Herkimer College hosts professional-development event for students

HERKIMER, N.Y. — Herkimer College Career Services held a “Handshakes and Headshots” workshop for students Oct. 4 as part of its semester-long professional-development series.

Students were given the opportunity to participate in a complimentary professional photography session courtesy of the public-relations staff. A selection of business attire was available for borrowing from the college’s fashion buying and merchandising program.

Participants also gained insight into the array of job and internship prospects offered through Handshake, the college’s online recruiting platform for current students and recent graduates.

“Although today’s college students are quite adept with social media, they don’t often understand how to transition to a professional online presence and leverage platforms to build a career-focused network,” Suzanne Paddock, Herkimer College’s career services director said in a press release. “In this workshop, we discussed how to maximize their Handshake account to connect with recruiters, and we provided tips for developing a LinkedIn profile and how to build their network. With this information and a high-quality professional profile picture, students are better equipped to use social media to develop their career paths.”

The next Career Services professional-development series event is an Oct. 18 workshop called “Calm, Collected, and Focused” that aims to help students increase their awareness and coping skills for daily distractions which, left unchecked, can lead to increased stress and likelihood for burnout.

Herkimer County Community College, with about 2,500 students, offers associate degrees and certificate programs.