Welcome to the Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) TRiO program!

We are excited to have you join our program and support your journey toward higher education. We aim to provide the resources and support you need to navigate the college application and earn a degree successfully.

As a participant in the EOC TRiO program, you will have access to a variety of services that you have reviewed already here, including:

• Academic advising and counseling

• Career Pathway/Job readiness

• Assistance with college applications and financial aid

• GED enrollment and more!

We understand that the college process can be overwhelming, but our dedicated staff is here to guide you every step of the way. We are committed to helping you achieve your goals and reach your full potential.

Thank you for choosing the EOC TRiO program. We look forward to working with you and helping you succeed!

You will have many resources available to you. One of them is our Pathful platform. Those of you who want to enroll in college, use comparison tools how to navigate and compare colleges before enrollment, want to transfer to a four-year school, want to work on your resume/cover letter/find an internship/job, apply for FAFSA/Financial aids/scholarships/etc. We have prepared for you all the tools you need. During one of our workshops, our navigators will assist you and train you on how to use the platform. 

If your need is one of the above, after you attend one of our workshops or meet one of our navigators, you will learn how to use the platform. 

You can log in by clicking here or using this link 

Please use your temporary credentials as follow:

Username: Your email address

Temporary  password: 123456

Instruction: Next page

Please feel free to use the instruction and navigate the platform to find internships, and jobs, prepare your resume, and cover letter, compare colleges, find financial aid/scholarships, and many more!

You can contact our navigator and get any information and update you can reach them via TRiOSupport@sceus.org

Alo feel free to contact us via TRiO@sceus.org or call (916) 504-9391 if you have any questions or concerns. 

Thank you!

The technology provided many tools and advanced career development. The competitive work environment has made employers and panel interviews anticipate higher skill levels and performance from the candidates they meet and hire. The career pathway is a dynamic process. Adjustment, development, and improvement are essential. Finding a job is not the only element we should focus on. Instead, the capability of keeping employment should be a vital component of a career plan. 

Most of the time, the keyword we use to search on Google is “Find a Job” instead of “Career Pathway,” “Career Planning,” or “Career Development.” 

Job is not something you should look for and find it. Instead, a career or profession is something we should develop a path and brainstorm a strategy and have a checklist to follow in order to get what we want.

Different organizations offer different steps and strategies to build a path for a variety of capabilities. Following are our suggestions based on what our team has experienced.

Steps hunting employment:

Before searching for a job, you should make a Career Plan, which has short and long-term goals that require specific actions in a timely manner. Some of the steps suggested are as follows: 

• Assess yourself: Before looking for employment, you should evaluate yourself. By assessing yourself, you will learn many hidden parts of your personality, leadership, skills, interests, values, strengths, weaknesses, etc. Many people get surprised by taking self-assessment tests. I suggest you use more than one tool to assess yourself to see different points of view. Some of the self-assessment platforms are: 

  • Gallup: Not free

  • 16personalities

  • MBTI: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

  • https://roosevelt.ucsd.edu/_files/academics/majors/personality-mosaic.pdf

  • 8 top personality tests used by employers (indeed)

• Exploration: Conduct research from a variety of channels, including Google, Indeed, Jobs, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc., to find some relevance to what you may need/want.

• Prioritize: Think about:

  • What are your top skills?

  • What is important to you?

  • What interests you and you enjoy the most? Because your job is more than half of your life. You have two options:

    • Either learn how to love what you are doing.

    • Do what you love!

  • What is your timeline for building a career plan?

  • Do you need a trainer, and if yes, how can you find one? 

  • Do you need to develop some of your skills before taking any steps?

  • Do you want to take a part-time job to pay some bills and at the same time develop some skills to get a higher salary job? (You are the best person to answer all these and draw a timeline based on the answers.)

• Comparison to match: Match or Compare your skills, values, interests, priorities, and timeline/deadlines against your career options.

• Make a wise choice: Use the SMART strategy. 

  • SMART

    • Specific:

    • Measurable

    • Attainable/Achievable

    • Relevant/Realistic

    • Time-bound/Timely

• Action by Create a Career Action Plan:

  • Research and narrow down your selection and select.

