Career Everywhere

In this episode, Josh Domitrovich of PennWest, Kelli Smith of Binghamton University, and Mike Summers of Lafayette College each share their approach to strategic planning for their career centers. 

In the episode, the panelists discuss:

• What their strategic plans look like (and what their processes entailed)
• How they involve their teams in the process
• The importance of understanding the mission and goals of the career center
• Gathering feedback from the team and campus community
• Aligning the strategic plan with the overall goals of the institution
• The importance of building relationships with stakeholders
• Saying no to initiatives that do not align with the strategic plan
• Why it’s important to have a collaborative and flexible approach to strategic planning
• And more

Resources from the episode:

• Josh’s LinkedIn profile
• Kelli’s LinkedIn profile
• Mike’s LinkedIn profile
• Career Everywhere community (join today!)
• Post-webinar recap post in the community
• PDF handout with resources
• PennWest Career Center Summer 2024 Planning Outline + TRESA decision-making
• filter + SWOT/TOWS matrix
• Binghamton Career Center 2022 Strategic Plan
• Binghamton Career Center Mission/Vision/Values
• PennWest virtual career center (powered by uConnect)
• Binghamton University virtual career center (powered by uConnect)
• Lafayette College virtual career center (powered by uConnect)
• Learn more about uConnect

Continue the conversation in the Career Everywhere Community! Join 2,000 other higher ed career services leaders today: careereverywhere.com/community

Josh Taylor and Hayley Hollenberg of the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics share three specific strategies their team is using to better engage Gen Z students with career services. 

Those three strategies include:

1. A popular career-focused study abroad program in Paris
2. A career development course
3. A revamped web and social media presence (particularly on LinkedIn)

All of these strategies play a part in the Graham Office of Career Management’s new approach to career services. In an effort to evolve with the times and meet Gen Z students where they’re at, the Graham team launched a four-pronged career strategy back in 2019. Since then, they’ve seen incredible results, including increased overall engagement, an over 600% increase in web traffic to their virtual career center (powered by uConnect), and an increase from 61% in 2019 to 86% today in graduating Gatton seniors who secure a successful career outcome (full-time job or acceptance to grad school).

The four-pronged strategy includes:

1. Graham in the Office (traditional career services, 1:1 appointments, in-person programming, career fairs, etc.)
2. Graham in the Classroom (career development course called the Gatton Pro Series, or GPS for short)
3. Graham, Virtually (offering 24/7 access to career resources via their virtual career center, called Navigate*)
4. Graham, Away (providing career-related learning opportunities beyond campus, including industry treks and a career-focused study abroad program in Paris)

*Navigate is powered by uConnect

Resources from the episode:

• Josh’s LinkedIn profile
• Hayley’s LinkedIn profile
• UK Gatton College of Business and Economics virtual career center (powered by uConnect)
• Graham Office of Career Management LinkedIn page
• Graham Office four-pronged strategy document

Continue the conversation in the Career Everywhere Community! Join 2,000 other higher ed career services leaders today: careereverywhere.com/community

Larry Jackson, the Senior Associate Director for Career Education and Engagement at UC Berkeley, discusses the strategies and initiatives his team has implemented to improve career readiness among identity-based populations on campus.

In the episode, he highlights the importance of building partnerships with equity and inclusion student-facing groups, customizing programming to meet the needs of different populations, and prioritizing staff development around equity and inclusion. 

Larry also emphasizes the significance of listening to the concerns and experiences of marginalized communities and committing to long-term efforts to create a more inclusive and supportive career services environment. He also shares the positive results his team has seen, including increased attendance at events and positive feedback from students and campus partners.

And as a parting piece of advice, Larry encourages other career services leaders to listen, be strategic in their initiatives, and commit to long-term efforts to support identity-based populations.

Resources from the episode:

• Larry’s LinkedIn profile
• UC Berkeley’s career services website

Continue the conversation in the Career Everywhere Community! Join 2,000 other higher ed career services leaders today: careereverywhere.com/community

Yasi Mahallaty, the Senior Manager of Strategic Innovation at CareerSpring, talks about how career services can support first-generation students.

CareerSpring is a free networking and job placement platform for first-generation/low-income students. CareerSpring is also a headline partner for uConnect’s Curation Kit focused on first-generation/low-income students. 

In the episode, Yasi talks about:

• The unique experiences of first-generation students as part of the career exploration process, including being the first to navigate the college and career experience, financial constraints, and imposter syndrome
• How career leaders can best support first-generation students in career development
• How to consider adapting career advising, workshops, and resources to meet the unique needs and circumstances of first-generation students 
• How to help first-gen students identify and highlight their skills and attributes in job interviews
• How to help first-gen students evaluate potential employers for their commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB)
• Immediate strategies that can be implemented to increase support for first-generation students
• And more!

Resources from the episode:

• Yasi’s LinkedIn profile
• CareerSpring’s website
• uConnect’s Curation Kit for first-gen/low-income students
• Forbes list: “America’s Best Employers for Diversity”

Continue the conversation in the Career Everywhere Community! Join 2,000 other higher ed career services leaders today: careereverywhere.com/community

Rebekah Paré, the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Paré Consulting and a former longtime career services leader, shares how career leaders can amplify their impact through campus partnerships.

After 20 years in career services and higher ed, Rebekah began her consulting business in 2023 to help career centers all around the world develop strategies that improve students' career readiness and outcomes, engage alumni, elevate the career center’s status with employers and community members, and attract prospective students and their families. 

