At Hardin-Simmons University, faculty members and advisors play a vital role in student career development. Students often seek your guidance on various matters, including major selection, resume building, and graduate school and professional pursuits. This relationship can continue beyond graduation, as alumni enter the workforce and pursue further education.
In our efforts to support student success, the Career Center cultivates strong relationships with students and faculty members. Recognizing the shared interest in student development, we have created a Faculty Resource Guide that provides valuable information on how our office collaborates with individual faculty members to deliver presentations and advises departments on career development programs for their students. The guide also highlights various ways that faculty members can support students in their career journeys, including career exploration tools, networking resources, and job search strategies.
Career Everywhere
At Hardin-Simmons University, faculty members and advisors play a vital role in student career development. Students often seek your guidance on various matters, including major selection, resume building, and graduate school and professional pursuits. This relationship can continue beyond graduation, as alumni enter the workforce and pursue further education.
In our efforts to support student success, the Career Center cultivates strong relationships with students and faculty members. Recognizing the shared interest in student development, we have created a Faculty Resource Guide that provides valuable information on how our office collaborates with individual faculty members to deliver presentations and advises departments on career development programs for their students. The guide also highlights various ways that faculty members can support students in their career journeys, including career exploration tools, networking resources, and job search strategies.
In the vast landscape of academic pursuits, some majors lead directly to specific career paths, while others open doors to boundless opportunities. But regardless of the subject matter, faculty and staff play a crucial role in helping students develop vital skills for their post-graduation endeavors. That’s why it’s essential for us to guide students in cultivating and articulating these skills.
Through collaborative efforts with career services professionals, employers, and recruitment organizations nationwide, the National Association of Colleges and Employers has identified eight key competencies essential for career readiness. These competencies aren’t just relevant to specific industries—they’re sought after by employers across the board. They include:
Proactively develop oneself and one’s career through continual personal and professional learning, awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities, and networking to build relationships within and without one’s organization.
Sample Behaviors:
Show an awareness of own strengths and areas for development.
Identify areas for continual growth while pursuing and applying feedback.
Develop plans and goals for one’s future career.
Professionally advocate for oneself and others.
Display curiosity; seek out opportunities to learn.
Assume duties or positions that will help one progress professionally.
Establish, maintain, and/or leverage relationships with people who can help one professionally.
Seek and embrace development opportunities.
Voluntarily participate in further education, training, or other events to support one’s career.
Lesson Incorporation:
Schedule guest lectures or panel discussions featuring alumni or industry professionals who can share insights about career paths and opportunities in the field.
Exposing students to industry professionals provides valuable insights into career paths and opportunities, helping students make informed decisions about their future and develop realistic career goals.
Offering resources and support for career-related skills empowers students to take ownership of their career development and equips them with the tools and knowledge needed to succeed in the job market.
Provide opportunities for students to participate in internships, cooperative education programs, or research projects that align with their career interests.
Engaging in experiential learning opportunities such as internships or research projects enables students to gain practical experience, build professional networks, and apply classroom knowledge in real-world settings, enhancing their employability and career readiness.
Clearly and effectively exchange information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with persons inside and outside of an organization.
Sample behaviors:
Understand the importance of and demonstrate verbal, written, and non-verbal/body language, abilities.
Employ active listening, persuasion, and influencing skills.
Communicate in a clear and organized manner so that others can effectively understand.
Frame communication with respect to diversity of learning styles, varied individual communication abilities, and cultural differences.
Ask appropriate questions for specific information from supervisors, specialists, and others.
Promptly inform relevant others when needing guidance with assigned tasks.
Lesson Incorporation:
Have students deliver short presentations on assigned topics during class sessions.
Public speaking opportunities help students build confidence and clarity in conveying their ideas verbally, essential skills for professional communication.
Assign regular writing assignments such as essays or reflections on course materials.
Regular writing assignments promote clarity of thought and expression, as well as the ability to organize ideas coherently and communicate effectively with different audiences.
Include peer review sessions where students provide constructive feedback on each other’s written work or presentations.
Providing and receiving feedback from peers cultivates an awareness of audience expectations and strengthens students’ ability to revise and improve their communication skills.
Identify and respond to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.
Sample behaviors:
Make decisions and solve problems using sound, inclusive reasoning and judgment.
Gather and analyze information from a diverse set of sources and individuals to fully understand a problem.
Proactively anticipate needs and prioritize action steps.
Accurately summarize and interpret data with an awareness of personal biases that may impact outcomes.
