Creating a Comprehensive Student Engagement Strategy for Career Services

Creating a Comprehensive Student Engagement Strategy for Career Services

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Get your students to utilize career services more frequently and meaningfully.

The biggest job of career services is to demonstrate the ROI of higher education to the student body. However, there are a number of reasons why it’s increasingly difficult for career services to effectively educate students about the programs they offer, including: students’ busy schedules, insecurities, or feelings of disenfranchisement or apathy, among other contributing factors.

Due to the absence of active engagement, there is often a lack of awareness of the depth and breadth of services career centers have to offer to ensure students are leaving the institution confident and prepared to enter the workforce. Without a doubt, connecting with students early and often – ideally prior to orientation or during their freshman year – is the most impactful way to help them build their career portfolios during their entire student life.

Join us for a highly practical workshop to learn strategies and tactics for integrating the events and goals of career services into students’ busy lives. With the help of our expert speaker panel, you will:

  • Explore and map out your institution’s current challenges
  • Learn about creative outreach methods to spark student interest
  • Discover ways to work with under-engaged student populations, such as student athletes, first-generation students, men of color, and transfer students
  • Adopt strategies to bolster visibility and relevance of career services on campus

This program was designed for directors of career services and front-line career advisors.

Practical Format

Rather than focusing on “big picture” issues, this workshop will address the key challenges directors and front-line advisors face on a daily basis. You will participate in interactive and practical exercises, such as creating outreach messages, considering programs for engagement, and developing a comprehensive plan to engage more students. You’ll learn scalable strategies for all budget levels that you can start using as soon as you return to campus.

Virtual Site Visit

During this training, you will have the opportunity to virtually tour two innovative career services spaces: the Career Center at DePaul University and the Toppel Career Center at the University of Miami. To maximize the impact of the virtual visits, we will capture best practices, and strategize how you can adopt similar approaches at your own institution to establish a stimulating and accessible space.

Bring your team and save!

This unique event is a call to action for entire career services teams to attend as a group and get on the same page together.

Save over 15% when you register three or more colleagues.

“Academic Impressions’ style of professional development far exceeds that of standard conferences/training. The small faculty and attendee ratio facilitate involvement and meaningful discussions. Bringing together academics from different areas of an organization to learn about a singular topic provides insight. The amount of immediately usable information gained is incredible.”

- Kim Boyd, Associate Dean for Retention and Student Success, Cabrini University

Read what past attendees have said about this event.

“Getting to learn from three phenomenal powerhouses in our field was a game changer! I don't know what I expected coming into my first Academic Impressions experience, but this far exceeded all my expectations! Thank you!”

- Krystle M. Ongaco, Assistant Director, Regional, Student & Young Alumni Programs, Johns Hopkins University

“This was a wonderful, innovative experience. Great ideas and resources were shared by participants and presenters. High energy and an overall wonderful learning experience."

- Marisol Marrero, Executive Director of StudentLink Centers, New York University

“The inspiration and impact of the conference will be felt at my institution for years, I hope. I learned so much to bring back to my team to help advance my institution in strategic ways. I am so excited about the next steps!”

- Janet Kinard, Director, Networks and Groups, Georgia Tech Alumni Association

Agenda

Your registration fee includes full access to all conference sessions and materials, access to the networking reception on Monday, breakfast and lunch on Tuesday, and breakfast on Wednesday, as well as refreshments and snacks throughout the conference.

DAY 1

12:30 – 6:00 p.m.

 

Why Today’s Students Require New Engagement Strategies

In this opening hour, we will look at case studies and data that will help to explain why today’s students may be reluctant to engage with career services. We will explore the motivations behind why students are not engaged, including reluctance, being overscheduled, insecurity, feeling disenfranchised or apathy, etc.

 


 

Connecting Early and Often

The schools that are the most successful in professionally developing their students are those that engage students early and often. In this session, you will learn about three initiatives that Loyola Marymount University has successfully employed to better serve their students: industry-specific networking events, summer engagement, and off-campus career treks. You will learn about specific programs that LMU have established to connect with first- and second-year students.

 


 

Working Session: Connecting Engagement Ideas with Current Challenges

In this first working session, you will have time to begin thinking about your students and how you might connect early and often with them.

 


 

Networking Reception

This informal reception is your chance to decompress, have a drink on us, and expand your network of connections. Our programs are intentionally designed for smaller groups, which means you will have the opportunity to meet your peers and our speakers face-to-face.

 


DAY 2

8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

 

Thinking Beyond Email for Outreach Efforts

One of the most common challenges reported by front-line career advisors is the unresponsiveness of students, especially to email. You’ll hear how other institutions have successfully used social media and creative outreach efforts to engage students. We will also explore strategies for integrating events into students’ busy schedules.

 


 

Training New Frontline Staff for Maximum Engagement and Impact

Part of keeping students engaged is providing helpful career advice especially to those students who are struggling or who may be experiencing “imposter syndrome” or other insecurities. You will explore successful ways institutions train their staff so that they are successful in building solid connections with students.

 


 

Working Session: Thinking Strategically About Engaging Students

In this working session, you will have an opportunity to consider strategies that you can adopt or adapt to engage students and bolster their success.

 


 

Engaging Specific Populations

We will explore why students of different populations might not engage with career services or other support services. You’ll hear of other institutions’ promising strategies that you can adapt or adopt to your own needs. Populations may include: student athletes, first-generation students, men of color, and transfer students.

 


 

Working Session: Engaging Specific Populations

You will have an opportunity to focus on a specific population of your choice for engaging in career services and to work with other attendees and facilitators to gather ideas for addressing challenges.

 


 

Marketing Your Career Services Programs

In this session, you will learn to use intentional branding and marketing efforts to effectively communicate the creative and effective work of your career services office. We will discuss how you can increase your office’s visibility, relevance, and resources through effective branding and marketing.

 


 

Virtual Tour #1

You will have an opportunity to virtually tour an innovative career services space.

 


DAY 3

8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

 

Assessing Your Impact

Our final session will focus on how to track your progress and measure the impact of your efforts on student success and engagement. You will leave with ideas that you can implement immediately when you return to campus.

 


 

Virtual Tour #2 and Working Session

We will begin with a virtual tour of an innovative career services space and then you’ll have time to prioritize your action steps when you return to campus. Facilitators will be on hand for ideas and feedback.

Speakers

Tom-Dowd

Tom Dowd

Executive Director of Career Services, Muhlenberg College

Tom has been in his current role since February of 2016. He is a career development educator and career coach with more than 12 years of experience creating and delivering career programs for diverse audiences in higher education, nonprofit, and corporate environments.

Read Tom's full bio here.

Branden-Grimmett

Branden Grimmett

Associate Provost, Career and Professional Development, Loyola Marymount University

Branden oversees the office responsible for successfully launching 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students into their professional careers; 99% of LMU graduates are employed, enrolled in graduate school, or pursuing post-graduate service within six months of graduation.

Read Branden's full bio here.

elizabeth-zavala-acevez

Liz Zavala Ph.D.

Director, Career Center, Cal State Fullerton

Elizabeth has over 15 years of professional experience working within higher education. In her current role, she provides strategic direction to all facets of the Career Center, is involved with several programming efforts that pertain to CSUF’s retention cluster, and serves as the lead on career readiness within the university’s Student Success Team structural framework.

Read Liz's full bio here.

Questions About the Event?

Elizabeth Hubbell, Academic Impressions

Elizabeth Hubbell
Senior Program Manager, Academic Impressions

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