“What GPA do I need to get a good job?” “What interview questions will employers be asking?” These were just some of the top common career questions that Lina Kloub was facing in her role as an Assistant Research Professor in her CSE 3500 Algorithms & Complexity course. The National Alumni Career Mobility Survey (NACM) reports that 50% of undergraduate students turned to faculty members for career information, making them the most sought-after source of career guidance. This prompted Lina to search for resources across different departments at the university where she found the Career Champions program through the Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills which supports all stakeholders (faculty, staff, alumni, and employers) in helping students Become Career Ready. The value found through this program has helped Lina to embed services and resources that enhance career equity in the classroom.
Her first interactions with the Career Champion program began with participating in our annual Career Everywhere Conference, where she was motivated to support her students through the transition from academia to career. While developing her own career readiness skills through the resources and events provided through the Career Champion program, she felt empowered and confident to answer the abundance of career-related questions that her students had for her.
Translating her newfound knowledge in her work, Lina makes a constant effort to infuse career related topics into her course. Through her own learning of the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) career competencies she recognized that a high GPA was not sufficient enough for her students to secure jobs.
At the beginning of the semester, Lina administers a pre-assessment survey to gauge student’s understanding of the NACE Career Competencies. It revealed that the majority of students were not very familiar with the subject, with 64% reporting no familiarity at all. A smaller portion, 23%, had heard of it but didn’t know much, while only 13% were somewhat familiar, and none were very familiar. By the end of the semester, there was a significant shift in familiarity. The percentage of students who were very familiar with the subject increased to 19%, while those who were somewhat familiar rose sharply to 67%. Meanwhile, the number of students who had only heard of the subject dropped to 8%, and just 6% reported no familiarity at all. This shows a clear increase in students’ understanding and familiarity with the career competencies and highlights the impact of integrating these skills into curriculum and emphasizes the importance of career readings in education.
In an effort to support student development of these career competencies, Lina emphasizes them throughout her syllabus and identifies the specific competencies students apply in each of their assignments. By explicitly stating those competencies for her students, she empowers them to articulate these skills in job interviews, showcasing the abilities employers are seeking. The excerpt below is just one way that Lina incorporates career readiness in her syllabus.
“This course will prepare you to identify and articulate these competencies and skills through content, delivery and assignments. These skills are vital to your success as a student and post-graduation, in charting a meaningful career path by Becoming Career Ready. I encourage you to think about your competency development as you advance through your experiences at UConn.”
Additionally, after each homework assignment, Lina provides students with a set of interview questions related to the specific topic in their assignment. As a result of these efforts, Lina’s students have gained valuable life skills and experiences and have demonstrated an increased understanding, as shown by their responses to the same initial survey. Lina has demonstrated the infusion of career into her course and has seen positive effects. She feels more confident in answering student questions and not only that, but her students have gained career related knowledge that helps them feel confident in their transition to career.
In her short time as a Career Champion, she has built an excellent bridge between academia and career for her students. As she continues with the Career Champion program, she hopes to continue educating herself on career-related topics, taking advantage of the resources available to her. Lina is a remarkable example of how one can not only develop their own career readiness skills but also leverage that expertise to positively impact and support the growth of her students. Her dedication to building a strong foundation in career preparedness, paired with her commitment to guiding others, highlights her exceptional ability to foster success in her students.