  • Educate yourself about the organization you would like to find employment or work:

    • Learn about their mission, vision, and values!

    • Educate yourself about their services, organizational chart.

    • Look up the leaders and directors of the organization and their short-term/long-term goals and organization projection.

    • Look up their social media or professional pages (if there are any)

    • Educate yourself about the organization’s culture and environment.

    • Learn about their partners and partnerships strategy.

    • Watch their YouTube channel (if any)

  • Prepare your resume and cover letter: (LinkedIn: if any, and if not, create one)

    • Your resume should be dynamic and updated very often.

    • Read the job description carefully!

    • Remember you have to modify or adjust your resume for every single position in a given organization you are applying.

    • You should not send the same resume and cover letter for the same position in two different organizations.

  • Prepare yourself with soft skills in the workplace:

    • Attitude

    • Communication

    • Teamwork

    • Decision-Making

    • Work Ethic

    • Conflict Resolution

    • Adaptability

    • Leadership

      • After you assess yourself, you will have a better understanding of your leadership style.

    • Diversity and Inclusion

    • Disability and related regulations (ADA, Accessibility, etc.)

    • Positivity/Optimistic

    • Harassment

  • Interview Preparation:

    • Print your resume and cover letter.

    • Practice (Mock interview): Some of the sample questions and the best answers are below this page.

    • Prepare answers to common questions.

    • Learn and prepare to state what values you can bring to the table for the organization you are applying! 

    • Know the location, time, and the panel (if possible)

      • If you have a chance to know the interview panel, then search for them and look at their social and professional media posts and comments to learn about their leadership skills/style, interests, short-term and long-term goals, etc.

    • Educate yourself about different leadership styles and approaches.

    • Review Disability and Diversity in workplaces

  • Interview:

    • Plan to arrive 10 to 15 minutes early.

    • Have multiple copies of your resume and cover letter.

    • Dress Professional

    • Smile

    • Have pen and paper ready to take notes if needed (or an electronic device if it is allowed)

    • At the end of the interview, if they give you the option to ask any question, then never ask for income, holiday, sick leave, raise, etc. Instead, ask about the next step or “What are the strategies to become successful in this position?” (You need to show them that you are open to learning and becoming successful in the position).

  • After Interview:

    • Relax

    • Self-evaluation: Don’t criticize yourself. You did your best. 

    • Write a thank you note (email)

    • Keep in touch!

    • Check your application status if you have access to it.

    • Be responsive: Return calls/answer emails promptly.

    • Flexible to reasonable requests

    • Never “GIVE UP” because the last key could open all locks.

Some hiring processes consist of multiple interviews. It depends on the employer, specialties, and many more. The employment steps also will vary from employer to employer. You should be prepared for in-person or virtual meetings. It also may take several weeks or even months to hear from some employers, especially in government fields. 

Sometimes you may get a position very fast. But if you didn’t get it, don’t be disappointed. According to a Forbes report, on average, 118 people apply for any given job. Only 22% will be invited to interview. These are just some statistics that vary from position to position. The higher your education and specialties, the easier your employment journey. 

If you got a rejected letter or email, it is perfectly fine to politely ask the recruiter or employer for more detailed feedback about your interview in order to help you improve. You shouldn’t blame yourself. Remember, “Never Give Up” because the last key could open all locks, and “whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” 

Remember, “Never Give Up.”

Here are some general interview questions and following answers that can be asked in almost any interview, regardless of the position or industry:

• Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

• How did you hear about this position?

• Why are you interested in this role and the company?

• What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

• Can you tell us about a time when you faced a challenge and how you overcame it?

• How do you handle multitasking and prioritize tasks in a fast-paced work environment?

• How do you work with a team and handle conflicts with coworkers?

• Can you give us an example of a time when you had to think creatively to solve a problem?

• Can you tell us about a successful project you worked on and your role in it?

• How do you continue to learn and stay up-to-date in your field?

• What are your long-term career goals?

• Can you walk us through your decision-making process?

• Do you have any questions for us?