Hello, Reader-
How many of your juniors were truly ready for the internship market by September?
How many are checked out—or still exploring majors when employers are already recruiting?
In today’s environment—tight labor market, AI reshaping entry-level jobs, and state and federal accountability breathing down our necks—leaving career readiness to chance is no longer cutting it.
It’s time to step up our game. From the engagement on my LinkedIn post on this topic, I know many of you are with me.
The missing piece
Here’s the thing: career services already has plenty of great programs. Résumé reviews. Alumni panels. Interview prep. Online modules.
But here’s what’s missing: we don’t track who’s completing the milestones that truly matter, and we almost never intervene when they don’t.
We’ve been measuring participation. What we need to measure is readiness.
That’s the missing piece.
A note about terminology
When I say "readiness," I don’t mean mastering every NACE competency. I mean something simpler and more practical: whether students have completed the milestones that signal they’re on track for the job market. Readiness here = progress that can be tracked, acted on, and connected to outcomes.
|
Leading vs. lagging indicators
Most of the data career services shares are lagging indicators: First Destination Survey results, employment outcomes, graduate school acceptance. Important, yes—but too late to change for the students who just walked across the stage
What we’re missing are leading indicators: checkpoints along the way that tell us if students are on track before they hit the market.
- A résumé that’s been reviewed and approved.
- A networking reflection showing a student has built professional connections.
- An internship completed with employer evaluation.
These milestones don’t just show participation. They’re leading indicators of readiness—early warning signs we can act on.
🎯 That’s what an intervention system gives us: a way to connect leading indicators (student behaviors, experiences, competencies) with lagging indicators (career outcomes).
Enter: interventions
Higher ed already knows how to do this.
- When a student misses too many classes, a professor files an early alert.
- When financial aid isn’t paid, a completion grant helps them stay enrolled.
- When a course has a high failure rate, supplemental instruction is built in.
These are interventions—structured, timely responses to keep students on track. They’re a culturally accepted part of academic affairs and student success.
So why not career services?
Why interventions work
Because they combine three things:
- Milestones → clear signals of where a student should be.
- Tracking → visibility into who is and isn’t meeting them.
- Action → outreach, nudges, or support when students fall behind.
And here’s the key: career services already has the building blocks—but milestones need to be redefined as readiness indicators, not just activities.
What do I mean?
- An activity is: “Attend one networking event.”
A readiness indicator is: “Engage with alumni in a structured networking session and submit a reflection on two new career connections.”
- An activity is: “Upload a résumé to Handshake.”
A readiness indicator is: “Submit a résumé that has been reviewed and approved to meet professional standards.”
- An activity is: “Apply for an internship.”
A readiness indicator is: “Secure a professional experience and receive supervisor feedback on performance.”
Activities show participation.
⚡Readiness indicators show preparation.
That’s the missing piece. Career services has spent decades tracking who showed up. But students, employers, and institutional leaders need proof of who is actually ready to compete in the job market.
A draft roadmap of milestones
Here’s one version I’ve been working on—built with targeted universalism (what helps students with the steepest barriers helps all), with competencies embedded into the action and quality thresholds that make them meaningful:
- Pre–first year/orientation:
Complete an interest/skills assessment + reflection; intro course module in LMS; set up Handshake/LinkedIn profile with required fields; attend a career-focused orientation session with peer ambassadors.
- First year:
Complete a career exploration course with graded quiz/project; engage with alumni/employers in a structured event + submit reflection; submit résumé for review + meet quality standard; add one co-curricular/work experience to Handshake/LinkedIn + reflect on skills gained.
- Second year:
Declare major + complete career pathways reflection; update résumé + gain faculty/staff approval; participate in experiential learning with supervisor evaluation; join a small-group alumni networking session + practice introductions.
- Junior year:
Secure internship/co-op/project + submit supervisor evaluation or deliverable; conduct an informational interview + reflection; complete a professionalism/prep course with assessment; participate in a mock interview or skills assessment + receive scored feedback.
- Senior year:
Apply to 5+ jobs/grad programs and document in system; attend an advanced workshop (negotiation, networking, or grad prep) + submit action plan; complete a capstone reflection mapping experiences to NACE competencies; submit the First Destination Survey.
- Universal supports (for all, designed to close equity gaps):
Enroll in a career seminar tied to program; complete a high-impact short-term experience with supervisor evaluation; connect with alumni/pro mentor in structured program; earn/document a recognized credential.
Psst... These are early ideas.
The new role of career advisors
In this model, advisors aren’t buried under endless résumé reviews or waiting for students to book appointments.
Instead, their role becomes more strategic:
- Coaches at the moments that matter. They step in when milestones aren’t met, or when students hit critical transitions like declaring a major, preparing for internships, or negotiating an offer.
- Guides for complex cases. Technology, peers, and faculty can handle baseline milestones—advisors focus on nuanced coaching, equity gaps, and high-stakes decision-making.
- Connectors across campus. Advisors use milestone data to bring faculty, employers, and alumni into the student journey at the right times.
Far from being replaced, advisors are elevated: less “traffic managers,” more “career strategists.”
|
|
Beyond the algorithm: Navigating career readiness amid disruption and uncertainty
Join Shawn Van Derziel (NACE), Gad Levanon (Burning Glass), and me for a conversation about... you guessed it, AI and career readiness!
Bonus: Use the code SPEAKERGUEST to get a 20% discount on the registration fee.
|
Final thought
Career services has long been a pull model—we wait for students to come.
But today’s environment calls for a push model: interventions that keep students on track, ready, and employable at graduation.
The opportunity isn’t just to help individual students.
It’s to connect leading indicators to lagging indicators—proving, at scale, that career services drives outcomes, equity, and institutional success.
💡Stayed tuned for next week’s edition where I’ll share ways you can test this next semester.
Things you might want to read
Keep on rockin' it,
P.S. Good things are better when shared. Know someone who’d enjoy this newsletter too? Send them the invite here.
