Career Services Research Articles

SNO 2020 diversity survey: defining demographics, racial biases, career success metrics and a path forward for the field of neuro-oncology.

Neuro-oncology has grown tremendously since 2010, marked by increasing society membership, specialized clinical expertise, and new journals. Yet, modest improvement in racial/ethnic diversity amongst clinical trial participants, researchers, and clinicians led us to conduct a survey to identify opportunities to enhance diversity and inclusiveness amongst neuro-oncology professionals. In summer 2020, the Women and Diversity Committee of the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) distributed an anonymous online survey to members and affiliates including the European Association of Neuro-Oncology (EANO), Asian Society for Neuro-Oncology (ASNO), Society for Neuro-Oncology Latin America (SNOLA) and Society for Neuro-Oncology Sub-Saharan Africa (SNOSSA). The survey captured personal and professional characteristics, biases, effective mentorship qualities, career service metrics, and suggested field/society changes. Results were analyzed by geography, profession, age, racial/ethnic, and sexual identity. Standard descriptive statistics characterized the study population. The 386 respondents were predominantly female (58%) with a median age range of 40-49 years (31%), White (65%), and SNO members (97%). Most worked in North America (77%) in a research profession (67%). A majority of White respondents reported never experiencing biases (64%), while the majority of non-White respondents reported unconscious biases/microaggressions, followed by a lack of/limited mentorship. Qualitative assessments showcased that personal/professional success metrics were linked to needed improvements in diversity and inclusion efforts within the neuro-oncology field. The prevalence of racial/ethnic biases and poor mentorship rates amongst underrepresented groups in neuro-oncology is high and potentially linked to the limited diverse representation amongst members and affiliates. These findings warrant a swift implementation of equity and inclusion practices within the neuro-oncology field.

The ‘Mirrored Ceiling’: Young undergraduate student women’s expectations of gendered career opportunities and constraints

ABSTRACT This paper examines young women university students’ expectations of gender inequalities in the workplace, drawing upon semi-structured interviews with 21 young women at three mid-high ranking universities. Our original findings show that the young women were factoring-in expectations of the gendered workplace as a backdrop to their career choices and life-planning. Critically, these young women are relatively privileged and educationally successful, yet are framing their career choices in light of expectations of gendered constraints. We label this phenomenon the ‘mirrored ceiling’, as these expectations are reflected back onto young women’s current experiences and life-mapping. Crucially, these pervasive understandings of gendered workplaces and career trajectories were transpiring at a critical moment when young women are making crucial choices about their careers and life-courses. The specific environment of the university is a pivotal space of formal and informal learning, and the circulation, sharing and (re)production of the mirrored ceiling. This is also a key moment in time and space when career services, and specific industries could intervene in proactive ways to demonstrate how gender inequalities are being challenged. This paper therefore uncovers an important, and previously overlooked factor influencing gendered career pathways, which needs addressing by careers services and broader university practices.

Career Guidance and Counseling Needs in a Developing Country’s Context: A Qualitative Study

Career guidance and counseling (CGC) is vital for smooth career development. Pakistan is a developing country having scarce CGC services; CGC is an emerging field in the country. CGC needs of undergraduates and the services available to them have not been explored extensively through research. This study explored it through 18 semi-structured in-depth interviews with undergraduates using a convenient and snowball sampling strategy. Data were analyzed by thematic analysis. Two main themes emerged, CGC needs of undergraduates and available CGC options for undergraduates, along with 10 subthemes in total. Undergraduates needed self-awareness, direction, decision-making skills, information and guidance, emotional management, job search skills, and practical exposure. Some CGC services like one-to-one sessions, job fairs, career seminars were available but seldom utilized by undergraduates. This study has potential implications for students and career service providers regarding utilization, assessment, planning, and execution of career services in developing countries as well as future research in CGC.

Motivation and decision in choosing civil services as a career of fourth-year students at Chiang Mai University due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 epidemic is affecting the work of people around the world including students who have to graduate and to decide in choosing a civil servant career. The aim of the study: to explore the motivating factors influencing the decision for the 4th year students of Chiang Mai University to enter the civil service during the COVID era. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted among fourth-year students at Chiang Mai University. The sample in this study consisted of 362 people. Multiple regression analysis was used to find a linear equation that expressed the relationship between motivating factors and decision-making. Results: The findings of this research showed that choosing civil services as a career of fourth-year students at Chiang Mai University during the COVID-19 outbreak was high with an average of 3.60. According to hypothesis testing, the factors affecting levels of favorable decision in choosing a civil service career were statistically significant at the 0.05 level in descending order as follows: security, compensation and benefits, values, career path and job characteristics. The influence of personal factors on choosing civil service jobs were not significantly different at the 0.05 level, except the family income factor that influences choosing civil service jobs. Conclusions: It was found that personal factors which consisted of gender, domicile, grade point average and average family income per month affecting different government career choices and factors in motivation in deciding to choose a government career containing job characteristics, compensation factor and welfare factors career advancement factors, security factor and value factors had a negative effect on the level of decision-making on the choice of civil service careers.

