Practicing to get a job

On March 27, the National Park Community College Career Pathways program, along with Hot Springs Arkansas Workforce Center and the NPCC Career Services staff, co-hosted a Job Fair Boot Camp at National Park Community College. The Job Fair Boot Camp prepared participants/students for the All Majors Job Fair that will be held in the Fisher Campus Center April 4, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The Job Fair Boot Camp provided workshops on how to “put you best foot forward” at the NPCC Job Fair and when applying for employment. Career Pathways staff members LaTaschya Harris and Linda Nooner registered 70 students for the Boot Camp workshops; Toni Knupps and Chris Coble, Career Pathways instructors, provided advice on creating professional resumes and cover letters; the NPCC Career Center provided information on employers who will attend the NPCC Job Fair and assisted participants with registering for CareerLink and AR JobLink; Kristie Belt of the Hot Springs Arkansas Workforce Center lead the Dress for Success seminars; and Janet Edgar, Jannette Karaff, and Harry Sullivan, Hot Springs Arkansas Workforce Services Center, coordinated the mock interviews with area Human Resource officers.

Students who participated in the mock interviews practiced their skills and received an evaluation at the end of their interview with suggestions for improving their skills. The majority of students participating in this seminar had never interviewed for a professional job and appreciated the opportunity to practice their skills. Human Resource officers participating in the Mock Interviews were Karen Martin, Saline Memorial Hospital; Marina Mueller, Embassy Suites; Kelli Hernandez, Summit Bank; Lorraine Howard, Diamond Lakes Federal Credit Union; Bev Joe, Triumph Airborne; Lisa Wright, GPS; Jamie Williams, Sykes; Lisa Wright, GPS; Tamme Kenney and Candice Rhea, Mercy Health, and Ernie Hines, Marketing Strategist.

During the “How to Dress for Success” workshops, Mrs. Belt discussed appropriate attire for both school and work, engaged students on how to greet people with a proper hand shake, and presented the female participants with a gift bag of make-up provided by the L’Oreal Company.

Mrs. Belt also recruited area businesses to provide clothing makeovers for student participants. Rochelle Belcher and April Wilson received professional hair styles by Christina Watson and make-up by Adrianne Brooks from the Hot Springs Beauty College and new outfits from the Karma Chameleon Upscale Resale Shop of Hot Springs and Dillard’s, the Park Plaza store in Little Rock. Mrs. Belt also designed and made the jewelry worn by both models. The ladies were given the outfits and the jewelry they modeled in the “Before and After” presentation. Dress for Success participants also participated in drawings for gift cards from Chic Nails and L’Oreal make-up bags.