As discussed in the previous section, institutions must prioritize career services. Institutions that do can create high-quality career development systems that reinforce this ever-changing support service. This section will examine two common career service structures within institutions and a framework to help understand the necessary pillars for transforming such systems.

Centralized and decentralized career services offices are two common structures found in institutions. Centralized career offices are most common in the United States. However, decentralized career service offices are most common in research institutions. Understanding how centralized and decentralized career services offices support institution success and the overall value and benefit of career support offered is essential. Find more information about each structure below. 

A centralized career service structure entails one central career service office for the entire university. A centralized career service office will house all career service resources and professionals from all colleges and departments within the university. A significant advantage to a central office is consolidated staff and budget, which leads to optimal integration of services and less overlap. Main career service offices are most common in smaller or specialized institutions. 

A decentralized career service structure entails universities' career offices within individual college departments. A decentralized system has many benefits that "include the ability to provide employers with a customized recruiting experience that focuses on specific types of candidates in particular academic programs within a single college, and the ability to focus efforts and resources on specific types of students and employers" (Career Services Offices: Office Structure and Organizational Division, 2016). 

The five pillars discussed in the section requires fully engaged institutions aiming for high-quality career services offices. These pillars are deemed solutions to gaining momentum in career readiness priority. 

Pillar 1: Prioritizing Career Planning

• Career and academic planning should begin no later than middle school. Beginning career development activities at a young age improves post-secondary readiness. To do this, students should to develop and maintain a career and academic plan that aligns with career and life goals. 

Pillar 2: Providing Professional Career Advising 

• Professionals should oversee career advising within institutions. This will require credentialed career advisers and licensed counselors. These professionals must have specific career-development knowledge and skill to ensure high-quality career development. 

Pillar 3: Emphasizing Applied and Work-Based Learning

• Experiential learning opportunities is critical to career development, readiness, and success. Institutions should offer a variety of opportunities that include job shadowing, internships, apprenticeships, fellowships, etc. 

Pillar 4: Providing High-Quality Career Development Technology 

• Providing baseline level technology to students, educators, and career service professionals is important to high-quality career services. Technology helps students develop their career and education plans which essential to their success. 

Pillar 5: Ensuring Accountability

• It is critical that all students have access to high-quality career services and pathway programs. The ensure students this access precise implementation of such services and programs must proceed. Measures of accountability are placed upon government officials through funding incentives based on post-secondary outcomes. These outcomes can include job placement and graduation rates. 

A university's Career Management System (CMS) is essential to offering career support. A CMS helps students with employment by providing individual career development resources such as interview preparation, internship evaluations, job postings, and outcome tracking. Tracking student outcomes help universities actively evaluate career support metrics and student outcomes beyond college. This section highlights highly used CMSs within universities that offer career services. 

Handshake: Click here to read about Handshake's CMS services.

Overview of services offered:

• Appointments, advising, and peer learning 

• Events and fairs 

• Career services workflows

• Employer relations

• Student experience 

• Reporting and data analytics: Outcome tracking

• Information technology 

Simplicity: Click here to read about Simplicity's CMS services. 

Overview of services offered:

• Student CRM 

• Recruiting Toolkit 

• Appointment Scheduling 

• Pathways

• Advanced metrics and outcome reporting 

uConnect: Click here to read about uConnect's CMS services. 

Overview of services offered: 

• Brand control: digital presence 

• Integrate career tools with career resources

• Curated recommendations that impact career resources 

• Measurement tools and data analytics 

12twenty: Click here to read about 12twenty's CMS services. 

Overview of services offered:

• Student career and services platform 

• Student outcomes and data analytics 

• Employer relations management 

Case Study: This short reading offers insight into how Florida State University utilizes their centralized career service office to connect departments and their students to career service resources. Best Practices for Shaping Centralized Career Services in Higher Education

Further Reading: Evolution of Career Services in Higher Education

N.D. (2019). Career Readiness For All. Coalition for Career Development. P. 5. https://www.ccd-center.org/post/2019-career-readiness-for-all-white-paper. 

N.A. (2016). Career Services Offices: Office Structure and Organizational Division. https://www.naceweb.org/career-development/organizational-structure/career-services-offices-office-structure-and-organizational-division/).