LinkedIn Blunders: A Mixed Method Study of College Students’ Profiles

ABSTRACT Although a significant need exists for college students to market their job skills effectively to potential employers, no prior research systematically analyzed the quality of information included in college students’ LinkedIn profiles. This study used a marketing framework to evaluate the effectiveness of information in LinkedIn profiles posted by current and former community college students. The mixed method study analyzed 340 publicly available LinkedIn profiles for students who reported attending 89 community colleges in the United States. The results suggest many college students may not understand how to use a LinkedIn profile to market their skills to potential employers. Key sections were often left blank and profiles failed to communicate students’ unique value proposition. Content analysis revealed 75% of profiles contained an experience section with poor to below average descriptions. Comparative analysis found profiles for unemployed individuals and those seeking a new position were significantly worse than profiles for their employed counterparts. Additionally, LinkedIn profiles for students from large community colleges had significantly more writing errors than profiles for students attending medium-size community colleges. After discussing implications of the research, recommendations based on the study’s results are suggested for career service staff, educators, and students.

Like father, like son: explicating parental influence on adult children’s public sector preference

Research on how parents influence their children’s public sector preference is becoming more plentiful; unfortunately, these studies do not include the analysis of cultural contexts. In this study based in Taiwan, elements of Confucian ideology, which encompass submission to authority and male dominance, are proposed as the main sources of this parental influence. First, parents directly transmit values, such as public service motivation (PSM) as well as security and growth values, to their children and subsequently shape their sector preferences. Second, parents’ opinions and expectations about whether or not their children should consider a public service career in turn affects children’s own public sector preference. Statistical results from the parent–child dyadic data support both value transmission and parental expectation mechanisms. Additional analysis shows that the father’s influence is stronger than that of the mother.

Brief motivational interviewing training for teachers providing career services in Turkey: A pilot study

This mixed-methods pilot study examined the effectiveness of brief motivational interviewing (MI) training on middle school teachers’ efficacy in providing career services to socioeconomically disadvantaged students. Forty-five teachers (55% men) received a six-hour training on the career-development needs of middle school students and MI techniques. Quantitative results indicated a significant effect of training on teachers’ sense of efficacy regarding student engagement. Qualitative data indicated teachers’ increased sense of efficacy in providing career services and their personal and professional development. These results imply that MI can be effective in supporting teachers’ competencies and can motivate students of low socioeconomic status.

Impacts of shortening the length of career guidance: implications for practice, professionalism, service delivery and social justice

ABSTRACT Career guidance appointments in UK Higher Education Careers Services are being made shorter, in an attempt to see increasing numbers of students with the reduced resource. In this research, I explore the impact this is having on practice. Career guidance is found to be effective, but negatively impacted by these time constraints. The shortening of guidance means cutting valuable time for careers practitioners to undertake diagnostic work, which results in students leaving with unmet needs. Students have limited expectations of the service, and are overawed by the guidance they encounter, driving further demand for the service. Implications for practice are discussed relating to the professionalism of career guidance, service delivery and practice, and social justice.

Undergraduate Student Career Development and Career Center Services: Faculty Perspectives

Despite the rise in scope and role of campus career centers and the role of faculty in career advising, faculty perspectives on undergraduate careers have received minimal scholarly attention. We conducted a qualitative study bounded in a medium‐sized R1 institution (i.e., a doctoral university with very high research activity in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions) in the Northeast to examine faculty perspectives on undergraduate career development and undergraduate career services. Eight faculty members participated in semistructured focus groups allowing for in‐depth conversations and analysis. Using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), we identified five principal themes: (a) positive impressions of the career center, (b) barriers to faculty engagement, (c) collective responsibility for students' career development, (d) nonlinear career paths, and (e) student perceptions. Results indicate career centers should engage faculty as a constituent group, describe to faculty how centers help students address broad career questions, and tailor resources for faculty. Future research with larger, more diverse, and multi‐institutional samples of faculty could expand knowledge in this area toward improved synergy between faculty and career centers in promoting student career development.

Online Work Readiness Programme: Ready, Set, Go!

