Posted on July 17: CPEC open house showcases new facilities

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Cpec.jpg” caption=”CPEC office”]The Career Planning & Employment Centre (CPEC) is showcasing its new facilities today.

“We love our new space,” says Heather Hines, CPEC events & marketing co-ordinator. “We're right in the hub of it all.”

CPEC relocated in May to Gilmour Hall Room 110 from Hamilton Hall. “We were growing and we needed more space,” she says. “And traffic is going to increase, especially with the double cohort.”

The open house, which will take place today, July 17, from 9 to 11:30 a.m., will provide an informal opportunity for people to come and see what CPEC offers, ask questions and tour the facility. “We want to invite people to our new space to see where we are and what we have to offer,” says Hines.

Some of its services include job postings for students, career counseling, and career planning, career tests, special events, workshops on job interview and job search techniques, resume critiques by peer advisers, job shadowing and linking students with graduates and alumni in the field.

Most important, the centre is there to answer students' questions. “One of the most common questions is 'what can I do with my degree?',” Hines says.

Unfortunately, many students wait too long to start asking questions, she says. “Students should come to us in first year so they can start planning early,” says Hines. “They should take advantage of the resources while they're here.”

Photo caption: Marnelli Maqueda, a third-year economics student, checks out McMaster brochures on display in the new CPEC office. Photo credit: Chantall Van Raay