Running head: COMPARING CAREER SERVICES1

Comparing Career Services at North Shore Community College and Syracuse University

Shannon Cormier, Chris Jones, & Brian Pember

EDU 719

Comparing Career Services 2

The purpose of this paper is to use the Council for the Advancement of Standards in

Higher Education (CAS) to compare the career services at Syracuse University (SU) in Syracuse,

New York and North Shore Community College (NSCC), in Massachusetts. The CAS standards

and guidelines were developed in order “…to promote the improvement of programs and

services to enhance the quality of student learning and development” (CAS, 2009, p.3). While

the CAS standards were developed as a clear and consistent way to ensure student and

departmental success, not all institutions are required to follow the standards. Staff members

from both SU and NSCC were interviewed in an effort to compare information regarding CAS

compliance, Carnegie Classifications, and other aspects of their respective programs. According

to the Carnegie Classifications, NSCC is a two-year public institution with 7,968 students and

SU is a four-year private institution with 19,638 students (CFAT, 2007). Within this paper, the

CAS standards will be used to carefully examine the differences in the departments’ mission

statements, programs and services, the way the two departments make decisions concerning

ethical considerations, campus and external relations, as well as assessments and evaluations.

I. Mission Statements

According to the CAS standards, the primary mission of career services is to assist

students and other designated clients through all phases of their overall career development.

Every career services department should clearly state their mission statement and include it in the

department’s media material. The mission statement should highlight the importance of serving

their students’ individualized career needs for educational and professional learning. Another

component of the department’s mission should be to assist career focused individuals in a

multitude of disciplines including community service, student employment, research, and

Comparing Career Services 3

internships. The office of career services should provide students with occupational and

educational information regarding job searching skills, resume writing, and effective

interviewing strategies. Ultimately, those who work in career services should be helping the

student develop a greater knowledge of self. They can do this by helping the student develop

specific career choices that correlate with the student’s “competencies, interest, values, and

personal characteristics” (CAS, 2009, 125).

When compared to the CAS Standards, the career services department’s website at NSCC

is poor. The department’s information statement is brief in its explanation of the services

provided for their students. The website should be revised to include more information specific

to CAS Standards. The lack of a cohesive mission statement could leave the student seeking

career development and employment services with a false impression. However, their

department somewhat adheres to the institutional mission statement. For example, the

institutional mission statement explains the importance of career preparation while also taking

into account the surrounding community’s economic needs. However, their career services

department has not been up to date with technological advances, which is stated in NSCC’s

mission statement. At SU, the career services department has created a mission statement that

emphasizes career guidance that is based on students’ individualized needs. Both NSCC’s and

SU’s department mission statement relates to the overall mission statement of their institutions.

However, SU’s mission statement for career services is more detailed and robust than the system

at NSCC. One of the obvious reasons for this is the amount of financial resources made

available and the volume of students serviced every year at SU.

II. Career Service Programs

Comparing Career Services 4

According to CAS standards, career services need to provide students easy access to

career counseling. This includes career exploration, internship and job search services, and

connections to employers and alumni (CAS, 2009). However, in order to create a successful

career services program, each institution needs to provide their career services department with

adequate funding and space for a career center (CAS, 2009). Syracuse University has a securely

funded career center consisting of fifteen professional staff members who make their services

accessible to the undergraduates, graduates, alumni, and employers. However, many career

services departments do not have access to appropriate funding. Gary McGrath (2002) explains,

“Career services operating budgets, like so many areas in higher education, may be inadequate to

provide the kinds of quality services and programs desired” ( p. 73). Unlike SU, NSCC does not

have its own career center. Instead, NSCC career services are delivered through the student

support centers at both campuses, as well as by a placement coordinator at the Lynn campus.

Due to the large volume of students and therefore financial support, SU excels in the areas of

staff numbers and program accessibility. Overall, SU’s career center provides students with a

more functional and resourceful career center compared to the services offered at NSCC, which

suffers due to lack of funding and collaboration within the institution.

