Spotlight for Career Services Professionals

It’s the last semester on campus for some students. What type of workshop or in-class activity can career services provide that will be helpful in these last few weeks before graduation?

Career services practitioners shared some ideas in the NACE Community. For example, at one university, a workshop for graduating seniors analyzes how to break down and compare job offers, and determine which benefits they need.

Here are some other ideas for providing valuable information to business students before they graduate:

• Use an exercise that encourages students to look at their own resumes from the perspective of an employer.
• Since students often struggle to understand what they can do with their degree, help them pinpoint what they want to do by helping them get to know different industries, decide which interests them most, and acquaint them with trade associations for industries so that they can visualize how they might become involved and move their professional lives along.
• Run a business boot camp that focuses on “adulting,” including programs on retirement plans and investing—topics that students will want to know about post-graduation.
• Have students develop and practice a 15-second personal pitch, update their resumes to include a professional profile and showcase their skills, match the skills required in job opportunity listings to what’s on their resume, negotiate a salary offer, and update their LinkedIn profiles.

You’ll find links to resources that are helpful in developing workshops for students at all stages of their career development in the NACE Community Library.