Career Services
The Career Services department coordinates employment services for Southern State. We offer students and alumni assistance in clarifying career goals and acquiring job search skills. We also assist employers with various objectives including recruitment.
Tom Payton
- Coordinator, Career & Counseling Services
- 800.628.7722 x2713 (Office)
- 740.505.1123 (Cell)
- tpayton@sscc.edu
View all Career Services Staff
Flexible times available upon request. Career counseling hours available via appointment. Contact any Campus Location or ext. 2825 to schedule your appointment.
Office Hours
To schedule an appointment with Tom Payton please:
- Call
- Misi Griffith – 1-800-628-7722 ext. 2825
- 1-740-505-1123 (cell)
Or
How We Can Help
Potential & Current Students – From the beginning of your college experience, through graduation and beyond, Career Services is here to help you follow your bliss! We are here to help you learn about careers and occupations to plan your education accordingly with your desired career path. We also provide one-on-one job search assistance, resume and cover letter writing techniques, interview preparation, coaching and debriefing, and networking tips and how-to's. One-on-one Career Choice Resources include:
- Holland Career Types
- Myers Briggs Type Indicator
- Values Inventory
- My Career Story
- And many more
Students & Alumni – Career development does not end when you start the job but is a lifelong process. As a service free of charge, Career Services can help current students and alumni learn about: resumes, adding value to your job and tracking the results, career check-ups, dealing with on the job stress, and career coaching.
Not Sure Where To Start?
Need help choosing a career path? SSCC's Career Explorer can guide you to potential career opportunities within your program, or browse through a list of Programs & Careers offered by Southern State.

Job & Career Accelerator
Job & Career Accelerator from LearningExpress allows you to assess suitable careers based on your interests, explore occupation profiles, find jobs and internships and prepare professional resumes and cover letters.
O*Net – Occupational Information Network
This service of the U.S. Department of Labor provides an excellent job search service.
Ohio Labor Market Information
Want to know what occupations have the most annual openings? How much do they pay? How many workers are unemployed? Find out here!
Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH)
The OOH can help you find career information on duties, education and training, pay, and outlook for hundreds of occupations.
Occupations & Wage Survey Data – State of Ohio
This services allows you to check wages by occupation.
Wages by Area & Occupation – Bureau of Labor Statistics
This site provides wage data on a national, state, metropolitan and regional basis.
Ohio Unemployment Map
This map shows Ohio's unemployment rates by county.
Kentucky Unemployment Map
This map shows Kentucky's unemployment rates by county.
Job Board
Looking for a job? View the Job Board to see local job openings. Jobs are posted as they become available so check back often!
Post your job opening to the Ohio Means Jobs – Employers website and your job opening will appear under the links above. After selecting the 'Ohio Means Jobs – Employers' link, click 'Posting a Job Opening', then create an account.
If you do not want to post your job opening to Ohio Means Jobs, please complete the Position Posting Request Form to post a job opening on Southern State's Job Board. You can submit the form electronically, email it to tpayton@sscc.edu or fax it to 937.393.6682.
Videos
David Brooks: Should you live for your résumé ... or your eulogy?
Career or calling? This is certainly an important question for all choosing a career but especially those from ages 35 and after. Career expert Mark Savickas describes career as mattering: what really matters and how we will matter. New York Times columnist and author David Brooks talks about the difference between résumé virtues and eulogy virtues, important considerations in choosing your career.
Internships
- Southern State Co-Op & Internship Programs
- In partnership with leading employers, Southern State Community College is pleased to offer our co-op and internship programs that will provide an opportunity to build relevant experience through co-op and internship programming. These custom designed degrees are tailored to provide students with a competitive advantage among the country's premier employers. The co-op track option offers students the opportunity to receive focused academic instruction alongside real-world application.
- Ohio Means Internships & Co-Ops
- The program seeks out individuals who are motivated, engaged and studying in "high demand" areas such as advanced manufacturing, aerospace and aviation, automotive, bio-health, business functions, energy, financial services, food processing, information technology and services, and polymer and chemicals.
Job Boards, Fairs, and Search
Job Fairs
There are a few things you should know before attending a job fair. Use this guide to better prepare:
Job Fairs Coming soon!
Job Boards
- Glassdoor for Students
- Glassdoor for Students is a free job search resource, designed to meet the needs of today's college students.