A student will often seek out career services when they are unsure about their future

career or the program of study to choose. As Scott Brown (2004) explains, “Career centers are

designed to facilitate a student’s journey from confusion to career self-enlightenment” (p. 375).

Career counselors help students become aware of their own competencies, skills, and values

through self-reflection and assessment tests. At NSCC, the career exploration counselors meet

one on one with students to help establish their future career goals and strategies, which often

includes going over the process of transferring to a traditional four year institution. NSCC

Comparing Career Services 5

career counselors also host career exploration workshops and college success seminars. These

provide the student with career assessment tests, including DISCOVER and Self-Directed

Search. In comparison to NSCC, Syracuse University’s career counseling services provide

similar services, including career exploration advising and assessment tests. However, the

counselors at SU’s career services department have more resources and expertise on internships,

job search strategies, and graduate school planning.

According to the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education,

institutions should encourage students to actively learn and “…make what they learn part of

themselves” (Chickering & Gamson, 1991, p. 66). SU encourages their students to actively learn

by providing access to experiential learning opportunities, such as internships and volunteer

opportunities. Designated internship counselors provide students assistance with searching for an

internship, earning college credits for internship experience, and funding their internship.

Through these internships, SU students are able to “…experience the connection between

classroom learning and work in their career field and enhance their prospects for employment

after graduation” (McGrath, 2002, p. 82). On the other hand, there are no professionally trained

staff members at NSCC who specializes in internships. Rather, several NSCC faculty members

are available to help students acquire field placements because certain programs require students

to participate in an internship program before graduation. Even though some students at NSCC

have access to experiential learning, the majority of students face a lack of services when seeking

employment.

In order to assist students in their effort to secure a desired position, career services must

help students effectively represent themselves (CAS, 2009). In addition, since employers now

review potential candidates through online social networking sites, career counselors should

Comparing Career Services 6

instruct students on how to professionally represent themselves on their online social networking

sites (Schuh et al., 2011). For example, the career placement coordinator at NSCC provides in-

classroom workshops and private sessions for both non-credit and credit students. These

services help students who need to improve their interviewing skills, resume and cover letter,

networking and job search strategies, and tips on how to professionally manage their social

media sites. The NSCC career placement coordinator only meets with an average of fifty

students each month, whereas SU counselors advise many more. Due to the amount of staff

members available at SU, students can either walk-in without an appointment or with an

appointment. In addition, SU offers students the opportunity to do a video-taped mock interview

to improve their interview skills. In comparison to NSCC, SU career services contribute more to

students receiving jobs because of their accessibility.

Career services provide students with a variety of ways to search for jobs. For instance,

the career services department at Syracuse organizes a variety of job search events, such as a

local internship fair, a career expo, an environment fair, and a community connection fair.

According to SU’s placement report, 18% of Syracuse’s 2010 graduating students received jobs

by attending job fairs and by using their career services. These fairs provide opportunities for

Syracuse students to network with prospective employers. According to NACE’s 2007 Career

Service Benchmark Study, a student is more likely to find a job if the student attends on-campus

interviews and career fairs before graduation (Eisner, 2010, p. 31). Unfortunately, NSCC

students do not have the opportunity to attend on-campus interviews or college fairs. Due to the

lack of collaboration within NSCC, fairs and similar events are seldom offered. Instead, the

career placement counselor notifies students about local job fairs open to the community.

Comparing Career Services 7

Due to the advances in technology, career services departments have expanded their

services to include on-line resources. According to the 2007 Career Service Benchmark Study

organized by NACE, majority of the 600 four-year institutions in their study “…reported having

a career services website (98.8%), and an online job posting system to help student or alumni

users identify available jobs (95%)” (Eisner, 2010, p. 31). Syracuse University has an online

database system, called Orange Link, which contains internships and job opportunities available

exclusively to SU students and alumnus. Students and alumnus of SU can also stay connected

through SU’s social media networks, such as LinkedIn and Facebook. In addition, information

on how to interview, write resumes and cover letters, as well as important external links to job

search engines can all be accessed from SU’s website.

