Career Center Resources
Tools for major exploration and career development

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The Career Center helps students explore career interests and learn about what degree programs are right for them. Working with a career counselor, we will assess your strengths, skills, interests, and accomplishments to help you identify internship opportunities and career goals that match your educational and professional needs.

Counseling Courses

Counseling 7 – College and Professional Success

Students will compare and analyze student development theories for the purpose of defining internal and external obstacles to career and academic success. Throughout the course, students will practice, apply and evaluate integrative exercises related to academic achievement, self-exploration, career development and professional growth and development. 

  • Transferable to CSU Only    

Counseling 48 – Career Exploration

This course is designed for students who are undecided about their career and/or educational goals. It provides an introduction to a career decision-making model, including personal assessment, self-understanding, career and labor market research, integration of information and goal setting. The course emphasizes one’s self-description as it impacts career choices. 

  • Transferable to CSU Only   

Counseling 50 – Career Planning and College Success

This course presents a reflective model of the career planning process that integrates theory and practice applicable in a variety of situations over an individual’s life span. Applying psychological, sociological, and physiological concepts, students will explore, identify, and establish personal, career, and educational goals. Students will be empowered to take charge of their academic and career decisions through the integration of career development and educational planning process. Topics include: intensive career investigation; assessment of interests, personality, skills, values, and other personal qualities that coincide with educational planning and career identification; application of college readiness; decision-making; time management; goal setting; learning and life management strategies; application of career and lifespan development theory; and resume development, job search and other career building techniques. 

  • Transferable to both UC and CSU; see counselor for limitation

Assessments

Major and Career Research

  • Candid Career is a library of career videos where industry professionals share their Job Descriptions, Backgrounds and Preparation Advice
  • What Can I Do With This Major?
  • My Plan
  • UC Berkeley Career Center
  • University of North Carolina Wilmington
  • Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT). This is the revised fourth education as supplied electronically by the US Department of Labor.
  • The Occupational Outlook Handbook is designed to provide valuable information to individuals who are contemplating their future career choice. OOH describes specific duties of the job, working conditions, training and education needed, earnings, and expected job prospects in a wide range of occupations.
  • The Employment Development Department contain information covering individual occupations or groups of related occupations. They provide statewide information about job duties, working conditions, employment outlook, wages, benefits, entrance requirements and training.
  • O*NET Online allows you to select occupations to explore, search jobs that use your specific skills, and find careers related to your major
  • Glassdoor is the fastest growing jobs and recruiting site. Glassdoor holds a growing database of more than 8 million company reviews, CEO approval ratings, salary reports, interview reviews and questions, benefits reviews, office photos and more. Unlike other jobs sites, all of this information is entirely shared by those who know a company best — the employees. Add to that millions of the latest jobs — no other site allows you to see which employers are hiring, what it’s really like to work or interview there according to employees, and how much you could earn. Glassdoor is also available via its mobile app on iOS and Android platforms.
  • Eureka provides comprehensive career and educational information. The Eureka database includes career information, self assessments, financial aid and scholarship information. To utilize this website, you need to be a Long Beach City College student and make an appointment with a counselor.
  • CareerOneStop allows students to find wage and employment trends, occupational retirements, state-by-state labor market conditions, millions of employer contracts nationwide and the most extensive career resource library online.
  • Becomeopedia -  Find information about how to become hundreds of careers including education requirements, job descriptions, salary info, and future career paths.
  • NVISION Eye Centers is a community of surgeons, optometrist partners, and employees dedicated to helping people live better by seeing better. Below is an educational guide on job and career options for blind or visually impaired individuals.

Resources by CAPS

Arts, Language, and Communication

Business, Management, and Entrepreneurship

Science, Health, and Technology

Society and Education

Trades and Service Industry

Internships/Job

Internships are valuable opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience in various fields of interest by working for an employer or organization. Through this experience, the student will gain practical job skills that can benefit the student in various ways.

You can also find internships and other career tips through LinkedIn University. There you will find various benefits and services to help students get started finding opportunities in their career field. Internships…

  • provide students with an opportunity to learn more about a particular field of study
  • can help a student apply academic knowledge to real-life situations
  • may expose students to the latest technological advances in the field of study
  • allow students an opportunity to develop networking relationships that may lead to future employment
  • build a student’s resume by providing valuable experience in their area of interest
  • could lead to a higher salary in future employment positions

For internship opportunities, please contact our Workforce Development team:

  • careercenter@lbcc.edu 
  • 562-938-3174

You may also visit Career Coach and the Career Center Canvas for job postings.