There has always been pressure on higher education institutions to enhance the employability of graduates and to instil knowledge, skills, and attributes that will be beneficial to future employers. The impact of Covid‑19 on a global, national, and local level is placing even more pressure on the topic of employability. Graduates are uncertain about job availability and there is a need for career guidance. After a national and local shutdown of university campuses in 2015 and 2016 due to #FeesMustFall, Career Services staff at the University of the Free State designed and created online work readiness programmes in order for students to continue with work preparations, no matter what the circumstances. In 2018, the first topics on CV‑writing and job interview skills were rolled out online and made available to all registered students; each semester, two additional topics were added. By the time Covid‑19 led to a national lockdown in South Africa in March 2020, the transition to online work readiness programmes was fairly easy. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of the online work readiness programmes offered on the Blackboard platform from April to June 2020 during the Covid‑19 pandemic and national lockdown. This article will provide an analysis of a questionnaire conducted with willing participants who have engaged and worked through the online work readiness programmes from April to June 2020, to investigate the impact on graduates’ readiness for the world of work. Through the survey, students shared their learning experiences and the influence it has had on their career planning. It is believed that the findings of this research study will create a deeper understanding of how career services, as a particular functional area in student affairs, can reposition itself during uncertain times to remain responsive to the needs of students.

Career shift and career services in college

This study aims to determine the relationship between independent competency standards of students with career development, career shift trends, and the relationship between extracurricular activities and student career development in College. This research method uses document studies about the ins and outs of career development in College. I collected documents from the Guidance and Counseling Implementation Guidelines in Formal Education published by the Directorate General of Teachers and Education Personnel of the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2016, publications related to career development, and publications from McKinsey. It analyzed the data using descriptive qualitative analysis. The result of this research is that the standard of self-reliance competence has been optimized integratively by institutions in College through career service activities. These activities are extracurricular, co-curricular, extracurricular cooperation between lecturers. It can carry activities in College to prepare students to face the trend of shifting community careers at the local, national, and global levels.

Predictors of Emotional Distress in Combat Military Flight Engineers.

Exposure to distressing sights (DSs) during combat missions may cause emotional distress. The present study aimed to investigate the association between exposure to DSs involving severe injuries and fatalities during rescue missions and emotional distress, in Israeli Air Force (IAF) helicopter flight engineers (FEs). Cross-sectional design using self-report questionnaires. The independent variables included demographics, personal, and military variables-exposure to DSs throughout a whole career service. The dependent variables included Depression (Beck Depression Inventory); State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD Checklist-PCL-5); Somatization (Patient Health Questionnaire); Maslach Burnout Inventory; and Coping Strategies (The Brief COPE). The variables PTSD, depression, and anxiety were examined twice: once as dichotomous variables according to the pathology cutoff point and again as a continuous variable to reveal the intensity of symptoms. Participants were 106 IAF helicopter FEs (mean age = 39.32, SD = 8.75). Linear regression revealed that initial exposure to distressing battlefield sights (i.e., exposure to severe injuries and fatalities) was a predictor of depression symptoms. Career service FEs aged 31-40 were found to be at the highest risk of emotional distress, with a predictive factor for anxiety symptoms. Use of nonadaptive coping strategies was found to predict depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and post-traumatic stress symptoms. A significant association was found between exposure to DSs involving severe injuries and fatalities during rescue missions and anxiety, depression, somatization, and burnout. This population is generally perceived as tough and resilient, and this study has a unique contribution in identifying its vulnerabilities. Psychological intervention is crucial after participating in such missions.

Employer internship recruiting on college campuses: ‘the right pipeline for our funnel’

ABSTRACT This case study examines the ways in which employers recruit undergraduate students on U.S. college campuses for internship opportunities. More students today are completing internships than ever before, and career services offices on college campuses are increasingly partnering with employers to promote these opportunities. For students, internship experiences build career knowledge and skills and can lead directly to professional opportunities. For employers, internship programmes aid the recruitment and training of future employees. Given the potential relationship between internships and post-graduate opportunities for students, understanding the ways in which employers recruit student interns has important implications for higher education today. To provide a multi-dimensional understanding of the recruitment of college students for internship positions, data were collected from nine employers and 16 career services staff members who interact with internship recruiting processes on college campuses in North Carolina. Six major themes emerged: identifying target institutions and environments, campus connection points, establishing a brand, creeping recruitment timelines, targeting early students, and converting interns to full-time employees.

Using data to make the case for program resources and sustainability: the BEST action inventory case study

Career development programs are a valuable part of any student’s experience, and increasingly is an expected part of graduate school training. While such programs are commonly available to undergraduates, there is a growing need for career support to be offered to graduate students. Making the case for resources can be a challenge in this domain, however. Research on the impact of career services for graduate students and post-doctoral scholars is a growing scholarly concern. However, there remains a need to better understand what level of intervention is most appropriate: What kind of activities, how much time, and what resources would best serve the professional development needs of graduate students and post-doctoral scholars? And to answer these questions, a more foundational one: what activities are drawing the attention of graduate students and post doctoral trainees, and in what activities are they spending their time? In this manuscript, we describe how Our University approached this research question by developing an online data tracking system to capture graduate and post-doctoral trainee participation in one co-curricular professional development program. We demonstrate how this data tracking system can be used to advocate for institutional resources in career development programming, for research, and for practical purposes such as advocating for institutional support and for program design and assessment.

