Career Connections: Student Resources

Happenings

View Monthly Calendar

Are you ready for career success?

Career Connections experiences offered at Westbrook High School give you the chance to:

  • think about and explore possible occupations with businesses and industries that you may not have thought about;  
  • connect classroom learning to the real world;
  • practice skills in real-world scenarios;
  • develop soft skills (professionalism, communication, teamwork and initiative);
  • observe professionals in action;
  • create a network with potential employers; and
  • develop and improve your personal professional branding.

Why bother?  Because employers are looking for experience and training.  In a recent nationwide survey of  small, medium and large companies in the public and private sectors, employers were asked about attributes that influenced their decisions to hire a job applicant.*  Did you know:

  • 82 percent of employers say that completing an internship is very or somewhat influential in their decision whether to hire an applicant?
  • 92 percent say that completing an internship in their industry was very or somewhat influential in their decision whether to hire?
  • 77 percent of employers say that holding a leadership position in school or an extracurricular organization is very or somewhat influential in their decision whether to hire an applicant?
  • 72 percent of employers say that being involved in extracurricular activities (clubs, sports, student government, etc.) in high school is very or somewhat influential in their decision whether to hire an applicant?
  • 74 percent of employers say that having a high GPA in high school is very or somewhat influential in their decision whether to hire an applicant?

Participation in Career Connections activities help you develop employability skills and attributes employers are looking for. 

Visit Ms. Carson to learn about opportunities to participate in:

  • internships
  • job shadowing
  • industry/business informational panels
  • mock interview workshops
  • resume feedback forums

Ms. Carson can also help you learn about career pathways available to you.  She can help you find business and community mentors for your senior project or your community service graduation requirements.   

*Visions of the Future, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Research Findings, 2019.

Job Board

Read more

Tidbits of Useful Information

  • Click here to watch the recording of the Advanced Manufacturing Industry Panel.  Westbrook Career Connections, Junior Achievement and the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce Virtual Career Fair collaborated to produce a virtual Advanced Manufacturing Industry Panel.  Watch the recording to hear some wonderful advice from leading manufacturers in the Westbrook area.  They provide excellent advice and share opportunities for employment.   Participants included Bo Bradstreet, moderator, Executive Recruiter and Consultant, Bohan and Bradstreet; Oliver Bausch, President and Owner, Bausch Technologies; Jeff Dickey, Executive Vice President of Hydraulics, The Lee Company; Bill Neale, Director of Operations (retired) Radiall USA; and, Christopher Heyl, Vice President of Operations, CiDRA.  
  • Click here to watch the recording of the Government Employees Industry Panel.  Westbrook Career Connections, Junior Achievement and the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce Virtual Career Fair collaborated to produce this virtual Industry Panel.  Panelists provide excellent advice and share opportunities for employment.  Participants represented the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the CT Judicial Branch, and the CT Department of Public Health.  The panel was moderated by Sumayya Ayoub, Senior Education Manager at Junior Achievement.  
  • Discover Healthcare Administration is a website loaded with information about joining the world of Healthcare Administration.  If you are interested in the health sciences but don't want to be a doctor or a nurse, healthcare administration is a great choice for you.  This site tells you more about the work, the types of careers available the the college degree requirements .  See the Student Resources below for the link to the website.
  • University HQ is a website that offers information about careers, requirements for careers, and the best colleges and universities to pursue postsecondary studies in those fields.  Rankings are based upon retention rate, graduation rate, admission rates, cost of tuition, graduating salaries, number of programs offered, online programs offered, load default rate, diplomas awarded, and percentage of students receiving financial aid.  The site also informs you about the types of jobs that are available and the growth rate for those jobs in addition to how much salary you can expect to make.  If you are not sure about your future career right now, this is a great resource for you.   See the Student Resources below for the link to the website.  
  • Tips for Virtual Interviewing provides tips for success when you are scheduled for a virtual job interview.  The tips are also useful for virtual college interviews.  See Student Resources.
  • Click here  to watch the recording of the Sports and Sports Entertainment Industry panel held in spring 2020.  Professionals from the industry described their occupations and career journeys and gave students some important tips for career success.  
  • Preparing for Employment is a resource that helps prepare students interested in going to work.  It provides students with information about the jobs prohibited for minors, minimum wage requirements for minors, allowable work hours, and how to obtain "working papers" required prior to beginning work.  See Student Resources.  
  • Youth@Work Safety Training  is a two-part virtual safety training required for all Westbrook High School students interested in participating in an unpaid internship.  See the Student Resources below to access Part I and Part II, as well as a Youth@Work handout.  Both are narrated PowerPoint presentations which take approximately 30 minutes each.  Information about completing the safety training assessment is provided at the end of Part II and much be completed prior to beginning the unpaid internship.   
  • Developing a Compelling Resume is a resource to provide support for students and their parents who want to develop or improve their professional brand.  The resource is written with the student in mind, but many of the tips in the resource are useful to adults who are considering changing their current employment and need tips for writing a compelling resume that gets the attention of hiring managers.  See Student Resources.  
  • Consider an apprenticeship in the building trades as a post high school education option.  Apprenticeships offer tuition-free training, and you get to earn while you learn on the job.    Click here for information about apprenticeships in the construction trades (electricians, brick masons, carpenters, construction workers, boilermakers, painters, pipelayers, etc.).
  • Click here for a video of the Medical/Health Industry Panel discussion on December 10, 2019.  Professionals from the industry described their occupations and their career journeys.  Learn what you can do in high school to be successful in the field.  
  • Career/Job Shadow Experience:   Westbrook High School recommends that students participate in career or job shadowing experiences throughout high school so that you can learn about industries and occupations.   Career/Job Shadow experiences happen during the school day.  Students in Grades 9 through 11 are invited to participate in an annual school-sponsored grade-level job shadow experience, but you are also encouraged to shadow independently.  You are excused from classes to participate but you must see Ms. Carson to gain necessary permissions to miss classes.  If you are interested in participating in a Career/Job Shadow Experience,  see Ms. Carson in the Guidance Office.   

Student Resources