Effectively communicate actions and rationale, recognizing the diverse perspectives and lived experiences of stakeholders.
Multi-task well in a fast-paced environment.
Lesson Incorporation:
Assign weekly critical thinking exercises where students analyze a given scenario and propose solutions.
Regular practice fosters the development of critical thinking skills by challenging students to analyze situations from different angles and propose creative solutions.
Incorporate problem-solving activities into lectures or labs, allowing students to work in pairs or small groups to find solutions.
Hands-on problem-solving activities provide immediate feedback and encourage active engagement, helping students refine their critical thinking skills in real time.
Require a final project where students must identify and solve a real-world problem relevant to their field of study.
Applying critical thinking skills to a real-world problem allows students to demonstrate their ability to synthesize information, evaluate options, and develop innovative solutions, preparing them for future challenges in their field.
Demonstrate the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage and include people from different local and global cultures. Engage in anti-racist practices that actively challenge the systems, structures, and policies of racism.
Sample Behaviors:
Solicit and use feedback from multiple cultural perspectives to make inclusive and equity-minded decisions.
Actively contribute to inclusive and equitable practices that influence individual and systemic change.
Advocate for inclusion, equitable practices, justice, and empowerment for historically marginalized communities.
Seek global cross-cultural interactions and experiences that enhance one’s understanding of people from different demographic groups and that leads to personal growth.
Keep an open mind to diverse ideas and new ways of thinking.
Identify resources and eliminate barriers resulting from individual and systemic racism, inequities, and biases.
Demonstrate flexibility by adapting to diverse environments.
Address systems of privilege that limit opportunities for members of historically marginalized communities.
Lesson Incorporation:
Incorporate readings, videos, or guest lectures that highlight diverse perspectives on course topics.
Exposure to diverse viewpoints fosters critical thinking and empathy, expanding students’ understanding of complex global issues and preparing them to collaborate and communicate effectively in multicultural environments.
Assign reflective journal entries where students explore how their own cultural background influences their worldview.
Reflecting on their own cultural identities encourages students to develop cultural humility and sensitivity, essential for building meaningful cross-cultural relationships and navigating diverse workplaces.
Organize cultural exchange events or international student showcases where students can learn about different cultures and traditions.
Participating in cultural exchange activities promotes intercultural communication and appreciation, enriching students’ personal and professional experiences and preparing them to thrive in a globalized society.
Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.
Sample Behaviors:
Inspire, persuade, and motivate self and others under a shared vision.
Seek out and leverage diverse resources and feedback from others to inform direction.
Use innovative thinking to go beyond traditional methods.
Serve as a role model to others by approaching tasks with confidence and a positive attitude.
Motivate and inspire others by encouraging them and by building mutual trust.
Plan, initiate, manage, complete and evaluate projects.
Lesson Incorporation:
Encourage students to take turns leading class discussions or group activities.
Rotating leadership roles empower students to practice and develop leadership skills in a supportive learning environment, fostering confidence and self-awareness.
Assign group projects where students rotate leadership roles throughout the semester.
Sharing leadership responsibilities within a team encourages collaboration and distributed leadership, allowing each team member to contribute their strengths and expertise to achieve common goals.
Provide opportunities for students to organize and lead extracurricular events or initiatives related to the course topic.
Engaging in leadership opportunities outside the classroom enables students to apply and refine their leadership skills in diverse contexts, enhancing their capacity to inspire and influence others.
Knowing work environments differ greatly, understand and demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of the larger community and workplace.
Sample Behaviors:
Act equitably with integrity and accountability to self, others, and the organization.
Maintain a positive personal brand in alignment with organization and personal career values.
Be present and prepared.
Demonstrate dependability (e.g., report consistently for work or meetings).
Prioritize and complete tasks to accomplish organizational goals.
Consistently meet or exceed goals and expectations.
Have an attention to detail, resulting in few if any errors in their work.
Show a high level of dedication toward doing a good job.
Lesson Incorporation:
Emphasize the importance of punctuality, active participation, and respectful behavior during class sessions.
Establishing clear expectations for professional conduct sets a standard for behavior that prepares students for professional settings and fosters a culture of mutual respect and accountability.
Set expectations for professional communication in written assignments and email correspondence with instructors.
Examining ethical dilemmas helps students develop a sense of ethical responsibility and integrity, essential attributes for ethical leadership and decision-making in their future careers.
