The Importance of Integrating Career Readiness into Coursework
Did You Know?
- 90% of Fordham students participate in at least one internship
- Students with three or more internships are twice as likely to receive job offers compared to those with only one
- The Career Center provides access to hundreds of job and internship opportunities to help students prepare for successful careers
Adding Career Readiness to Your Syllabi
At Fordham University, students not only gain course-specific knowledge but also develop essential skills that will contribute to their success after graduation. By integrating career competencies into your courses, you can help students identify the specific learning outcomes they are achieving, as well as the skills they can showcase within their field. Clearly, highlighting these skills throughout your course will support students in articulating their development to potential employers, graduate programs, and other opportunities within or beyond the university.
More than likely, your current courses will help students develop many of these skills. If your class involves any of the below elements, there are NACE skills that will be correlated.
Group work: Communication, Critical Thinking, Equity & Inclusion, Leadership, Professionalism, Teamwork
Class discussions: Communication, Critical Thinking, Equity & Inclusion
Presentations: Communication, Critical Thinking, Equity & Inclusion, Leadership, Professionalism, Teamwork, Career & Self Development
Writing Assignments: Communication, Critical Thinking, Technology (research)
There are several ways to incorporate career competencies into your syllabi. See the examples below for possible approaches:
Listed Within a Course Objective
Example: Communication Course
Objective: Analyze the role of media in shaping public perception and communication strategies in corporate and public settings.
Career Competency: Career & Self-Development
Example: Psychology Course
By the end of the semester, students should be able to:
Identify key psychological theories and understand their application to real-world settings such as therapy, education, and workplace environments.
Career Competencies: Critical Thinking, Career & Self-Development
Explain how human behavior and mental processes are influenced by factors such as culture, environment, and biology.
Career Competency: Critical Thinking
Conduct analyses of psychological concepts across various domains, including cognition, development, and social psychology.
Listed Within a Project or Assignment Prompt
Art History Course
Objective: Analyze how race, gender, class, sexuality, region, and nation have influenced artistic movements and the creation of art throughout history.
For this assignment, you will work in teams to develop a proposal for a virtual exhibit at a contemporary art museum on a topic of your choice. The exhibit should address a modern issue related to identity, experience, or history through the lens of art and must include at least 10 works of art or artifacts. Your proposal should follow the ethical guidelines of museum curation and representation, and students will need to seek feedback from at least three sources. Individually, you will also submit a reflection on the process of completing this project.
General Syllabus Language
Throughout your time at Fordham, identifying and articulating the NACE career competencies, technical skills, and transferable skills you acquire in your coursework will be crucial to your career readiness and post-graduation success. In this course, you will have opportunities to build and enhance the skills and competencies employers and graduate programs are seeking. Through assignments and discussions, students will develop the ability to identify and communicate these skills when applying for internships, jobs, leadership roles, graduate school, and more.
Adaptive Syllabus Language
In collaboration with Fordham's Career Center, you will be able to identify and articulate the NACE career competencies, technical skills, and transferable skills you are developing in this course. These competencies are critical for career readiness and success as a student and post-graduation. This course will offer opportunities to enhance transferable and technical skills, such as initiative and time management, alongside technical skills like Adobe Photoshop and MATLAB. Additionally, you will gain and refine career competencies, including communication and critical thinking, all of which are sought by employers and graduate programs. These skills will be cultivated through assignments and class discussions and will help students apply for leadership roles, internships, jobs, graduate school, and fellowships.
Competency Mapping
For assistance in aligning your course learning objectives, assignments, activities, and assessments with career competencies, contact Cheretta Robson at [email protected] to schedule a meeting.
These examples and sources were from resources from the University of Connecticut.
Resume: Using the Fordham Career Center Guide to Resume Writing, students create or update a resume draft. They should then bring this draft to the Career Center for a scheduled appointment or walk-in consultation. Afterward, students will submit the final draft to the instructor. Some instructors may request students to have their draft stamped by the Career Center staff member as proof of their visit.
Interview Preparation: Students learn and practice interview techniques with the Career Center, scheduled as a 45-minute appointment. A brief summary or reflection of their interview experience is a recommended way to grade this assignment.
Participation in a Career-Related Event: Throughout the year, various career-related events are held, including Career Center Kickoffs, Professional Development, Information Sessions, Employer SIte VIsits, Alumni Panels, and Career Fairs. s. A brief summary or reflection of their experience or a photo of themselves at the event is a recommended way to grade this assignment.
Career Counseling Appointment: This is an excellent option for a diverse student group. Students can schedule an appointment with a Career Center staff member to discuss various career-related topics, such as:
- Resumes and Cover Letters
- Job or Internship Search Strategies
- Career Options and Opportunities related to their interests and skills
- Mock Interviews or Interview Preparation
A brief summary or reflection of their counseling session or a related document (e.g., resume) is a recommended way to grade this assignment.