On October 19 Chabot College  organized a highly successful seminar focused on networking and career development. The event was held in collaboration with a networking organization for accounting and financial professionals Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance (AFWA), emphasizing the importance of networking for career growth and professional development.

“Their goal is to catch students early in the academic pursuits so that they can “groom” them for ultimate job placement in prestigious accounting firms. They were networking, themselves, in hopes of attracting some new members. It worked, too, because a number of attendees said they planned to join the group,” – explained Lynn Klein, Prof. in the Business department of Chabot College and organizer of AFWA event.

The seminar featured key speakers and organizers, including Yelena Melero, Alyssa Bonfilio, and Carolyn Sweeney, who shared their insights and experiences in the field of finance and accounting. The active participation of AFWA members and Chabot students contributed to the enriching and dynamic atmosphere of the event.

“What is a network? It’s creating relationships with people and meeting people that you don’t even know. Coming from Covid, you went from not even wanting to touch someone’s hand or not even wanting to be in person with people,” – declared Yelena Melero, SF Finance Analyst.

The expert says networking is not only learning from others. It is about advertising yourself, and starting to build a personal brand for yourself. The goal of this event is to surround  yourself with like-minded individuals, and also have someone that you can look up to, someone who’s done it before, someone who can give you advice. These are just a few reasons why we need networks. 

During the seminar, various interactive activities were conducted, including a word cloud exercise and a comprehensive worksheet activity, providing engaging discussions on effective networking practices. All the guests were encouraged to dive deeper into the networking strategies and their practical application in real-world life.

“I got to talk with a couple people, so that was cool. Just a quick little networking tip, which I would like to try and do in my own network. But whenever you go work in a coffee shop for work or schoolwork, go to the gym, attend a social event with a friend. You should try to challenge yourself to start a conversation with a stranger every time in this room,” – shared Alyssa Bonfiglio, VP of AFWA with students.

The seminar created an accessible and inclusive environment for students and professionals to engage in meaningful discussions about networking and career advancement. The success of the event was evident through the positive feedback and expressed intentions of the guests to become members of AFWA. 

“The idea to provide value to the students today was just to introduce them to the idea of strategically networking and being thoughtful about what their goals are and who they need to meet to be able to help them reach those goals,” – said Carolyn Sweeney, Managing Director at Century Group.

The primary objective of the seminar was to highlight the significance of networking in career development and to provide valuable insights into building strong professional connections. The collaboration between Chabot College and AFWA aimed to improve students’ networking skills and facilitate opportunities for mentorship and internships in prestigious accounting firms.

‘’Networking is such an important skill to have to make connections with people that could possibly know about job opportunities, to get input and feedback on job search strategies, including interviews, and to basically help students achieve their career goals,’’ – added Lynn Klein.

In a recent resume workshop, held on October 10 at room 146 at Learning Connection Room, students of Chabot College gained valuable insights into optimizing their resumes and handling the complexities of the job market. The event was organized by instructional assistant Patrick Wwamba featuring a skilled Head of HR with eight years of expertise Jaki Rangel. The main goal was to talk about how to get out into the working world, where you can apply, what you can expect, what those steps might be.

“It’s part of, we’re just trying to get students ready and I think the first year of college can be really daunting and especially the reality is a lot of our students need to have to work, have to look for work, whether it’s like on campus and outside of campus and as well don’t necessarily have the skills to or know even how to make a resume. So these are part of a series of different resources or skills that we would like our students to get familiar with because that’s kind of what the world expects them to know as well. Patrick Mwamba,  instructional assistant, Collaborative Space.

The speaker Jaki Rangel, known for her comprehensive understanding of human resource operations, offered guidance on creating resumes tailored to specific roles using networking platforms like LinkedIn.

“When I’m looking at resumes and I’m hiring for roles, that’s what I’m looking at as the first line on the hiring process. I’m looking at the humanity of people more than I’m looking at the specifics of the role because I don’t know what an analysis does. I don’t look at that. But I’m going to focus on why you want to work with us. What do you think you can bring to the organization why you’re looking to fill this role for our company?’ – highlighted HR expert.

The importance of adjusting resumes to match job descriptions using relevant keywords was emphasized by the speaker. She explained how to capture the attention of recruiters during the initial review process by specific tricks.

