Career Services

Intro to Career Services Video

Whether it's looking for a part-time job or a job shadow to support your classroom experience and get first-hand knowledge about your major and career, or a full-time professional position, Continuing Education & Career Services provides a connection to hundreds of current employment opportunities. Let us help prepare you for your next step through our Career Readiness Workshops!

• Job search
• Resume & cover letters
• Interviewing skills
• LinkedIn 

Career Coach

Use Career Coach to discover majors and in-demand careers that are right for you, build your résumé, and apply for jobs.

Resume Review

Request a free résumé review by a Certified Professional Résumé Writer.  

Interviewing

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has a detailed Interviewing Guide which is recommended. Thank you letter information is included.​​

Schedule a mock interview with a career services professional who will give you real-time practice with your interviewing skills.

Video Resources

• AIDA Cover Letters
• Build a LinkedIn Profile That Attracts Employers
• 5 Steps to a Winning Resume
• Tell Me About Yourself

KCC’s graduates and students can help you and your business. Through Handshake and Career Coach, you can advertise job opportunities and attract qualified candidates to fill your job postings. 

Career Coach pulls job posting data from job boards, in addition to live job postings from Indeed.com, to help students find careers related to their areas of study. By partnering with KCC, you can jump your name to the top of the list and attract qualified candidates to fill your job postings. Tap into your local talent pipeline by posting job openings for students and graduates from KCC.

Questions? Contact KCC Career Services at 815-802-8222 or email careerservices@kcc.edu.

Handshake and Career Coach connect job seekers to opportunities for internship, full and part-time employment locally and nationwide. These free services are available to KCC students, alumni and community members. Check back often for new postings.

Questions? Contact KCC Career Services at 815-802-8222 or email careerservices@kcc.edu.

Job Listings & Resources

• Linkedin - Build connections in your industry and search for jobs.
• Get Hired IL - Connecting Employers Looking for Workers to Workers Looking for Work
• Job Shadow - Shadow real people’s jobs online.
• Jobs2Careers - Search jobs and find the best opportunities to stand out from the crowd. Tips, resources, and advice to help grow your career!
• Salary Calculator - Access salary data for 35,000 job titles.
• Internships -  Locate internships for a variety of industries and locations.
• Jobs.com - Access entry-level positions for college grads.
• Jobrapido.com - Find jobs posted on multiple websites in a single search.
• Indeed.com - Find jobs and internships posted on thousands of company career sites and job boards. View salary information for specific occupations.
• ZipRecruiter - Search jobs and reviews for any industry, location and experience level.
• Glassdoor - Obtain personalized jobs, salary information, company reviews, and interview questions (posted anonymously by employees and job seekers).

Job Fair

KCC hosts a job fair twice a year at the main riverfront campus.

Employer registration

Job Fair registration has begun! Employers can register for FREE to participate — Register Now!

KCC's internship program helps students apply classroom knowledge in real-world work environments. Interns develop competencies in their profession, increase confidence in their skills and establish professional connections. Employers benefit from the fresh perspective and talents interns bring to the workplace.

To ensure a successful internship, KCC provides guidance with the following:

• Developing a position description
• Posting internship positions
• Providing job training
• Conducting ongoing supervision and feedback
• Completing evaluations

Students: Become an Intern

Employers: Host an intern

Testimonial

After a seasonal work layoff, Jon Meyer decided to go back to school. He enrolled in KCC’s Manufacturing Technology program.

“During the last semester I was enrolled at KCC I was required to complete a Capstone course called The BSNS 2423 Internship Experience. Luckily, I had found employment at Yoshino America Corporation, a bottling company in University Park, just before enrolling in this course. My position at the company is a Maintenance Technician. I am responsible for keeping all equipment in the building running at 100%.My official internship experience lasted sixteen weeks. During this time I had 4 evaluations of my performance, and worked closely with KCC and my employer to incorporate all the knowledge I had gained. All my supervisors worked hard to assist with the internship and were excited about what I could bring to the company. All requirements of the internship were able to be fulfilled through my regular work requirements while continuing through my final 18 credit hour semester.

My knowledge gained at KCC has not only given me an edge but made me a force to be reckoned with. I feel that at this point there is nothing I can’t build, repair, wire, program, or troubleshoot. If there is a task I am not sure about how to complete, my skills can guide me to find a way to complete it correctly.

“Going to KCC was the best decision I have ever made. It will forever change my life and the lives of my family. I couldn’t be happier with all the knowledge I gained.”

Contact

Cesar Avalos
Coordinator of Career Services
(815) 802-8222
cavalos@kcc.edu

Invest time in deciding your career path—it’s one of the most important decisions you can make. It doesn’t matter if you are undecided about what to study. KCC Career Services can help.

KCC’s Career Development Counseling offers activities and resources that help you explore careers, prepare you for employment, and guide you in transferring to other colleges, all of which sets you on a path toward career success. Here’s how you can benefit from Career Development Counseling:

• Increase your self confidence
• Improve your opportunity for college and career success
• Become more marketable upon graduation
• Be better prepared for your future

Gap Year Program 

If you are thinking about career options—whether you are taking a break from school or not—the Gap Year Program is the perfect blend of career exploration and time to be on your own time. During this Gap Year, you can find your passion. Weekly sessions and hands-on activities feature industry experts. Fall 2023 registration deadline is Sept. 11. For registration and schedule details, send a request or email Cesar Avalos. 

Learn more

Career Coach

Find careers that match your interests and discover the KCC programs that will prepare you for success. Start by taking a career assessment to find out what your interests are and how they relate to the world of work. Read through your personalized results and see which pathways and careers are a good fit for you. Once you find a career you like, you can learn all about it with data on expected earnings, available jobs, daily tasks, current job postings, top employers, relevant skills and more! Be sure to create an account to save your results. Just click the sign up button in the top right corner.

Discuss Results With an Expert

Schedule a career counseling session with a career development counselor/academic advisor who will help you analyze your results so you can make informed decisions about your field of study and career goals.

Whether you are just beginning to explore careers or ready to apply for job and career opportunities, KCC is here to assist you! 

Additional Resources

• Occupational Outlook Handbook - Occupations, job outlook, and medial annual wages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• O*NET OnLine - Tool for career exploration and job analysis.
• CareerOneStop - Toolkit for exploring careers, finding jobs, learning about industry trends, and comparing salary information.
• Career Key - Expert help with career choices, based on scientifically valid practices of career counseling.