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December 8, 2020

Press Release — OCC Creates More Opportunities for Students, Alumni, Employers

Handshake logo, a student working on a computer.

TOMS RIVER, NJ — Ocean County College has just instituted a new career management tool through its Career Services Department that will greatly expand opportunities for its students and alumni to connect with potential employers and industry professionals.

Handshake is an app that simplifies the search for internships, apprenticeships, volunteer opportunities and jobs for students and alumni and streamlines the process for employers.

Once the participant creates a profile and uploads documentation such as a resume and cover letter, they are visible to hundreds of potential employers from industry, nonprofits, corporations and small businesses — from Ocean County and around the world, from small shops to multinational corporations.

They can review posted positions and set up alerts for those that fit their interests. Opportunities for networking, a critical way to break into any field, are also available, and is an option that isn’t offered through other tools that are strictly job boards. And, importantly, those seeking part-time or fulltime jobs, internships, apprenticeships or volunteer opportunities also can apply online. Handshake is targeted toward students and recent graduates, although those who want to change careers may find it helpful too.

“Handshake is a professional career development tool that will help our students and alumni reach their vocational goals by providing direct communication with employers of all stripes,” says Christopher Carbone, Career Services coordinator. Career Services at OCC provides career counseling, coaching, assessments and interviewing advice as well as help with writing resumes and cover letters and setting up professional profiles on various career-related platforms such as LinkedIn.

Handshake at OCC will be available, free, to everyone in the campus community — students, alumni, faculty and staff. In addition to regular job postings and alerts (including those for internships, apprenticeships and volunteer positions), virtual career fairs also will be a valuable part of the platform.

“The virtual career fairs are big for many reasons, whether with a single employer or a massive fair with dozens of participants, and will provide our students and alumni more professional opportunities than they’ve ever had before.

“Ocean County College is the first community college in New Jersey to add this advanced employment system to its Career Services Department,” adds Carbone. “It will allow OCC to provide experiential, educational and employment opportunities to our students that historically has been available only to four-year college students.”

Handshake is free for employers as well. According to their website, www.joinhandshake.com, more than 500,000 employers are active users of the platform.

In fact, OCC has just linked with a large global employer — Otsuka, a Japanese pharmaceutical company with offices in Princeton, New Jersey — and has several students who are applying for paid virtual internships with them.

“We’re not here just to help people get a job then wave goodbye to them,” says Carbone. “We’re here to help them throughout their professional career. And employers are getting professionals who are ready to work. They are looking for better talents, and they find that at OCC.”

For more information about Handshake and Career Services at Ocean County College, visit www.ocean.edu/student-services/career-services or contact Christopher Carbone, Career Services coordinator, at ccarbone@ocean.edu.

We are Ocean and we are here for you!

Media Contact

Dori Londres
Marketing & Communications Writer/Editor
dlondres@ocean.edu
732 255 0400 x2308

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