Master’s Candidates in Human Resources Help Young Adults Land Jobs

Seven student members of the NYIT Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) volunteered their time to help prepare a group of approximately 130 young adults (ages 18 – 24) enter the workforce.

The project was organized by Melissa Shaver, president of the NYIT SHRM chapter. The group worked with HempsteadWorks—an organization that offers programs and services for job seekers and employers—on the project. The organization then connected the students to the Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services and the Hempstead Education Assistance Corporation—two agencies that provide vocational services to at-risk, low-income young adults living in Nassau County—where the training programs would take place.

“The NYIT SHRM student chapter decided this program would be an excellent way to volunteer and make a positive impact in the community,” said Shaver. “We felt that as students in the human resources field, we could use our own knowledge and skill set to help these populations, while honing our presentation and organizational skills.”

The students developed and led six workshops—three for each agency—that focused on networking and interviewing skills, employee relations, and how to write a résumé. They also offered interactive discussions and one-on-one counseling.

“The workshops benefitted both the participants and the chapter,” said Richard Dibble, Ph.D., adjunct professor and director of the Center for Human Resource Studies at NYIT School of Management. “The participants gained knowledge of what human resources professionals consider when searching for a candidate. They honed their interview skills and gained confidence in their ability to find and keep a job. The NYIT students further developed their professional competencies in leadership, consultation, critical evaluation, relationship management, and communications, which are essential to human resource managers.”