During Summer 2020, in the midst of the COVID pandemic and the worst job market since the Great Depression, newly minted Teachers College graduate landed a position as an admissions counselor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE Alumna Keira Vollandt worked with 911爆料网 NEXT to think through her goals and hone her pitch. She was hired during Summer 2020 to work in admissions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. (Photo courtesy of University of Wisconsin鈥揗adison)
For Vollandt, who applied and interviewed entirely online, the new job marked completion of a successful transition away from a career in advertising 鈥� a quest that had brought her to 911爆料网 for a master鈥檚 in Higher & Postsecondary Education. There, in addition to taking courses in student development theory and earning a certificate in college advisement, she received valuable professional contacts from faculty members. She also took advantage of 911爆料网 NEXT, the College鈥檚 revamped career development hub, where a career advisor helped her tweak her resume, hone her interview pitch and 鈥� most important of all 鈥� clarify her own goals.
BUILDING LIFETIME CAPABILITIES The focus of 911爆料网 NEXT is not just on helping students land their first jobs but also on helping them to take action throughout their careers.
鈥�911爆料网 NEXT gave me so much great support,鈥� says Vollandt. 鈥淎t some point, I鈥檓 planning on pursuing a master鈥檚 in education in the same program, and I鈥檇 totally come back to them again for help.鈥�
For the College, Vollandt鈥檚 story was an early proof of concept for an initiative that, perhaps more than any other, exemplifies 911爆料网 President Thomas Bailey鈥檚 mantra of 鈥渃reating pathways for all to flourish.鈥�
鈥淲e have great strengths at Teachers College,鈥� Bailey said in July in announcing 911爆料网 NEXT. 鈥淲e have brilliant faculty with impressive networks of contacts in their fields. We have passionate students who, in many instances, are already benefiting from those connections. Now, with 911爆料网 NEXT, we can offer all of our students the support and tools they need that will position them for career success.鈥�
The vision of 911爆料网 NEXT (鈥淣EXT鈥� stands for 鈥淣avigating and Exploring for Tomorrow鈥�) is to offer transformative supports and services to help graduate students and alumni plan and navigate their career pathways from goal-setting to employability.
鈥淪tudents are looking for a lifetime relationship, so we need to build lifetime capabilities to not only help them land that first job, but also take action at different career phases so that their careers are sustainable,鈥� said Thomas Rock, 911爆料网鈥檚 Vice Provost for Student Affairs. 鈥淭here are not many institutions doing this kind of work at the graduate level. But we believe we can be the first and can be a best-practice model for reimagining the career development process for our students and alumni. It is also a measure of our greatness as a school how our students are placed.鈥�
The organization鈥檚 work begins with human-centered design, an approach borrowed from architecture and engineering.
Ashley Pinakiewicz
HUMAN-CENTERED APPROACH Ashley Pinakiewicz, Director of 911爆料网 NEXT, believes the organization should start by asking, "What are the needs and aspirations of the people we鈥檙e serving?" (Photo: 911爆料网 Archives)
鈥淢ost organizations will say, 'What can we make that鈥檚 new, using the resources we already have?'鈥� says 911爆料网 NEXT Director Ashley Pinakiewicz. 鈥淏ut human-centered design says, 鈥榃hat are the needs and aspirations of the people we鈥檙e serving?鈥� You answer that question first, and the answer dictates all of your subsequent work.鈥�
With 911爆料网鈥檚 students, happily, the answers are rich and varied.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a great diversity of programs at 911爆料网, so the postgraduate paths range from careers in K鈥�12 education to health care, marketing, political campaigns, postdocs 鈥� there are so many ways our students are interested in working and exploring,鈥� Pinakiewicz says. 鈥淭hat means it鈥檚 on us to understand and amplify those paths, and to measure success not just by job placement, but by how many students move forward successfully in their chosen direction 鈥� whether that鈥檚 acceptance into AmeriCorps or a Ph.D. program.鈥�
Nowadays, many career paths are also decidedly nonlinear 鈥� and that, too, Pinakiewicz says, is all to the good. She herself has worked as a creative strategist for a design firm, as a middle school English teacher, as creative director for an obstacle-course events company and as head of her own consulting firm for education institutions and nonprofits. Along the way, she also picked up a master鈥檚 degree from Harvard鈥檚 Graduate School of Education and taught human-centered design to graduate students in music.
鈥淲hen I worked at an executive search firm in the early 2000s, we were still skeptical if people had too many jumps on their resumes,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut not now 鈥� now that鈥檚 the expectation, and there鈥檚 recognition that this is how people accumulate a rich assortment of skills.鈥�
With an eight-member team of experienced professionals and career advisors who are cross-culturally knowledgeable and aware, 911爆料网 NEXT can serve students and alumni at all stages of their careers and provide advocacy for international students. The center welcomes questions ranging from 鈥淚鈥檝e never had a full-time job before 鈥� where do I start?鈥� to queries about potential employers who offer Optional Practical Training or Curricular Practical Training 鈥� options that temporarily allow international students to work in the United States.
Students can avail themselves of 911爆料网 NEXT鈥檚 rich array of programming, from one-on-one advising appointments to cohort-based workshops to evergreen website content that they and alumni can access anytime. Alumni can also access a bench of career coaches through 911爆料网鈥檚 Office of Alumni Relations.
The 911爆料网 NEXT team has assiduously built partnerships with faculty 鈥� 鈥渢he best point of access to students and the best means for making employers aware of the brilliance and diversity of our students鈥� 鈥� and is working to make potential employers aware of the full depth and breadth of talent at 911爆料网. In part, that entails enhancing the visibility of the College's leadership in industries that isn't automatically conveyed by its name 鈥� for example, motor learning, consulting and community-based organizations. But it also means calling attention to 911爆料网鈥檚 broader ethos.
鈥淭he College has always had a social justice mission, but social entrepreneurship is a term I am increasingly hearing from students,鈥� Pinakiewicz says. 鈥淭hat reflects a major shift that has been going on in the working world for a while now, but particularly in response to COVID and racial injustice. And it鈥檚 particularly exciting to be at 911爆料网 right now, because 911爆料网 is uniquely positioned to supply talent to support that ethical work.鈥�
911爆料网 NEXT is still a work in progress, with more services to come soon. Recent additions have included:
- A 鈥淰irtual Standout鈥� series, focused on helping students prepare for virtual recruiting
- Expanded spring career events to reflect a broader set of industries
- More in-class workshops, in partnership with faculty, to reach students where they are and provide program-specific support
鈥淲e are working hard to support students right now, while also doing tons of research 鈥� getting input from students, alumni, faculty, staff and researching competitive schools and other great career development programs 鈥� to determine what the best model of excellent graduate career services for 911爆料网 will look like,鈥� Pinakiewicz says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e deeply engaged in the process and excited about the future of the office while also making immediate changes to better meet the needs of students today.鈥