Be SMART: A BAME staff-student partnership to enhance graduate employability

This case study explores ‘Be SMART’, a black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) staff-student collaboration to enhance graduate employability, piloted at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. It provides a novel insight into how students, staff and external organisations working in partnership can successfully engage BAME students in enhancing their employability skills and experiences. Be SMART offered BAME students the opportunity to access mentoring, leadership and professionalism workshops and also flexible paid internships. We explore the impact of Be SMART by means of a questionnaire and a series of semi-structured interviews with participants. Our findings show that participants, who widely reported significant improvements in their self-confidence, acquired a range of professional-level skills from their engagement. They also developed a stronger sense of belonging to the University, enhanced their peer network and were subsequently more likely to engage with the Careers Service. Our case study critically explores the success factors of Be SMART to facilitate wider uptake of BAME-targeted, co-created employability initiatives in United Kingdom higher education.

Pop-Up Book of Profession as a Career Service Media for Elementary School Students

Career awareness is part of the career maturity that a child needs to achieve and needs to be provided at the primary school level. One of the media used by counselors/teachers in delivering career counseling services for elementary school children is Pop-up Book. This research is a type of development research that uses the Research and Development (R&D) technique developed by Borg and Gall until the revision stage of the test results of prospective product users. The research sample was selected using the simple random sampling technique. The research subjects were elementary school students in grade 6. The researcher involved three experts validates to assess the level, relevance, accuracy, readability, and feasibility of the media (material experts, media experts, and elementary school education experts). The instruments used were an assessment scale and a readability questionnaire for trials on elementary students. The data obtained were quantitative and qualitative data and were analyzed by manual counting using formulas. The professional pop-up book as a medium for primary school student career services developed by researchers has fulfilled relevance, accuracy, readability, and feasibility. These media are declared valid and can be used as alternative media to provide career information services for elementary school students. The results of expert testing and testing of prospective product users obtained 80.2 results with very feasible criteria to be applied and used as an alternative media for guidance and counseling services.

Potential no man’s land for the 4th year dental graduate

The Royal College of Surgeons of England stipulates that to hold a substantive specialty or associate specialist (SAS) grade post a person must be a minimum of 4 years post-graduation and have at least 2 years’ experience in their chosen speciality. We have noticed an increasing number of excellent applications for specialty doctor adverts posted by our trust without the necessary 4 years of post-graduate experience. Many of these applicants who do not comply with the RCS stipulations may be forced to take a job outside of their chosen career path. The reasons for this may be multifactorial, but it could have a worrying impact on their own future career and hospital service provision. We looked at the number of SAS grade adverts placed on NHS jobs in the year 2019 and the type of job advertised. We also considered the possible reasons for a rise in the number of applicants for SAS roles in oral surgery and oral and maxillofacial surgery, and what changes, if any, could be made to support this group of clinicians.

COVID-19: How Will Historically Underrepresented Groups Fair in the Job Market?

The inability of college students to traditionally interact with post-secondary personnel might have unintended limitations on career readiness and post-graduation outcomes. Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) persists as a healthcare concern; however, it has and continues to impact various sectors. In higher education, the global pandemic has affected university operations from in-person to virtual based support. However, little is known about the unintended consequences of collegiate support services’ virtual operations, such as career services. This conceptual paper will objectively analyze the potential inequities of the COVID-19 pandemic on job prospects and social capital for students of color. Recommendations for the economic and social factors are discussed. In addition, this paper may contribute to disrupting the overlooked consequences of offering college services remotely.

Taking stock: Employability as an outcome of higher education. Evaluating developments in the German higher education system

AbstractThis article uses the example of Germany to elaborate on the historical development, the current practice, and recent debates on employability. Employability as an outspoken aim of higher education was only established in recent decades due to the introduction of Polytechnics, the expansion of higher education, and the Bologna‐Process. Despite the diversity of the higher education sector (e.g., universities; universities of applied science), the assumption of equality means that degrees from any institution are of equal value according to the level of study. As in other countries, German higher education institutions have established measures to improve employability such as changes in the curricula or the establishment of career services. However, challenges remain to measure the employability and the employability outcome of HE. The article concludes that the identification of specific subject‐related and transferable skills and competences and their transferability to the labour market remains an ongoing task to increase the employability of graduates in Germany.

Career Services

Higher Education AbstractsVolume 56, Issue 2 p. 119-120 CAREER SERVICES Career Services First published: 22 June 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/hea.9_12166Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume56, Issue2April 2021Pages 119-120 RelatedInformation