- ZipRecruiter
- ZipRecruiter is the fastest growing job board that is FREE for students to use to find jobs
- Ohio Means Jobs
- Post your resume and search for thousands of jobs and internships.
Job Search Resources & Tools
Find assistance and get advice on various topics of job search through these resources.
Chamber of Commerce – Local Service Area
- Chamber of Commerce – Adams County
- Chamber of Commerce – Brown County
- Chamber of Commerce – Fayette County
- Chamber of Commerce – Highland County
- Chamber of Commerce – Wilmington Clinton County
Job Search Sites
- Ag Careers
- Career Builder
- Careers In Food
- College Grad Job Hunter
- Criminal Justice Profiles – Career Guide
- Deep Sweep – Non-profit Jobs
- Environmental Career Center
- Health Care Careers
- Higher Ed Jobs
- IM Diversity – Minority Career Needs
- Indeed
- Monster
- Ohio Means Jobs
- Pharmacy Tech Jobs & Practice Exam
Professional Organizations
- American Association of Medical Assistants
- American Association of Respiratory Care
- American Counseling Association
- American Mathematical Society
- Association for Computing Machinery – Jobs, Career, Salaries
- Association of Addiction Professionals
- Association of Finance Professionals – Jobs, Career, Salaries
- Association of Professional Landscape Designers
- Chamber of Commerce (KY)
- Chamber of Commerce (OH)
- Chamber of Commerce (US)
- National Career Development Association
- Ohio Center for Nursing
- Ohio Manufacturer's Association
- Society for Human Resource Management
Video – Interviews
Practice Interviews and Tips
OhioMeansJobs offers you a fun and easy way to practice and fine tune your interview skills. Whether you're new to the job market or an experienced professional, we can help you land the right job with a powerful combination of video tutorials and virtual interview practice.
Explore Your Options
When you know about your personality and interests and have an idea about careers that you might want to pursue, it is a good idea to learn about various occupations and their educational requirements and future prospects. The Explore Your Options Brochure will provide resources that will get you started.
- Jobscan.co - Résumé Optimization
- myperfectresume.com - Résumé Builder
Use myperfectresume.com to begin setting up your resume prior to your appointment with Career Services. The career counselor will review, modify, and train you in the proper use of the résumé. Additionally he will create a format that can be read by online software called Applicant Tracking Systems. Call 937.393.3431, X 2825 for an appointment.
Résumés are kept on file or employers looking for prospective employees.
Employer Resources
If you’re a local employer, Southern State wants to CONNECT with you! We offer various associate and certificate programs in areas ranging from pre-baccalaureate, nursing, business and technology as well as many training opportunities. We also provide job posting opportunities, annual job fairs, on-site interviews and recruiting, employer assistance to meet your needs interfacing with Workforce Development.
Posting Jobs
Position Posting Request Form
Use the position posting request form to post a job opening on the Job Board online and on each of Southern State’s campuses. You can submit the form electronically, email it to tpayton@sscc.edu or fax it to 937.393.6682.
Recruiting & Other Services
To participate in the annual spring Southern State Job Fair, post an upcoming job fair, interview and recruit on campus, request a speaker regarding career/professional development or for any other assistance, please contact Tom Payton.
Interviewing Guides
The Employment Guide to Questioning Applicants is a publication of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and is a quick and easy guide illustrating questions that are and are not permissible during an interview. This is an excellent training handout for people involved in the selection process.
Career Services Staff
Tom Payton
- Coordinator, Career & Counseling Services
- 800.628.7722 x2713
- tpayton@sscc.edu
Paula Campagna
- Academic/Career Advisor (Hillsboro)
- 800.628.7722 x2850
- pcampagna@sscc.edu
Brenda Landis
- Academic/Career Advisor (Hillsboro)
- 800.628.7722 x5615
- blandis@sscc.edu
Stephanie Meade
- Academic/Career Advisor (Mt. Orab)
- 800.628.7722 x3512
- smeade1@sscc.edu
Michelle Callender
- Academic/Career Advisor (Mt. Orab)
- 800.628.7722 x3514
- wcallender@sscc.edu
Misi Griffith
- Administrative Assistant
- 800.628.7722 x2825
- mgriffith9@sscc.edu