Job Profiles

Resumes & Cover Letters

Resume Writing Tips

A resume is a concisely written marketing tool that promotes your accomplishments, skills, and qualifications for a job or internship. The goals of a resume are to show the employer that you have the skills they seek and invite you to an interview.

Did you know that employers spend an average of SIX SECONDS looking at your resume? Follow the format and content tips below to ensure that you submit a targeted, customized, and concise resume that will be noticed.

Formatting Tips
  • One page with copy that is clear and concise. It may be two pages if you have extensive and relevant work experience.
  • Balanced margins (0.5” to 1”) and good ratio of text to white space
  • An easy-to-read and professional font in 10- to 12-point size
  • Selective use of bold, italics, underlining, and capitalization
  • The most important information listed toward the top of the resume, for example, Education, Skills, or Summary of Qualifications
  • Package your most relevant experiences under a heading that matches the type of work you are seeking, for example, “Film Production Experience” which may include experiences from part-time jobs, volunteer work, class projects, club/leadership activities, etc.
Triple-check to ensure there are:
  • No spelling or grammar errors. Make sure to proofread carefully.
  • No personal pronouns (I, me, we)
  • No personal information (picture, age, religion, marital status, disability, etc.)
  • No references
  • No salary history or reason for leaving a job
  • No mentions of jobs or experience more than 10-15 years. You can include degrees but not graduation dates.
Content Tips
  • Thoroughly read and understand the position description and company website to understand what skills/qualifications the employer wants, then tailor your resume accordingly.
  • Customize your resume to include relevant keywords, skills and experiences that match each job/industry for which you apply.
  • Consider including a “Summary of Qualifications” section at the top of your resume to quickly highlight your relevant qualifications and to entice the employer to read more.

In the “Experience” section(s), make sure to:

  • Format your experiences with consistency, including job/project title, company/organization, location (city, state) and date range for each entry.
  • List your experience descriptions in bullet-point format, not as a paragraph.
  • Focus on accomplishment statements when writing your descriptions (see below).

Accomplishments Statements

  • Begin with action verbs, using this resource for help.
  • Use bullet points to demonstrate skills and show results/accomplishments.
  • Avoid introductory statements like “Duties included…”
  • Quantify when possible, for example, “Managed $5,000 budget; increased sales by 30%; tutored 10 students each week…”
  • Incorporate transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, and time management

Examples

  • “Coordinated three fundraising events for local shelters, raising more than $8,000 (20% over goal) and greatly improved community awareness”
  • “Ensured customer satisfaction at a high-volume location, effectively providing service to an average of 100 customers per day”
  • “Collaborated with clients, software developers, technical writers, and interface designers to deliver financial reporting software three months before the deadline”
Other Tips
  • Review resume examples for your industry
  • Only include relevant information
  • Proofread and edit for grammar and spelling errors
  • Tailor your resume to the specific position/organization you are applying for

Cover Letter Writing Tips

A cover letter is like a resume in that they both highlight the relevant skills and experiences you have that the employer seeks. The main difference is that while a resume showcases your qualifications, your cover letter showcases your personality and genuine interest in the position and company.

The cover letter is your chance to show you’ve done your research on the company or organization and to demonstrate the value you offer. Ultimately, you are explaining why you are a good fit for the specific position (with your skills and qualifications) and company or organization (with your values and work style).

Formatting Tips
  • Use one page with a maximum of three or four paragraphs.
  • Use the same header (your contact info) as your resume. Think of it as branding.
  • Format with balanced margins (0.5” to 1”) and good balance of text to white space.
  • Choose an easy-to-read, professional font in 10- to 12-point size.
  • Address the letter to a specific person such as the hiring manager or recruiter’s name listed on the job announcement. Use “Hiring Manager” or “Hiring Committee” only as a last resort.
Content Tips

First paragraph: Why this company or organization?

  • Describe which position you are applying for and how you learned about it, including the name of any referrals or if you met during a job fair or other event.
  • Highlight why you are applying to the company and why you are interested in it, demonstrating that you have completed research on the company’s service/products, their mission/values, etc.
  • Include a “thesis” statement: the top two or three reasons you’re qualified. You will expand on these in the next paragraph.

Middle paragraph(s): Why you?

  • Prove your thesis statement with concrete examples demonstrating your skills and experiences. Discuss specific work, academic or project experiences that directly relate to what the employer is looking for.
  • Bonus: Close with a summary sentence that shows how these examples will benefit the employer.

Last paragraph: Next steps

  • Reiterate your interest in the position and company.
  • Thank the employer for reading your cover letter.
  • Let the employer know you look forward to speaking with him or her soon.
  • End with a professional salutation, such as “Respectfully”, “Sincerely” or “Regards.”

Cover Letter Samples