On the other hand, NSCC’s career services department has made little technological

advances. Their website provides minimal services to their students, including the staff members

contact information and a few external links relating to job-search engines, careers, and self-

assessment tests. According to Schuh et al., (2011), “Student affairs administrators must come to

understand how students use various forms of popular online technology, such as social

networking sites and instant messaging applications, to interact with others, and then adapt their

practice to include this understanding (p. 523). NSCC’s career center would improve their

services if they incorporated some of the online services Syracuse University provides to their

students.

III. Program Assessment and Evaluation

In order for career services departments to better serve their students, they must assess

and evaluate their programs and student learning outcomes (CAS, 2009). The career services at

Comparing Career Services 8

North Shore Community College are in the process of developing ways to assess their graduates’

success with the services available to them. Currently, the career services survey undergraduates

and alumni by asking them questions regarding their experiences with their services while in

school and after graduation. Although beneficial, this way of assessing NSCC’s career services

may limit their understanding of the success of their programs. In comparison, Syracuse’s career

services office evaluates their service to gain information on what the students learned by using

an online survey system called survey monkey. However, those surveys are only given to

students after large workshops instead of after a one-on-one counseling session. In addition,

SU’s career services produces a yearly assessment on the employment status of their recent

graduates by emailing an online survey. SU’s placement report is available online to the public,

whereas, NSCC’s career services does not post theirs online. In addition, NSCC tracks the total

number of student visits in order to prove how frequent career services are being used and

assesses their services through informal conversations and voluntary student feedback. Students

are asked before and after graduation about their perceived development after utilizing the career

services.

IV. Campus and External Relations

Developing internal and external relationships on and off campus is vital when working

in a department of career services. The relationships formed within the institution among faculty

organizations, committees, and various programs are crucial to the departments overall growth

and success on campus. NSCC career services department works closely with academic program

departments, student support, alumni services, and disability services. However, the lack of

collaboration throughout the institution causes infrequent communication with faculty and staff

members. This can result in miscommunication on services provided by each office. According

Comparing Career Services 9

to McGrath (2002), “For career services staff to be effective in helping students, they need the

cooperation, support, and understanding of campus administrators and faculty” (p. 72). SU has

been successful with collaborating with other departments. For example, they work closely with

the alumnus department since most of their services are available to alumnus as well as current

students. In addition, SU works closely with the academic departments to provide students with

mock interviews within their classes.

The bonds formed off campus are equally as important for the department of career

services because they serve as a major link to the work force. It is essential for career services to

work closely with local employers because “the knowledge and understanding gained from

interaction with employers adds reality and credibility to career services staff when assisting

students with career concerns” (McGrath, 2002, p.74). SU’s career services department has a

designated employee relation coordinator whose purpose is to collaborate with outside

organizations and companies to find employment and educational opportunities for their

students. In addition to the responsibilities of SU’s employee relation coordinator, NSCC’s

placement coordinator has additional responsibilities causing fewer connections to be made than

at SU.

Technological communication has quickly become one of the most important

components of career services and student affairs because it connects all the various

organizations and programs of the school directly to career services. NSCC’s career services

have not created online social networking groups, limiting their students’ ability to communicate

with alumnus or employers. It is likely that a lack of financial resources, man power, or possibly

the lack of knowledge regarding online social media technology has caused this. In contrast, SU

connects students to future career opportunities through their own accounts on Facebook,

Comparing Career Services 10

Twitter, You Tube, and Cuse Connect Alumni Services. When comparing the two school’s

understanding and usage of electronic media, Syracuse University’s career services department is

clearly more advanced when focusing on technology and communication strategies.

