Career services leadership and advocacy

Just wondering, Reader- If your busiest employers disappeared tomorrow, would your students notice? They post jobs. They show up at fairs. They host info sessions every fall. But here’s the real question: Are they actually partnering with you—or just passing through? Many career centers track employer activity. But high activity doesn’t always mean high impact. Some of your most visible employers might also be your most transactional. They’re here for the seniors, not the student journey....

Hey, Reader- Your space is saying something. Even if your student ambassadors never said a word about career readiness on the campus tour, students, families, and community members are picking up the message loud and clear. The question is—does it match what you want them to hear? I joined the EdUp Campus Planning podcast to talk about how the physical and symbolic presence of career services can shape everything from student engagement to institutional reputation. 🎧 Listen to the full...

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Reader! There’s an Irish proverb that says: And while I fully support both, let’s be honest—when cynicism sets in, neither a nap nor a joke is enough to pull you out of it. You know that moment when someone shares a new initiative, and instead of feeling inspired, your brain instantly goes Oh sure, that’ll work—heavy on the sarcasm? Or when you find yourself rolling your eyes before a meeting even starts? Or when the phrase I’m just here so I don’t get fired basically...

Hey, Reader- If you read last week’s newsletter, you know that a landscape analysis helps you understand where career services fits into the broader campus ecosystem—and where it could have a bigger impact. Fast forward: you’ve had conversations with key stakeholders, gathered insights, and started identifying patterns. Maybe you’ve confirmed some things you already knew. Maybe you’ve uncovered gaps, opportunities, or support you didn’t expect. Now comes the hard part: deciding what to do...

Happy March, Reader! Another big meeting. Student success, enrollment, internships—career services should be part of the conversation. But once again, it wasn’t. Not because your work doesn’t matter. Not because people don’t care about career outcomes. But because career services isn’t positioned as central to the institution’s success. Faculty don’t always connect career readiness to their courses. Leaders set retention and student success goals without linking them to career outcomes....

I have a confession, Reader. As a career center director and AVP, I did something regularly—like every single day—that I’m not proud of. I deleted vendor emails without reading them. Why? Bandwidth. Capacity. Funding. Sometimes I was so overwhelmed that I couldn’t even think about exploring new tools. Dig hole, insert head. But now, looking back, I realize I was missing out. Here are some real examples of mistakes I made: ❌ Hiring an instructional designer and using tons of career advisor...

Hello, Reader, What data should we track? That was the big question that came up in a recent coaching conversation with a career center director. We talked about the usual numbers—workshop attendance, one-on-one appointments, career fair turnout. But I asked: “How are you tracking the students who never engage?” 🎯 Because here’s the problem: If we’re only measuring who shows up, we’re ignoring the students who might need career services the most. Cue the crickets. And according to the latest...

Hello, Reader, How do you teach students to think ethically in a world that’s constantly shifting the rules? What happens when students are given the space to listen, reflect, and challenge their own assumptions? Last week, I volunteered at the Rotary Club’s Ethics Symposium, where 200 high school juniors tackled tough ethical dilemmas: A student struggling academically—should they let a classmate cheat off them? A high school intern feeling sidelined with low-level work—was this about...

Happy February, Reader! Here is something I hear all the time from career services leaders: 🔹 The president doesn’t get it.🔹 The provost doesn’t understand.🔹 The deans don’t care.🔹 The faculty are too busy.🔹 The employers aren’t showing up. I hear it from my clients. I hear it in LinkedIn DMs. I hear it at conferences... So many people should be paying attention to career services, but… they’re not. Unbelievable but true: I had a supervisor who would text through all of our meetings. How do...