How Can Colleges Assist More Students in Landing Good Jobs?

Because so many students have large college loans, they must be concerned about the employers and jobs that will be available to them when they graduate. Of course, this does not mean that students who are not burdened with student loans are not concerned with landing good jobs. This is something I’ve said before, but it’s still true. In the end, most college students want three things:

1. A good college education

2. A pleasurable college experience

3. A fantastic job when they graduate

Unfortunately, some colleges struggle to meet all three. Some colleges are well-known for their academic excellence. Others provide a wide range of activities, clubs, and parties. Only a few have a reputation for having systems in place to ensure that a large number of students obtain well-paying jobs with desirable employers with opportunities for advancement.

College leaders will not change their behavior unless they change their minds and place a higher value on student employment success. Nobody can effectively change their behavior unless they first change their minds.

Leaders who are skeptical of change are always resistant to it. It terrifies them. Change usually frightens us all until we understand it and believe that it will make things better for us. That is the challenge.

How can college leaders identify and comprehend the changes that will result in greater student employment success while also making things better for themselves? Money, manpower, and time are perennial concerns. The most important factors, however, are “wanting to make things better” and “looking for and identifying the things that need to be changed.” Colleges that can’t or won’t do one or both of these things will never improve their students’ employment success.

Colleges must do the following to increase student employment success:

1. Recognize that students have a limited understanding of job search preparation activities and what, how, when, and why they should be done.

2. Recognize that the college (a learning institution) is where students spend the majority of their time and where they expect to get the information, help, and guidance they need for their job search.

3. Agree that job search preparation instruction and guidance is primarily the responsibility of the college as a whole, not just students and Career Services personnel.

4. Recognize that students must compete against other candidates for the best jobs in their fields of interest. Having a degree with good grades isn’t always enough.

5. Believe that their college will benefit if a greater number of students land desirable jobs with reputable employers.

Colleges should do the following to assist students in achieving greater employment success:

6. Assist students in identifying and choosing a career path that matches their abilities and interests no later than their sophomore year. When students wait too long to decide on a career path, they may have little or no time for clearly focused job search preparation activities. Late decisions may necessitate additional college time and loans.

7. During their first or second year of college, require students to purchase and read a book that explains the entire employment process, including job search preparation strategies and efforts. Career Services should make a recommendation.

8. As early as possible, require students to create a personal budget for independent living after college. That will cause them to consider their upcoming expenses and provide them with an idea of the minimum starting salary they will require. Career Services can provide a sample budget form for students to fill in the blanks.

Having a reasonable budget will encourage students to decide on two things: 1) Does the chosen career path have desirable entry-level jobs that will meet their budgetary needs? 2) Do those jobs have good growth potential and a career path?

Qualified students should not enter careers and accept job offers that make it difficult for them to live on their own and pay back college loans, or that offer a low salary and limited opportunities for advancement.

9. Assist students in choosing a major and minor that will support their career goals and job interests.

10. Assist students in developing a written plan of action that includes the activities and experiences they will engage in to make themselves more appealing to their target employers. Colleges can begin by providing each student with a generic example of a step-by-step plan.

11. Provide students with job search preparation classes. These classes should cover every aspect of job search preparation, review the contents of the chosen book, assist students in building and utilizing their job search network, create a résumé that focuses on accomplishments and successes, and assist students in developing the stories and examples they will use during interviews.

12. Have each student conduct research and identify a group of jobs in their chosen field of interest. (Having a clear goal will make the following steps easier for students to complete.)

13. Have each student research and identify a list of employers who will have opportunities for students with their specific job interests. As a result, students can pursue opportunities with specific employers who are of interest to them. In almost every case, students must go after employers rather than the other way around.

14. Assist students in identifying the specific things that their target employers will require, want, and expect from job candidates. (Students are more appealing to their target employers when they have anticipated and addressed their needs, wants, and expectations.)

15. Assist students in researching, identifying, and retaining lists of Job Banks, Search Firms, and Web Sites that may be useful in their job searches. Students with similar career goals can collaborate as a team and share their findings. (Initial lists for students in each major should be available from Career Services.)

16. Coach and encourage students as they carry out their action plans. Every employee on campus can assist with this. In fact, everyone in the college community can help with this. However, college alumni should be ideal for this aspect of job search preparation. That means the college must make a concerted effort to include successful alumni in this process.

17. Work to build a larger and larger pool of employers who will provide students in all majors with part-time jobs, internships, co-op assignments, work-study programs, and summer jobs. Interviewers and hiring managers place a high value on work experience and performance. Potential employers will always be interested in students who have job-related work experience, high-rated job performance, and solid work references.

18. Work to develop a larger and larger pool of reputable employers who will come to campus to recruit students. The goal should also be to find and invite a diverse range of employers, so that some will be interested in students from underrepresented majors. Many colleges struggle to find employers who are interested in students from underrepresented majors. In fact, there will be students on every campus who have not had even one campus interview.

19. Create a long list of job opportunities for graduating students in every major by requiring everyone associated with their institution (College Leaders, Professors, Administrators, Hourly Employees, Students, Parents, Alumni, Suppliers, Vendors, Local Employers, and Community Leaders) to use their networks to find jobs that pay well and have a substantial employee benefits package.

20. Assist students in paying close attention to their job search preparation activities, job performance, and achievements. Students must be prepared to compete for higher-paying jobs with long-term career prospects.

During interviews, no job offers are won or lost. They are obtained in the second, third, and fourth years of college. Students can take advantage of opportunities to demonstrate their abilities and add to their impressive list of accomplishments as they become involved, participate, perform, lead, and work. During interviews, the best candidates discuss their performance and provide examples.

21. As students enter their senior year, they should be provided with numerous opportunities to participate in mock interviews. They will need to practice presenting their unique selling points, successes, and achievements. Employers will pay attention when students tell compelling stories about their college and work experiences and performance.

These suggestions will result in a new campus culture. Students who land excellent jobs will speak highly of the college and will be better able and more likely to donate. Furthermore, as high-potential applicants learn about your students’ employment successes, they will want to attend your college.

Student employment success benefits both students and colleges. As a result, colleges should place a greater emphasis on efforts and services that will result in more and better jobs for their students.