Introduction

Career Development Center

Connections through community: Engaging students in the career conversation
Sheetal Patel: Assistant Director of Branding and Digital Career Communities | Maria Posa: Branding Student Assistant
The nature and
role of career
centers is
changing
immensely
within the public
conversation of
the worth of
higher
education.

Research Questions
Where does the job search fit into a
Stanford students life?

How do students view the words
Connections and Community? These
are key words in the new career model.

What awareness levels do students have
of having an assigned career counselor
(an aspect of the new connections
career center model that focuses on
communities)?

Conclusion
! FIT: Career exploration and search should
not just be a part of external and
administrative ofices. First career
destination is an important outcome for
most students. Programs should be woven
into not only Student Afairs eforts but also
course curriculum, so that students feel as
though this outcome fits in their college
career and does not, instead, raise anxiety.
! COMMUNITY is an important and trusted
word. It has several qualities that the CDC
will need to address to create long-lasting
trusted communities. Connections
induces negative schema that need to be
avoided to create trusted communities.

! BRAND ATTRIBUTE: Increased awareness of
an assigned career counselor has
generated positive feedback from students.
It is a way of creating trusted relationships.
This can further the creation of connections
and community. Branding and marketing
materials should emphasize these career
model attributes.

! Stanfords Career Development Center is
undergoing significant transformation to
address these changes by emphasizing
Connections through Community.
! The primary goal of this research was to
assess how students view career
exploration and preparation, as the
career center adopts a new model of
creating connections.
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[The job search] doesnt fit
with my Stanford life.

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Baseline
Dec. 13
Mar. 14
Everyone else is looking for
something, and there is
competition and pressure.
It feels like the world is
working against us.
It does reassure you that you will
find [a job] when someone else got
one, but it also makes me feel more
nervous.
!"%
Results
Positive Schema