By Maria Isidoro
International students from East Los Angeles College discussed topics on how to find a job at a public or private business on Sunday at the Monterey Park Bruggemeyer Library.
Chinese Language Associate Professor and President of Chinese American Education Association Robert Liu designed “Becoming Professionals” to inspire youth on how to find a career in America.
According to former president of the International Student Advancement Program Club Bowen Wang, the purpose of this program is to help international students from ELAC get familiar with the basic information an employer seeks within the community.
ISAP is a student club that helps international students get familiar with the new study and lifestyle at ELAC, Wang said.
The program teaches how to prepare college and high school students and the local community for a successful interview.
“Becoming Professionals” was co-sponsored by ISAP Club and sponsored by the CAEA and Bruggemeyer Library.
Successful professionals were invited as guest speakers to share their knowledge and experience in job searching within both the private and public sectors.
“Selling yourself in a brief and concise manner should be no longer than three minutes,” Senior Human Resources Manager Elizabeth Wu of Panda Restaurant Group said.
Wu also taught on how to use PRO techniques when it comes to answering behavioral interview questions.
PRO techniques are examples of a job experience that describes a “past situation,” how to “respond” to actions taking in a job position and how to tell an “outcome” of what happened in that specific work.
“According to the new standards in the work field, employers are no longer looking for people who describe themselves as hard working, but instead people who are working smarter and working more efficiently,” Wu said.
Senior Planning Assistant from LA County government Alice Wong said that looking for a job in the public sector requires more patience, compared to private companies.
According to Wong, the civil processes with county governments are different from the private sector, such as how long it will take for a job application to process.
“Don’t bother to send a job application standard or resume for a job that is not posted,” Wong said.
The county government provides volunteer jobs opportunities and internships paid and unpaid.
Wong demonstrated how to apply for a job opening through the Department of Human Resources of LA County government home page.
There are three types of applications which someone can apply for civil service: open competitive, interdepartmental promotional and departmental promotion.
“You will be looking for the open competitive application, if you are not working for the county government,” Wong said.
After an interview is held, it will take approximately six months to process the paperwork and the waiting list of applications will expire within one year of applying, according to the LA County.
Wong said to take in consideration the interests of the company first and work positive to encounter greater results in the workplace.
“Bring your A game to the interview and workplace,” Wong said. “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”