Helping Community College Graduates Find Jobs

In today's competitive job market, it is imperative that graduates entering the workplace are prepared to tackle the challenges of real-world productivity and the ever-increasing demand for the exchange of vital - and accurate - information in our global village.

The onus of ensuring that graduates meet the "litmus test" for performing competitively in the workplace has fallen upon institutions of higher learning, including community colleges across the nation.

Indeed, it appears that several institutions have taken up the gauntlet and implemented pro-active strategies in marketing students to prospective employers.

According to Del Vaughan, director of Sinclair Community College's Career Planning and Placement Center in Dayton, Ohio, more than 87 percent of employers responded to the continued effectiveness of the school's computerized Mini-Resume Book, initially developed during the fall quarter, 1974.

"The book was developed from several discussions with local employers who expressed interest in identifying skills and competencies of graduates available for immediate employment," Vaughan says. "Over the years, the Career Planning and Placement Center refined the Mini-Resume Book to include an evaluation of employment services. Employers indicated that the Mini-Resume Book was one of the primary strategies they used in their hiring decisions. One of the biggest challenges in marketing graduates through this medium, is getting quick feedback from employers on Sinclair hires, as employers will contact us four to six months after using the Mini-Resume Book. Computer literacy, problem solving, and working in a team environment continue to be the major skills employers are seeking."

Gary Honnert, director of public information at Sinclair, notes that mini-resumes of more than 200 graduates were mailed to 500 employers in Miami Valley, Ohio and across the nation.