In the episode, Rebekah talks about:

• Why building effective partnerships across campus is so important 
• What’s at risk if career leaders don’t prioritize building partnerships with other stakeholders
• How career leaders can go about building partnerships (and with whom)
• How to leverage those partnerships to advance the career center’s goals
• How to balance long-term strategy with short-term day-to-day tasks
• How career leaders can combat outdated perceptions about what the career center does
• And more

Resources from the episode:

• Rebekah’s LinkedIn profile
• Rebekah’s website
• (Re-)Introducing your new ROI department: Career Services (LinkedIn article, includes the Career Services Relationship Map)

Continue the conversation in the Career Everywhere Community! Join 2,000 other higher ed career services leaders today: careereverywhere.com/community

Jenn Tardy, founder and CEO of Jennifer Tardy Consulting, shares several best practices for how career services teams can create more equity and inclusivity.

Jennifer Tardy Consulting is a training and consulting firm that specializes in diversity recruiting and retention. Jenn often speaks to employers, recruiters, jobseekers, and career services teams about how to dismantle barriers and create environments where diverse pools of talent thrive.

In the episode, Jenn talks about:

• What obstacles historically underrepresented students typically face when it comes to career development and seeking their first jobs
• How career services can help address those hurdles
• How career counselors can best support students from marginalized backgrounds in navigating hiring biases, even if they haven't personally experienced those challenges
• How career teams can effectively assess employers to determine if they’re truly inclusive
• What strategies and mechanisms career teams can use to hold employers accountable for fostering an inclusive environment for students from diverse backgrounds
• What resources career teams can use to keep educating themselves on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion
• And more

Resources from the episode:

• Jenn’s LinkedIn profile
• Jennifer Tardy Consulting website
• The Miseducation of the Underrepresented Job Seeker guide
• 25 Common Interview Questions (With Top Notch Answers) guide
• Other free resources for job seekers
• Free resources for employers
• Increase Diversity newsletter
• The Essential Guide to the Perfect Interview audiobook
• Career Counselors Consortium

Continue the conversation in the Career Everywhere Community! Join 2,000 other higher ed career services leaders today: careereverywhere.com/community

Matt Phillips and Rebecca Davis, both of the University of Arizona Global Campus, share how their team uses video to engage more students with career. 

They discuss the diverse student population at UAGC and the importance of making career development opportunities accessible to all students. They also highlight the various ways they are using video, such as embedding videos in assignments, utilizing the Candid Career video library, and recording employer information sessions. 

In the episode, Matt and Rebecca also talk about:

• How they partner with faculty to embed Candid Career videos into assignments 
• Why video is such an important format for reaching their diverse student population (including many adult learners)
• What results they’ve seen since going all-in on video
• Their advice for other career leaders who want to use video more effectively
• And more

Resources from the episode:

• Matt’s LinkedIn profile
• Rebecca’s LinkedIn profile
• UAGC’s Candid Career video library

Continue the conversation in the Career Everywhere Community! Join 2,000 other higher ed career services leaders today: careereverywhere.com/community

Adam Capozzi, Director of Career Services, Assessment, and Student Success at Syracuse University, shares how his team implements Career Everywhere in a distributed, decentralized career services model. 

In the episode, Adam talks about:

• What Syracuse’s decentralized career services model looks like (and why it’s set up that way)
• How all the career centers across campus stay connected to each other and work together to engage more students
• How they all work together to engage faculty and staff
• How they use technology to support their collective engagement goals (including their new virtual Career Hub, powered by uConnect)
• His advice for other career leaders looking to implement Career Everywhere in a decentralized model
• And more

Resources from the episode:

• Adam’s LinkedIn profile
• Syracuse University virtual Career Hub (powered by uConnect)

Continue the conversation in the Career Everywhere Community! Join 2,000 other higher ed career services leaders today: careereverywhere.com/community

Eric Stetson, Director of Engagement and Enrollment at FourBlock and a retired Army officer, shares best practices for how career services teams can support student veterans.

In the episode, Eric highlights:

• The unique challenges student veterans commonly face as part of the career exploration process 
• What career leaders should know about best supporting veterans in career development
• How career teams can help veterans translate the wealth of skills they have from military service into the language of the civilian workforce
• Best practices for providing nuanced support and resources for veterans 
• Immediate strategies that can be implemented to increase support for veterans as part of career services
• And more

Eric served in the US Army for 24 years before retiring in 2015. Now he works for FourBlock, a nonprofit organization that prepares transitioning veterans and military spouses for careers in corporate America.

Resources from the episode:

• Eric’s LinkedIn profile
• Warrior-Scholar Project
• American Corporate Partners (ACP) for mentors 
• Student Veterans of America (SVA) for student peer-to-peer networking and support 
• Candorful for interview training for veterans 
• Military skills translator tool
• O*Net Military crosswalks
• My Next Move

Continue the conversation in the Career Everywhere Community! Join 2,000 other higher ed career services leaders today: careereverywhere.com/community

Chris Entringer, Career Services Coordinator and Enrollment Advisor at Northeast Iowa Community College, shares how he and his team work to support retention.

He emphasizes the importance of building relationships, collaborating with other departments, and being proactive in reaching out to at-risk students.

In this episode, Chris also shares:

• At a high level, how career services can support retention (and why their role is so critical)
• What career services (and retention) looks like in a community college
• What his team’s integrated model looks like and how it supports their efforts to improve retention at NICC
• Several specific strategies his career center uses to improve retention
• And more

“It’s so important to get those referrals and really be a part of all the processes that you do for retention. I think career services should have a piece in that puzzle,” Entringer said. 

Resources from the episode:

• Chris’ LinkedIn profile
• NICC career services email (checked by the team): [email protected]
• NICC Career Hub website

Continue the conversation in the Career Everywhere Community! Join 2,000 other higher ed career services leaders today: careereverywhere.com/community