Fall 2023 Hours (August 28-December 16)

• Monday-Friday 8 am-4:30 pm / online appointments available after 5 pm

Career Services Live Zoom

• Monday-Friday 9 am-3 pm

CAREER SERVICES LIVE ZOOM

The Career Center provides students with a unique opportunity to assess their life priorities and developmental needs, gather current occupational and academic information, and to receive expert support in defining and achieving their career goals. Visit us and explore the state-of-the-art resources offered to GCC students and designed to help them succeed in their professional and personal growth.

Thanks to a generous grant from the GCC Foundation, career assessments are offered free of charge for students.

Safety Tips for External Contacts – Career Services & Job Placement 

If you have questions about a job posting or an employer, please check in with us to verify credentials for an employer.  

Always meet with an employer on campus at GCC or at their location. If someone asks to meet at a private residence, please flag this as a scam. 

We can provide office space for student meetings with an employer at GCC. 

Register for Career Services workshops on MyGCC. Visit MyGCC - Other Services - Workshops - Career Workshops. Students must register by 9 am the day of the workshop.

All workshops will be conducted via Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to your GCC email the day of. ASL interpreters are available upon request.

Attendance will be updated the next business day for extra credit - please do not call or email about your attendance verification.

Please see below video for registration instructions.

The Career Center is open to the community for occupational research and basic self-exploration.  Career counseling services are available by appointment only and are reserved for currently enrolled GCC students.

Majors play a key role in developing one's skills and specific knowledge in preparation for a satisfying career. Choosing the right major is essential to the career planning strategy. We offer several options for individuals to explore various academic majors and pathways, while providing step-by-step guidance in the decision-making process. All currently enrolled GCC students have access to key career assessment tools as well as career counseling appointments. For those who prefer a class environment, we offer ST DV 125 and ST DV 145 - Career Planning classes.

Career assessment inventories enable you to evaluate your interests, psychological preferences, skills, and work values based on the information you provide about yourself. They serve as an excellent tool designed to assist individuals in identifying personal career guidelines and narrowing down the scope of occupations to explore. Our main goal in offering career assessment inventories is to facilitate our students' career-decision process and to help them find rewarding and productive careers.

Commitment to career planning is a personal decision and varies in length, depending on one’s individual needs and attitude. Involvement may be as simple as a visit to the Career Center, or it may require extensive investment of one’s time. Commitment to career planning increases greatly when you become aware of your interests, skills, personality style, and how they would relate to the world of work.

One of the first steps in choosing a 4-year college is to select a major and identify the desired college criteria based on your individual situation and personal considerations. Next, collect facts to determine whether the institution offers your designated major, review the program curriculum, and evaluate educational standards important to you. Typically, these standards deal with such factors as college location, accessibility, quality of instruction, admission application procedures, tuition cost, accreditation, and financial aid availability. We recommend that students consult representatives from various California 4-year colleges and universities who are regularly available by appointment through the Transfer Center. If possible, schedule a visit to the college of your choice for final and conclusive evaluation.

When considering a career change, you will find that self-exploration and thorough career research could be of great importance and value in helping you make the right choice. Upon assessing why you are thinking about starting a new career, take honest stock of your transferable skills, the skills you might have already developed in the course of your professional experience and could use in a variety of work environments. Ask yourself what knowledge based skills -- the specific knowledge and expertise would be required for your new career and be prepared to enroll in classes to upgrade and expand your skill set. Define your work values and what career field would be most compatible with them. Finally, make out a list of what it would take to achieve your new career goal. Once you've decided on a goal, put the plan into action with the guidance and direction from your career and academic counselors.

An effective job search requires effort, patience, and a focused approach for favorable results.  After deciding what career field to target, research employment opportunities and identify employers who meet your needs and expectations and whose specific job requirements for the role you could satisfy. It’s important to develop practical self-marketing and networking strategies by analyzing your talents, past work experience, accomplishments, and applicable skills. Before you apply for a job, collect facts about the company and the position you are seeking, including a job description outlining duties and qualifications. Consider other related employment issues such as the salary range, benefits, advancement potential, location, work hours, and work environment. A compatible work environment is directly related to job satisfaction and should be regarded by an individual as one of the primary contributing factors into one’s sense of purpose and accomplishment. Evaluate whether you would need additional education or training to increase your employability and value in the eyes of the employer. Note that volunteer experience and especially internships provide an excellent way to acquire job skills, gain experience, develop a professional network, build your resume, and to get hired permanently. Finally, use all available resources to identify which career opportunities to target in your job search, including online job banks, government and corporate websites, as well as professional associations.

Maximize your efforts by applying the following job search tools:

• Prepare a resume that promotes your talents, abilities, experience, and education. Identify qualifications you possess and communicate your strengths to an employer. Convey any activities you participated in that exhibit your ability to work well on team projects and juggle multiple responsibilities competently. Offer concrete evidence of your position-related accomplishments. Your resume serves as a summary of your training and qualifications. It should be concise and accompanied by a cover letter, introducing you to the potential employer and expressing your interest in a specific position.
• Develop effective interview skills to convince the employer of your qualifications for the position. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the latest interviewing techniques. Send a follow up letter after each interview. Thank the interviewer for the time and consideration and reiterate your interest in the position and in the employer.
• Expand and strengthen your network by initiating personal and professional contacts. Ask Program staff for suggestions. The GCC Job Placement Center provides current job listings and acts as a liaison between job seekers and employers.
• Stay organized and disciplined, keep accurate records, maintain a positive attitude - success can be achieved.

The Career Center is dedicated to assisting you in all your career development and job search needs. Take advantage of the services offered. Attend Career Center workshops conducted by career counselors throughout the academic year and learn how to create a professional resume, write a compelling cover letter, prepare yourself for a job interview, secure an internship, and much more: https://www.glendale.edu/students/student-services/career-center/classes-workshops/-fsiteid-1

Before investing time, energy, and money into your education -- plan ahead by researching available labor market information (LMI), including employment projections, wages, and future economic trends related to your career path.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook would be a great starting point. Developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, it describes what workers do on the job, working conditions, the training and education needed, earnings, and expected job prospects for a variety of occupations. 

Additional statistical information may also be found within the “Industries & Occupational Data” and “Interesting Facts” sections on the Career Center website.

The best source of business ownership information may be found on the U.S. Small Business Administration website at www.sba.gov. It provides detailed, step-by-step advice and guidance on how to start your own small business and covers issues dealing with market analysis, developing a business plan, financing your business, and operating procedures to name a few.

The U.S. Department of Labor is another great resource that offers several tools designed to assist small businesses in complying with government rules, regulations, and laws.

TIP: Review GCC Degrees and Certificates and consider taking classes that can help you develop business skills and enhance your knowledge about opportunities for future business ventures.