How to Know Your College Career Center is Committed to Your Long-term Success

As an experienced career development professional and all-around networking enthusiast, I’ve seen firsthand that not all college career centers are created equal. One of an effective career center’s most crucial functions is to create awareness and build relationships with potential employers. Below are five ways a career center’s employer relations team should work to help students and alumni find professional success while attending college—and long after.

They hit the pavement…

You may not often see the employer relations team on campus. That’s not necessarily a bad thing! An employer relations team should be out doing what they do best—promoting their institution and its accomplished students by connecting with internship coordinators, visiting current interns and alumni and working to make connections with top employers. Just as important as raising awareness about students, an employer relations team should also be vetting employers to ensure an organization can provide a quality internship experience.

They build key relationships…

Building a network of peers is just as beneficial for us as it is for our students. A good employer relations team should establish an outside employer advisory council of top recruiters from all fields in their area and meet with this council regularly to gain insight into the current job market, industry trends and changes to hiring practices.

They extend invites to campus…

Employers truly value the opportunity to visit a college campus and speak with groups of interested students. Last year, Emmanuel’s team helped connect students and alumni to more than 260 employer partners through traditional fairs, a weekly recruiter series, industry events, networking opportunities, on-campus interviews and much more.

They connect students off campus…

In addition to bringing employers to campus, an employer relations team should support student engagement with employers off campus. One of the advantages of attending college in a big city is the number of networking events available to students. In Boston, for example, students benefit from such events as the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accounts (MSCPA) Career and Graduate School Fair, the College Career Center of Boston’s (CCCOB) Government Careers Forum and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Physician Assistant Night. We make the effort to promote these events and are available at the event for student support.

They are always looking to improve…

The employment landscape is ever-changing, as are the in-demand skills employers are seeking. An employer relations team should be seeking constant feedback from its employer partners. Through surveys with stakeholders, our office continues to assess and reconstruct our work, the services offered through our space and the opportunities we promote for students and alumni.