V. Ethical Considerations

An institution’s career services program has access to student’s private academic records

as well as other information, which are required to be kept confidential (CAS, 2009). With this

access, it is important for staff members to follow ethical protocol as stated in the CAS

standards. Every staff member must be trained in how to handle ethical dilemmas and

appropriate office etiquette when discussing student information or referring a student to another

office. Both SU and NSCC have similar ethical issues despite the size difference of the

institutions and the programs themselves.

One thing the two programs shared was the issues regarding their interactions with

potential employers and internship programs. For example, employers will sometimes request a

particular type of student, possibly resulting in discrimination. Also, someone in the career

services department could have a particular student they might want to apply for the position.

Because of these possibilities, the departments needs to make clear and consistent decisions

when dealing with these issues to make sure that every student is given the opportunity to apply

to all available jobs. In addition to this, career services departments also need to obey ethical and

legal laws regarding employment discrimination.

Another ethical issue that arises in career services is privacy. Since SU has a larger

office with more employees, the potential for interaction and breaking student confidentiality is

greater, as unethical conversations can sometime occur in staff members’ interactions with each

Comparing Career Services 11

other throughout the day. In addition, their graduate assistant provides career advice to his

classmates, causing a personal conflict for him on many levels. Therefore, it is important for

professional staff members to make sure their students personal information will be kept private

(Venable, 2010). Since NSCC does not have a specific office or large staff the chances of having

those unethical conversations between professionals are smaller.

VI. Professional Staff

Since they have close interactions with students, professional staff members in higher

education must be trained, qualified, and understand office polices (CAS, 2009). Even though

NSCC and SU have different dynamics in their offices, their employees should be held to the

same expectations. Although NSCC’s career exploration advisors have master’s degrees, they

lack a degree specific to the areas of career advising and student affairs. Syracuse is similar in

this aspect because they also do not have anyone with a degree in student affairs. It should also

be noted that there is a lack of consensus regarding career services employees who hold master’s

degrees at SU. The career placement coordinator at NSCC has a bachelor’s degree in psychology

along with 38 years of experience handling job placements, recruiting and sales. The experience

of the Syracuse employees is varied, as the staff does not share a specific background. This is

surprising considering, “Receiving a graduate education in student affairs from a program that

complies with CAS standards at an accredited institution is the best means to prepare for

entrance into student affairs” (Schuh et al., 2011, p. 472). Another similarity between both

offices was the desire to take part in the professional development of students and graduates.

Despite this, neither have the amount of funds to appropriately do so. Therefore, the

professionals at NSCC and Syracuse recognize the importance of staying up to date on current

Comparing Career Services 12

trends by attending professional development activities, program advisory boards, as well as

being aware of relevant information available in the news, social media, and professional

articles.

With different student populations, each career services will need to customize their

service in reaction to the differences in students’ demands. This can be seen in the number of

professional staff members at both offices. Syracuse career services department is staffed by 14

professional staff members and 1 graduate assistant while North Shore has only four staff

members split between the two campuses. In addition, professional training is administered

differently. NSCC’s career counseling training is conducted on an individual basis through

webinars and by utilizing the resources on the National Career Development Association’s

website. In comparison, Syracuse does not train all its members, but rather introduces new staff

members by coaching them through their new positions. In an effort to contribute to the

individual development of staff members, Syracuse has often paid for staff to attend conferences.

Despite this, not everyone in the SU’s career services department receives developmental

opportunities.

VII. Discussion

After reviewing the CAS standards and researching information on the two career

services programs and interviewing staff members from both Syracuse University and North

Shore Community College, it can be seen that neither department follows all of the CAS

standards. This paper attempts to show how difficult it is to create a career service program that

follows the CAS standards exactly. Unexpectedly, multiple similarities were found in the two

departments, despite the differences in the size of each institution. However, North Shore lacks

the funds, facilities, and staffing to provide students the same quality of services Syracuse can

Comparing Career Services 13

provide. The number of connections and available resources Syracuse can use are different due

to the strong interactions with alumni and high standards set by being a large private institution.

Comparing Career Services 14

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