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 with all of this information.
You can’t fix everything. You can’t take on every challenge.
Bonus points for creativity, but um.... really?
But you can use what you’ve learned to create a clear, strategic vision that gets buy-in across campus and moves career services forward.
In this edition, we will focus on drafting a vision, vetting it with key stakeholders, and refining it before moving forward.
Step 3: Connect career services to campus needs
It’s time to shift from what you learned to where you can make the biggest difference.
Key questions to ask yourself:
What are the most pressing student needs, how is career services already supporting them, and what might need to change?
Where are the gaps in faculty collaboration, and how can career services step in with the right support?
How can career services make employer engagement more seamless and valuable for both students and recruiters?
What opportunities exist to align career development with institutional and college-level goals in ways leadership will champion?
Prioritize what matters most
Look at your findings and narrow them down to three to five key areas where career services can make the greatest impact.
For example:
Enhancing early student engagement → A first-year career readiness initiative
Building employer relationships → Industry-specific partnerships that drive better student placement
Faculty collaboration → Career integration in general education courses
Institutional alignment → Embedding career services into the university’s student success efforts
🎯 The goal? Focus on what will move the needle—not just what sounds good in a report.
Step 4: Draft & vet your vision (3–5 pages)
Your vision should outline:
The future you’re building
The big priorities for change
How you’ll get there (Think high level! No sausage making!)
How success will be measured
Vet & strengthen your vision
Before rolling it out, test it. Share it with key allies, skeptics, and institutional leaders. Gather targeted feedback and refine your strategy.
Pro tip: If you hear “This sounds great, but we’d never be able to do that here,” make sure you ask to learn more.
What is the resistance? Hint: it might be sitting underneath the words your colleague is sharing.
Depending on what you learn, you may need to adjust your approach or find ways to make your vision feel more achievable.
Final Thoughts
This process takes time. Conducting a landscape analysis, gathering insights, making strategic decisions, and vetting your vision isn’t something you’ll knock out in a week.
But here’s why it’s worth it: You’re setting yourself up for long-term success.
Instead of constantly justifying your role, fighting for visibility, or scrambling for support when you need resources, you’ll have real buy-in across campus.
People will see career services as essential—not because you told them, but because you took the time to align your work with what they already care about.
And that saves you a massive amount of time later.
Yes, indeed!
When faculty proactively integrate career into their courses, when leadership backs career initiatives without hesitation, when employers see the value in long-term partnerships—that’s the result of this work.
So, take the time now. Set the foundation, build momentum, and position career services as a true institutional priority.
