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Research Outline

Prepared for erik M. | Delivered July 26, 2019

Career Services Programs

Goals

To identify promising career services programs from institutions of higher learning outside of the U.S. for use in a presentation that will provide inspiration to career services departments in the U.S. Ideally, these programs would leverage technology and/or behavioral psychology.

Early Findings

Preliminary research indicates there are many international examples of career services programs that could be useful as inspiration for U.S. career services departments. For instance, we were able to identify five universities that have unique programs that help students achieve employment. However, little information was available during our initial searches about how these programs leverage technology or behavioral psychology. We do believe this information may be available with more in depth research.

LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY

  • This university, located in the U.K., was ranged number one for career services on the 2017 Student Barometer survey out of 200 international universities.
  • The department hosts the largest university careers fair in the UK and employers all over country advertise "thousands of opportunities" on the university's "Careers Online" booking system that provides students with online career assistance.
  • Moreover, 94% of first degree graduates from Loughborough obtain employment or go on to additional study opportunities within six months of graduation.

TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH

  • This university ranks eighth on the Times Higher Education Ranking list based on its employability rate.
  • One of its main attractions is its partnerships with "many companies and scientific institutions around the world, such as EAIE, Top Industrial Managers for Europe and more."
  • TUM also has offices and research centers in various other parts of the world, including Africa, America, Asia, and Europe.
  • Its career services department offers support for its graduates for all steps of the career-planning process, from networking and contacts to job searches, to career orientation services.
  • All services are free of charge to students, staff, and alumni of TUM.

HEC PARIS

  • HEC Paris ranks 21st on the Times Higher Education Ranking list based on its employability rate.
  • The career services center for HEC Paris offers 25,000 internships and permanent positions through its career resource center.
  •  Half of all HEC Paris graduates find their jobs through the career services department.
  • The HEC Paris career services center offers 50 recruitment events for students, with recruiters from companies like McKinsey, Amazon, LVMH, BCG, J.P. Morgan, and many other top brands.
  • There are also over 100 clubs students can join for "support and inspiration in open, sharing environments, with opportunities for leadership and entrepreneurship."
  • The school's career development program consists of a "3-step journey of self-questioning, exploration, and achievement [that] is designed to help [students] find internships and positions in line with [their] ambitions, values, and expectations."
  • The alumni network is 60,000 members strong and provide over 7,000 job offers each year.

TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY

  • This university, located in China, ranked third in the world on Forbes' "Best College for Graduate Employment."
  •  Tsinghua's Career Development Center offers career fairs, campus recruiting, individual counseling, career development courses, and peer guidance through two student associations.
  • In 2017, the university achieved an employment rate of 98.4% for its graduates.
  • Of that 98.4%, nearly 60% "found jobs in key employers."
  • The university's employment work focuses on "specialization, refinement, informatization and internalization" and the center guides students in combining their personal career development with state and social needs.

THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY

  • The University of Sydney in Australia is ranked fifth in the world for graduate employability by Top Universities.
  • The school has a 97.9% graduate employment rate.
  • There are more than 350,000 alumni from the University of Sydney in over 170 countries, providing a deep network for graduates.
  • One of its signature events is its Graduate Edge event that occurs annually for a week and is "comprised of interactive workshops with industry leaders at company workplaces."
  • Another program called Interchange focuses on developing "entrepreneurial skills by curating Ted Talk-like events and business mentoring."
  • The University of Sydney also offers graduates its Innovation Hub, which is a "place for University of Sydney students, staff and alumni to work together on creating the best new businesses the world has to offer."