When I graduated College, I was ready to begin working as soon as humanly possible. I was as eager as they come.
I was lucky that I found a job before graduation and I owe everything to the wonderful teachers and career advisors at Purdue University. I needed all the help I could get.
Many students are aware of how their University's Career Services can assist them before graduation, but for some of the top Universities, the support doesn't end there.
Many Universities have organizations set up to help Alumni find their next career path and offer professional development, regardless of when they graduated.
Cindy Hyman, Director of Alumni Career & Professional Development at the University of Denver and Jeff Murphy, Associate Director of Career Programs at Boston University are working together to update University Career Services and Alumni Relations professionals on the latest trends in career development for alumni.
Cindy and Jeff are both active in the Alumni Career Services Network (ACSN) which has its annual conference on July 23rd, 2017 in Boston.
Taken at the 2015 ACSN Conference
Over 100 professionals who work in university career services and alumni relations attend the ACSN conference annually, and one of the core topics of discussion is how to make their existing programs better and what new programs have seen success.
"From a University's standpoint, our work doesn't stop after a student graduates. In many aspects, it's where it begins. Our goal is to prepare our students and alumni for career success no matter when they graduated," says Cindy.
According to Careerbuilder, the 2017 job market is the best it has been in over ten years, which bodes well for graduating seniors entering the real world for the first time.
However, technology is on pace to have a significant impact on the future of the job market. Elon Musk has gone on the record about the future of Artificial Intelligence and believes it will have a significant effect on the economy.
"There will be fewer and fewer jobs that a robot cannot do better," he said. "I want to be clear. These are not things I wish will happen; these are things I think probably will happen."
"We are always looking for different ways to help our students and alumni achieve their career goals. We know that technology has changed the job market significantly, including how students find opportunities in the first place and what skill-sets are needed in the next 3-5 years," says Jeff.
Jeff Murphy speaking at a regional ACSN event.
"It's no longer about updating your resume with the right keywords. It's about positioning alumni for their next career breakthrough. We are very cognizant of the effect of technology, and we plan on making it a core discussion point during the conference."
Although technically Universities are competing against one another, they all share the same goal of helping alumni succeed. There are plenty of online career advancement guides, but students and alumni need a little more personal guidance which the Career Services and Alumni departments can offer.
Cindy Hyman speaking at a professional development event
"We understand that we are all in this together and helping our students and Alumni succeed is our common purpose," says Cindy. I think the biggest reason that attendance at the ACSN conference grows every year is that colleges and universities understand that the traditional model of helping students and Alumni is not always useful. They're looking to understand the latest trends. They want to know what is working and what isn't."
If you’re looking to help students achieve career success, the ACSN conference is your best bet.