Career Readiness for Faculty and Staff: Introduction to High Impact Career Practices
Each year the University of St. Thomas partners with the Career Leadership Collective to survey our alumni who graduated 5 and 10 years ago to assess their motivations for obtaining a degree, sense of the return on investment for their degree, and assess their career mobility.
From this data, the Career Leadership Collective found that there are 6 High Impact Career Practices that are highly correlated to a higher career mobility as an alum. These practices are not only impactful for students but also for institutions, as they can help close equity gaps and demonstrate the value of a degree. With the support of faculty and staff, students can leverage these practices to achieve their career goals and reach new heights of professional development. Whether you’re a student, faculty member, or administrator, the High Impact Career Practices provide a clear roadmap for success and a bright future for all
In this resource, we will:
- Synthesize information about the six high-impact practices recommended by the Career Leadership Collective
What are High Impact Career Practices (HICP)?
The Career Leadership Collective, a thought-partner and consulting group for colleges and universities globally, researches the career mobility of graduates and what experiences are related to a higher career mobility. Let’s first dig into what we mean by career mobility.
Career Mobility
The High Impact Career Mobility Index™ (CMI) was created from NACM data to provide a more nuanced understanding of alum success beyond salary. Defining career mobility led to a better understanding of the connections between career mobility, return on investment, and the campus practices that influence both. Career mobility is defined as a combination of career pathway preparation, career satisfaction, and economic mobility
- Career Pathway Preparation: Indicates whether respondents feel they have the skills to do quality work and measures educational impact on preparedness prior to starting their career, the beginning of their career, career advancement, and preparedness for current job.
- Career Satisfaction: Indicates whether respondents feel they are happy with their career and measures educational impact on satisfaction with their whole career, which includes progression of career, career so far, current career, sufficiency of salary, and level of responsibility in current job.
- Economic Mobility: Indicates whether respondents are financially stable and satisfied, and measures educational impact on earning history, trajectory, and potential, compared to the household in which they grew up
High Impact Career Practices Related to Career Mobility
There are six High Impact Career Practices were found to significantly impact career mobility and a feeling of a higher return on investment for an alum.
During their time at St. Thomas, students gain an understanding of the connections between their academic work, career pathways following graduation, as well as the values driving their career choices. Students learn how to research multiple career paths and evaluate them for further exploration.
St. Thomas students can synthesize their learning about career opportunities into a career plan which showcases possible career goals and the next steps needed to achieve them. Students learn to track their career-related goals and understand milestones associated with careers and/or industries.
St. Thomas students engage alumni to guide and support their current and future career development. St. Thomas alumni invest their expertise, time and lived experiences to show students the impact of the global Tommie Network and how they can provide that same support for others in the future.
“Hands on” learning provides opportunities for understanding the nature of work within an organization or industry that allows St. Thomas students to apply what they learn in the classroom. Internships, research, and other experiential learning opportunities support students in refining their career goals, targeting their job search, and highlighting the experiences need to be a competitive applicant.
St. Thomas students have access to diverse opportunities beyond the recruiting process to engage with employers in ways that grow their understanding of career paths, work cultures and industries available after graduation while building their professional network.
Trusted members of the St. Thomas community (including faculty, staff, and alumni) provide the time and space to offer students relevant advice and encouragement for the next steps in their career development. As students assess their career options, they have access to relevant resources to support their informed decision-making.
Summary
It’s our goal at the University of St. Thomas to have 100% of students participate in at least one HICP prior to graduation. You play a critical role in developing and implementing these practices by designing and facilitating experiential learning opportunities and incorporating career readiness activities for students in your courses and programming.