RichmondCC sees increased attendance at career fair

RICHMOND COUNTY — Richmond Community College hosted its public safety and health professionals career fair on Thursday, welcoming students and community members interested in pursuing careers in these fields.

“There are multiple jobs that help you serve your community that aren’t just social workers and police officers. We’re certainly seeing an influx of folks attending the career fairs ever since last year — our numbers have almost doubled. So, I think folks are coming back to work and this is giving them the opportunity to meet with people in the community,” said Diamond Young, career transfer advisor at RCC and coordinator of the career fair.

This year’s career fair featured representatives from Early Start Intervention Services, Laurinburg Police Department, ESS, the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, NCWorks Richmond County, Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and Mecklenburg Sheriff’s Office. Attendance saw a significant increase from last year, when only nine people participated, to approximately 40 attendees this year.

Young emphasized the importance of networking when searching for a job.

“Networking is probably one of the most important things when it comes to finding a job. It will put your foot in the door in industries you may have never thought about. It may even give you a job because you ‘know somebody who knows somebody.’ When I was a college student, I felt like networking wasn’t important, I was scared and I didn’t want to put myself out there, but by networking, it has landed me my last three jobs because the person knew how hardworking I was. The person could vouch for me, I used them as a reference and I got the job,” said Young.

She also encouraged individuals considering a return to school.

“Don’t be scared, just do it. No one’s timeline is the same, whether you waited a year after high school or you were a mom or someone who has been in the workforce since they were 15,” she said. “Your timeline doesn’t have to match anyone else’s and don’t ever feel inadequate because you didn’t do things the way society told you to.”

For those unable to attend the career fair, RCC offers various job search resources.

“We do have Handshake and all of these people are going to be on there. Jobs will be posted on there. They can sign in and upload their resume, come to the career center — it’s open to the public, you don’t have to be a student. We’ll help you write up your resume and fill out your Handshake,” said Young. “We’ll help you do mock interviews and anything else that you need to land a job. You do have to be a student to sign up for Handshake, but you can come and we’ll help you sign up for other things that aren’t Handshake. LinkedIn is free for everyone; it’s the same thing.”

Young also shared advice for those applying for jobs online.

“I will say, with LinkedIn, with Indeed, with any job — do your research,” she said. “If you see something that is too good to be true, it probably is. If you see something for Google, do not hit apply through Indeed or LinkedIn. Go to Google’s website specifically, scroll down to the bottom, hit careers, type in what you’re looking for and if it’s not there, then the other listing is a scam.”

Looking ahead, the college will host a transfer fair on April 15 at the Cole Auditorium for students and community members interested in pursuing bachelor’s degrees.

“You don’t have to be a student to come. You can come and learn about different colleges — maybe it’ll give you the boost you need to start on your associate’s degree so you can go to the college that you want,” said Young.