Preparing Students for Life After Graduation: A Partnership Between Faculty and Career Services

Nos últimos anos, faculdades e universidades foram chamadas a articular a proposta de valor de um diploma universitário no contexto de seu custo crescente. Simultaneamente, em meio à ansiedade residual com a recente recessão, os alunos estão entrando na faculdade sob crescente pressão para garantir que suas experiências educacionais se traduzam em primeiros empregos viáveis ​​e oportunidades de carreira duráveis. Uma desvantagem competitiva no mercado de trabalho profissional. Parte dessa evolução pode ser atribuída à mudança em direção a uma população estudantil mais diversificada ....

With these real challenges come heightened expectations for the effectiveness of career services at colleges and universities, particularly those with an emphasis on liberal arts and humanities — degrees that many believe imply a competitive disadvantage in the professional job market.

Career services has experienced a coming of age over the last couple of decades. Some of this evolution can be attributed to the shift toward a more diverse student population. Historically, the majority of college students came from middle- to upper-class families, many with college-educated parents who had a built-in network of associates and friends who could connect them to a desirable occupation. Expectations of formal connections between institutions and job opportunities were not as high when other informal networks achieved strong outcomes.

Após a recessão de 2008, e com mais estudantes de graduação de primeira geração, sub-representados e/ou de baixa renda (por exemplo, os estudantes de baixa renda aumentaram em matrículas de 12% em 1996 a 20% em 2016), as faculdades são chamadas para apoiar os alunos com uma retração mais formal. Mudou o jogo democratizando as pesquisas de emprego, desafiando muitas instituições a esclarecer a vantagem competitiva de suas funções de serviços de carreira. Anteriormente, os relacionamentos únicos das instituições com os empregadores geralmente significavam a diferença entre um aluno que descobriu uma possível abertura ou restante no escuro. Em uma era habilitada para a Internet, esses relacionamentos são um pouco diminuídos por essas publicações públicas. Quando um aluno se matricula pela primeira vez, há uma infinidade de oportunidades concorrentes para seu tempo entre aulas, extracurriculares e atividades sociais; portanto, os alunos tendem a adiar seu planejamento de carreira, pensando que este é um recurso da faculdade que pode ser mais próximo da formatura. Mas, dada a importância de estágios e treinamento relacionado à carreira para garantir um emprego, muitos estudantes procuram serviços de carreira tarde demais em sua experiência colegiada para ver qualquer benefício real. X-Factor

The advent of online postings has also changed the game by democratizing job searches, challenging many institutions to clarify the competitive advantage of their career services functions. Previously, institutions’ unique relationships with employers often meant the difference between a student finding out about a potential opening or remaining in the dark. In an internet-enabled era, such relationships are somewhat diminished by these public postings.

Despite these factors raising the stakes for career services, survey research shows that many students are failing to take advantage of the resources offered. When a student first enrolls, there are a plethora of competing opportunities for their time between classes, extracurriculars and social activities, so students tend to postpone their career planning, thinking this is one college resource that can be tapped closer to graduation. But, given the importance of internships and career-related training in securing a job, many students seek out career services too late in their collegiate experience to see any real benefit.

This phenomenon may explain why, according to a recent survey conducted by Huron, only 24% of recent graduates reported finding a job with the help of their institutions’ career services.

Huron’s study also found that 75% of recent graduates credited faculty members as the most important contributor to their success. One way to invigorate career services may be for institutions to harness the positive faculty influence to connect students with campus career advisers who can facilitate earlier, increased and intentional career planning.

Recognizing that many faculty members are understandably most comfortable engaging with students on topics related to their respective academic disciplines, it is clear faculty should not be expected to be the sole career advisers. They should, however, be able to reinforce to students the importance of accessing career services early in their collegiate careers as part of their academic plans. Such endorsements can connect students with valuable, applicable resources. Department chairs and administrators can help by emphasizing the importance of collaboration between these two groups and facilitating meaningful interactions.

At Miami University in Ohio, for example, the career center and faculty collaborate to guide students as they explore potential career opportunities. The university reported a 266% increase in career advising appointments for humanities majors after the implementation of their faculty/career center work group. Faculty can also request career center representatives lead classroom sessions geared specifically for the students in their area of study.

The best equation for students’ long-term success is career services staff and faculty working closely together, aligned toward a common goal of helping students find meaningful work after graduation. The power of these alliances, supported by administration, can help institutions deliver on their promise to students: to leave campus highly qualified to be a productive contributor to their communities.