Integrate case studies or role-playing scenarios that require students to navigate ethical dilemmas relevant to their field.
Analyzing real-world scenarios enables students to apply ethical principles and reflect on the consequences of their actions, preparing them to navigate complex ethical issues in their professional lives.
Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.
Sample Behaviors:
Listen carefully to others, taking time to understand and ask appropriate questions without interrupting.
Effectively manage conflict, interact with and respect diverse personalities, and meet ambiguity with resilience.
Be accountable for individual and team responsibilities and deliverables.
Employ personal strengths, knowledge, and talents to complement those of others.
Exercise the ability to compromise and be agile.
Collaborate with others to achieve common goals.
Build strong, positive working relationships with supervisor and team members/coworkers.
Lesson Incorporation:
Structure group projects that require collaboration and peer interaction to accomplish specific tasks or assignments.
Collaborative projects simulate real-world team environments, where students learn to communicate, delegate tasks, and resolve conflicts effectively while working towards a common goal.
Introduce icebreaker activities at the beginning of the semester to help students get to know their classmates and build rapport.
Building relationships and trust among team members fosters a supportive and productive group dynamic, essential for successful collaboration.
Provide guidelines and rubrics for assessing individual and group contributions to collaborative assignments.
Clear criteria for evaluating individual and group contributions ensure accountability and fairness, motivating students to actively participate and contribute to group success.
Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.
Sample Behaviors:
Navigate change and be open to learning new technologies.
Use technology to improve efficiency and productivity of their work.
Identify appropriate technology for completing specific tasks.
Manage technology to integrate information to support relevant, effective, and timely decision-making.
Quickly adapt to new or unfamiliar technologies.
Manipulate information, construct ideas, and use technology to achieve strategic goals.
Lesson Incorporation:
Require students to use online research databases or academic search engines to find scholarly articles for course assignments.
Utilizing digital resources enhances students’ information literacy skills, empowering them to find, evaluate, and use scholarly sources effectively to support their academic work.
Integrate digital tools such as presentation software, collaborative document editors, or online polling platforms into classroom activities.
Incorporating digital tools into coursework not only exposes students to technology relevant to their field but also promotes digital fluency and adaptability, essential for success in a technology-driven world.
Offer optional workshops or tutorials on software applications relevant to the course subject matter.
Optional workshops provide students with additional support and guidance to develop their digital skills, catering to different learning styles and levels of proficiency.
Instructors consistently impart career competency skills. Research conducted at the University of Waterloo suggests that students require additional assistance in expressing these skills to link them effectively with future prospects such as research, internships, graduate school, and employment. The objective is for students to:
Identify and define competencies.
Engage in practice and reflection to enhance their competencies.
Apply these competencies across various scenarios.
Incorporating the direct identification of these competencies into course syllabi and aligning them with assignments aids students in recognizing and utilizing these skills with greater intention and clarity. Consequently, students are better equipped to showcase these abilities to prospective employers when pursuing career pathways.
For more information on ways to incorporate these core career-readiness competencies into your daily lessons, please visit:
Partner with alumni and/or employers to network with your students or consider developing a project-based learning opportunity for your class or student group. The Career Services team can support you in developing these local relationships.
Want to become a Career Everywhere Champion, but you don’t know where to start?
Career development conversations are a ubiquitous aspect of academic life across campus. As faculty members, you often serve as trusted advisors for students, providing guidance on a range of topics, including career-related inquiries. Moreover, many of you intentionally incorporate career development materials into your courses to enhance student learning and preparation. To support your efforts, we have developed a suite of career-focused assignments that can be easily integrated into your curricula. We invite you to select and customize these materials to align with your teaching goals and objectives. If you would like to collaborate with our team to design customized lessons, activities, or assignments tailored to your specific course or student cohort, please do not hesitate to contact us careerservices@hsutx.edu.
Find a position you are interested in and utilize Skills First to complete a resume and cover letter. Contact the Career Center to have your documents reviewed. Turn in your initial draft, review feedback, and an updated copy of your resume and cover letter.
Using the Interview Guide select an interview outfit from your current wardrobe and try it on. Students could be asked to wear their outfit to class, submit a photo of their outfit or write a brief description of their outfit.
Write draft answers to common interview questions or questions commonly asked in your field (The Career Center maintains a comprehensive list of common interview questions by industry).
Write a list of five possible questions to ask at the end of an interview with an explanation of why those questions are important to you.
Complete a mock interview with the Career Center staff
Complete a practice interview through Skills First
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