PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – Faculty and staff at Northern Maine Community College have long since developed a reputation for going above and beyond to help prepare students to enter the workforce. An upcoming and most unique of those efforts will make NMCC students “a cut above” when it comes to landing a job.
Senior Makeover Day, complete with free haircuts, professional clothing fittings and giveaways, and even make-up tips will take place Thursday, March 5 in the Edmunds Conference Center at NMCC from noon-3 p.m. Aside from a new look, students can also take advantage of mock interviews and reviews of their resume conducted by area human resource professionals who have volunteered to help.
“The goal of the event is to help students make a great first impression,” said Shelli Cronkhite, counselor in the NMCC student support services office and coordinator for the makeover event. “NMCC faculty and staff, as well as community members, have donated business and professional clothing for the event. There will be a make-up artist and several hairdressers on site, along with the mock interviewers.”
The activity, which is held every other year at the college, attracts students from across campus. In March of 2007, when Senior Makeover Day was last held, more than 100 students took part. Cronkhite and her organizational committee are making plans for another successful event this year.
For the past few months, members of the group have collected hundreds of items of clothing from personnel on campus and individuals in the community. They have booked hairstylists from throughout the central Aroostook region and have secured the help of individuals who regularly interview and hire employees to serve as experts to provide constructive feedback to the students who attend and take advantage of the mock interviews and resume reviews.
The event and its timing hold special significance, as Makeover Day is held a week prior to NMCC’s popular annual job fair, which will bring more than three dozen prospective employers to campus Thursday, March 12.
“Senior Makeover Day will help students make a great first impression at the job fair, and that is even more important in the current economy where many candidates will vie for few jobs,” said Cronkhite. “In these difficult times, many students just don’t have the extra money to spend on interview clothes. We are hoping to help through this event.”
Unlike the name suggests, the event is not tailored solely to students planning on graduating this coming May. Rather, students in all stages of their college careers are welcome to attend.