“If you increased sales a lot, that’s great. I’m happy for you, but I need facts and figures. Was it 10 x? Was it a 30% increase? Did you see your team grow by 50%? Those are hard facts and figures that in a 32nd scan of a single page, when that’s all I get to know about you, that I’m able to see whether or not it’s worthwhile to make the next step, which is typically a phone interview,” – explained Jaki.

HR expert also discouraged the inclusion of extra information, reminding guests to maintain a focused resume. One of the essential elements of a successful resume is the format itself. The speaker recommended sending resumes as PDFs rather than Word documents to ensure the preservation of formatting during the review process.

Furthermore, the speaker reminded the significance of thorough LinkedIn profiles, highlighting the impact of a clear online presence on potential employers. Professionalism and integrity during the application process are the big rocks according to Jaki.

‘’So my recommendation from scratch would be to find a template. So to go on to Canva, to go on to LinkedIn, to go on to ZipRecruiter, to look at other resumes and to use a template and plug in the information you have available to you ’’ – Jaki

Overall, the workshop encouraged guests to take proactive steps in their career search and requirements of potential employers. As the session came to a close, participants left equipped with confidence in navigating the job market.

‘’I did appreciate the tips in terms of letting us know what to not only put on a resume, but what to emphasize, what to remove and what not to focus on. The page constraint is a huge help. Letting us know insight into what the interviewer or reviewer is going through when they’re reviewing your application was a great help to know what we should embellish on a resume so that we get through at least the first few steps of the interview process. ’’ – Marlene Rolindoro.

The session concluded with a strong power of networking and using available resources. All Chabot members are encouraged to connect with professionals in their desired fields and seek mentorship and guidance from Jaki to boost their understanding of the job market and create a powerful resume. 

You can reach Jaki via email [email protected]

On October 12 the recent Transfer Day event at Chabot College, located outside of the building 700, drew attention to the crucial role of programs like CalWORKs and Fresh Success guiding students through their academic journeys. 

The Transfer Day event at Chabot College featured representatives from a variety of universities, including over 10 CSUs, several UCs, and approximately 20 nonprofit private colleges throughout California. 

The second Thursday of October representatives from various Universities come and are happy to work with students answering the questions about the transfer process.

The diverse variety of institutions showed students a big range of options and information to explore to make informed decisions about their transfer paths. Students need to know they must meet certain requirements according to official representatives from CalState University.

“You must have 60 semester transferable units. You must have the, what we call the golden four; speech, English writing, critical thinking, and college level math. Plus a minimum of a 2.0 GPA. And you’re in!” – explained Carmen, the admission representative  from Cal State University East Bay.

The Transfer Center staff encouraged people to stay on that right path and were willing to do anything that would help students. They fully explained from the beginning to the end the whole process of transfer. 

‘’I would say probably the staff was very helpful. They were showing me on the computer as well, how to manage the website and how to get more information, but they were really kind as well, wishing me luck ‘’, shared a Chabot College student  Esperanza Govea.

Derrica Williams, a Chabot College student, commended the invaluable support she received from these programs. Through the guidance of her counselor Elsa and the resources provided by CalWORKs, she successfully navigated the difficult process of transferring to Cal State East Bay.

“Chabot has helped me in so many ways. I’m in the CalWorks program. If any students want to come to Chabot, I’ll recommend them to go to the 700 building upstairs to CalWORKs and Fresh Success Program. They have great counselors. They’re going to put you in the right classes that you need to get your degree to transfer so you can be able to go to a university,” – emphasized Derrica Williams, a Chabot College student.

The CalWORKs and Fresh Success programs, located in the 700 building, are here to provide assistance in choosing appropriate courses for students’ chosen fields. Furthermore, they supported a seamless transfer process for students who seek the transition from community college to universities.

‘’Part of my job is to work with the universities in bringing programming or maybe advocating for them to modify some of their policies to make transfers smoother and easier for our students. Another part of my role is working with my team, our team of a few counselors, a few counseling assistants, student employees, to put on events like today’s event, the transfer day fair, and just to be present when students need to talk to somebody from the Transfer Center or maybe make connections with the universities. ‘’ explained the lead counselor of the Transfer Center Frances Fon.

The event plays a significant role in supporting students at every stage of their transfer journey, from exploration to application, decision-making, and successful transition.The Transfer Day event at Chabot College, held annually, provides a platform for students. It serves as a hub, offering guidance on various aspects such as understanding different schools and programs, housing options, and financial aid.