Career services can be vital to finding your career path and landing a job. Transitioning from college to a career can involve uncertainty and challenges, but career services can ensure there are fewer bumps and detours on your journey.
What makes a program effective and worth the time? Let’s look at attributes of the best programs to help you in your evaluation and some colleges with the best career services programs.
What attributes make career services valuable?
Not all career services programs are the same. They use different strategies, resources and technology. It’s important to evaluate the options so you can find one that fits your work-life goals.
What should you look for when assessing a career services program at a college? Here are some questions to consider when choosing a college with the best career services:
Does the program have support from faculty and alignment with curriculum and in-demand skills?
This matters because what you learn in college needs to connect to real-world abilities companies are looking for, so it’s a plus when there’s collaboration between curriculum and in-demand skills.
How does the career services program help you in your job search?
Keep in mind that these programs don’t place you in jobs; they support your search for a job that meets your goals and aligns with your abilities. They may do this with events, networking, resume reviews, interview coaching or other resources.
How does a program help you become career-ready?
To help you feel confident that you’re ready for the workforce, a career services program may help you define your aptitudes and passions via assessments, expose you to career paths and find internships.
Does the program enable you to make connections and network?
Having the opportunity to build relationships can be useful when hunting for a job. These contacts may turn out to be great mentors too.
What technology does a program use in the process?
Technology is an essential aspect of career services. Career services programs that use a skills-to-job matching platform, such as pepelwerk, get a boost. Technology matches talent profiles with job profiles via artificial intelligence and machine learning, eliminating resumes and applications. Advanced algorithms do more than just match keywords; instead, they use multiple data points to make connections.
pepelwerk’s career-matching solution also includes assessments to uncover your abilities, aptitudes and attitudes. You can also document your work-life goals and determine what skills you need to achieve them.
These are the pillars to use when assessing the quality of career services and what value you’ll receive from them. What colleges have the best career services?
These colleges have the best career services programs.
Based on data and the makeup of programs, these schools have excellent results supporting students.
- Quinnipiac University: This private Northeastern university makes the top career services school list, with more than 97% of graduates employed or pursuing other degrees within six months of graduation.
- Stonehill College: This program focuses on mentorships, with volunteers working with students. It also offers career exploration and resume labs.
- Penn State University: Career services staff members work with alumni through counseling, coaching and educational webinars. The program also offers networking and internship opportunities.
- Elon University: This university’s job placement rate is 90%. It achieves this by exposing students to numerous careers, providing advisors, holding recruiting events and partnering with employers.
- University of Florida: The university has a Career Connections Center that helps students design their unique career paths. The center developed an eight-semester guide to help with the smooth transition from college to a career.
The career services programs at these schools have proven to be successful, but they aren’t the only colleges with the best career services. Evaluate the programs at colleges and universities you are interested in. Pay close attention to the technology a career services program uses and how it addresses the changing pace of hiring and recruitment in the 21st century.
If you want to improve your chances of securing in-demand jobs, career services can be an excellent resource. Learn more about how to choose an in-demand job and build skills.
