Unique NMCC student workshop cited

    PRESQUE ISLE – An event for Northern Maine Community College students held earlier this academic year on the campus is being lauded by an industry publication for career counselors as a “good idea.”     “How to Lose a Job in 10 Days,” an informative luncheon session sponsored and coordinated by NMCC’s TRiO Student Support Services program, involved a panel of Aroostook County human resource professionals who shared their horror and humorous stories to help students and prospective employers know what not to do in a job interview or on their first days on the job.
    The unique angle and title of the workshop caught the attention of the editor of the Campus Career Counselor, a publication mailed to career service professionals nationwide. A recent edition of the newsletter features a story on the NMCC offering in a section entitled “Good Ideas.”
    “I was thrilled when I received an e-mail from the editor who picked up the story from a news release put out by the College,” said Shelli Cronkhite, NMCC counselor and workshop coordinator.
    Cronkhite is a member of the local Northeast Society of Human Resource Managers (NESHRM), a local group comprised of individuals responsible for making hiring recommendations and decisions at several area businesses. Members of the organization served on the “How to Lose a Job in 10 Days” panel and shared some of their experiences with the NMCC students.
    “It’s very exciting that NMCC and NESHRM are being recognized nationally,” said Cronkhite. “Sometimes it feels like we’re very isolated in northern Maine – it’s nice to let people know that there are unique and exciting things happening here.”
    Even before the inaugural “How to Lose a Job in 10 Days” workshop was cited nationally as a “good idea,” organizers were planning to repeat the event in the coming academic year.
    “We’ll certainly continue to do some version of ‘How to Lose a Job in 10 Days’ at NMCC. There is definitely a need for students to get this kind of information,” said Cronkhite. “Students really appreciated getting advice straight from the human resource people that actually do the interviewing and hiring in this area. It was certainly an eye-opening experience. For example, many students had no idea that employers can (and do) look at websites, like My Space, when making hiring decisions.”
    In addition to repeating the session at NMCC, NESHRM members are considering offering something similar in the future at the high school level, as well.