for. It is impossible to know what specific questions employers will ask, but Career Services Advisors can coach you through answering tough questions even when you are caught off guard. Sometimes, interviewers will give you points for how you answer a question you do not know the answer to. Advisors can prepare you for those tough and unexpected questions, while giving you strategies to address questions you are unfamiliar with. Practice and mock interviews give you opportunities to build confidence in preparation for the real interview.

“We help students prepare for interviews and help them practice — our main goal is to help students and graduates present themselves more professionally,” -Diana Jimenez, Career Services Advisor at the Mesa campus.

Confidence During Job Interviews

When it comes to interviews, confidence is key. According to 2020 data from JDP, 93% of job applicants experience anxiety related to job interviews. Appearing frazzled or unprepared in a job interview shows the interviewers you may not be able to manage the day-to-day stress of the job at hand, and that your temperament might not be a good fit. Conversely, appearing too confident can be a red flag for employers. Data from a 2019 TopInterview reveals 72% of interviewers rated over-confidence as “the biggest personality turn off.” It is crucial for job applicants to find the “sweet spot” between confidence and humility, and the Carrington College Services Advisors are uniquely equipped to coach students and alumni in this regard.

When it comes time to schedule your interview, we encourage students and alumni to speak with their assigned Career Services Advisor before the interview. Our Career Services office may have connections with the prospective employer, and may be able to pass along insights to dramatically improve your interview performance.

Creating a Job Search Plan

A job search can be overwhelming if you do not have a job search plan in place. A job search plan helps you stay on track during this process, and allows you to maintain focus and set goals. When your overall job search is divided into smaller, actionable parts, the process is much less stressful. Career Service Advisors can help you create an effective job search plan that aligns with your career goals, education, skills, and interests.

To get started, your Advisor will help you identify and list your professional skills, education, and strengths to help you determine positions that help you meet your career goals. Career Services Advisors help students and graduates monitor their job search progress to clarify and hone their goals along the way.

Maintaining open communication with your Advisor is a crucial aspect of your continuing success after graduation. Career Services Advisors help Carrington College students and alumni customize their job searches to help align with their employment opportunities.

Externships

Real-world instruction is some of the most valuable education available today. Externships have been shown to help immerse professionals into new industries, with manageable time commitments and relatively small investments. Additionally, externships give professionals valuable experience, references, and connections that can be included on resumes. Programs that include an externship give job applicants a competitive edge during their job searches, and Carrington College Career Services Advisors are experienced in connecting students and alumni with these opportunities.

Externships offer opportunities to apply their skills and education in real-world settings. Externships can also lead to future employment opportunities, even years after the program has ended. Carrington College programs prepare students for careers in their specific fields of study with up-to-date program curricula relevant to today’s workplaces.

To determine the requirements for your specific program’s externship, you will need to contact your Program Director and Career Services Advisor.

What’s the Difference Between Externships and Internships?

Externships and internships are very similar, but with some specific differences. Externships are usually shorter than internships, but it depends on the school’s programs. Carrington College’s externships are generally six weeks long (varies by program), whereas an internship could take between three months and a year.

Does an Externship Always Lead to a Job?

Externships do not necessarily result in getting hired for a job. Many employers see externships as extended interviews, in which they can gauge the extern’s work ethic, curiosity, skills, temperament, and culture fit at the company. Though there are no guarantees when it comes to externships, the experience and networking opportunities inherent in externships make applicants more competitive during job searches. Externs are advised to make the most of their externships, but also to manage their expectations.

Securing an Externship

At Carrington College, you will partner with your Career Services Advisor to identify potential externship opportunities. Ideally, your externship opportunities can connect you with career opportunities when the externship period is complete.

Networking

One of the most crucial aspects of a competitive job search is the candidate’s ability to network. Networking forms connections with prospective employers, professionals, educators, and peers in your desired field of employment. ApolloTechnical reports networking alone is responsible for filling as many as 85% of jobs. Additionally, 70% of jobs are not advertised publicly. For these under-the-radar opportunities, networking may be the best way to get the job.

Carrington College is an esteemed institution with numerous locations across seven states, which allows students and alumni to make connections across the western United States and beyond. Additionally, Career Services Advisors can help with networking strategies and guide students and alumni to networking opportunities in the community.

Career Fairs and Special Events

Carrington College Career Services hosts career fairs and special events for students and alumni. These are opportunities for learners to connect with Careers Service programs and employers. These events help students and alumni integrate with professionals in their chosen career. Campus events also provide opportunities to form connections with other students and departments aligned with their career goals. The programs and employers featured in the event depend on the campus and the theme of the event. Sometimes the career fair will feature one specific program.

Career fairs and special events vary by campus, and learners will be notified about scheduled upcoming events. Some examples of special events may include:

• Tips for completing job candidate applications
• Onsite employer interviews
• Employer presentations
• Career fairs
• Professionalism

Job Search Assistance & Job Skills Training

Career Services Advisors guide Carrington College graduates with job search assistance in their intended industries. The college works with employers in communities around our many locations in a wide range of verticals. Carrington College is an esteemed organization within each of these communities, which helps employers fill open positions with Carrington College students and alumni.

Employers in these communities notify our Career Services Advisors of available positions that align with graduates’ skill sets. Advisors connect Carrington College learners with employers, and assist with the job application process. This includes submitting resumes of qualified students and alumni and setting up interviews.

These employers often visit Carrington College campuses to share information about their hiring processes, conduct interviews on-campus, and offer constructive feedback.

Employer Relationships

Carrington College maintains strong relationships with employers around our locations. Carrington College has an abundance of long-term employer relationships with externship or employment opportunities to Carrington College students and graduates. Some of these employers include:

• Aspen Dental
• Pacific Dental Services
• Providence Health Care
• Providence Medical Group
• Saint Mary’s Healthcare
• VCA Animal Hospitals