4 Things That Hold Career Services Back from Effectively Serving Underrepresented Populations

There are few complements in the world that make me feel better than hearing from my students or alumni that meeting with me was “very helpful”. Then, there are times that I talk to friends, acquaintances or even colleagues when my heart breaks a little upon hearing, “I wish my career advisor in college was as helpful as you are.” Even worse is the added concern that these friends or family are those who have dropped out of college or gave up on a career goal soon after seeking such guidance.

It’s led me to wonder, what is the industry missing? What is holding my colleagues back from helping more students, alumni, or professionals? In fairness, I don’t blame one failed cry for help as the key factor for making life-long decisions that negatively impact one’s achievement. I do know that while experiencing crisis, an essential piece of knowledge or even a kind word of encouragement to keep pushing can be what someone needs to face challenges with more confidence. So here are the loopholes that I’ve observed are barriers to some career centers or career professionals from proactively impacting underrepresented populations they serve:

Lack of Diversity

Representation matters. When there is too much homogeneity in a place of service it means students don’t feel there is awareness or desire to include others in that space. The lack of diversity is often a clear sign there are unchecked biases present. Students can pick up on these biases intuitively and when something is said or something is not done in the meeting that reflect a lack of cultural competence then it affirms their concerns. Visible diversity reflects access, and access reflects opportunity. Relationships and cultural expectations influence students and alumni to make decisions about their careers that may need processing. If your career services staff doesn’t know how to handle this, or worse, is afraid of it, then your space is not helping to facilitate key milestones in the career development of diverse students and alumni. Take a good look at your hiring practices and your pool of student workers and student leaders, so they balance differences in age, race, ethnicity, religion, language proficiency, and definitely socioeconomic background. Consider mandatory diversity training that engage tangible experiences and foster cultural empathy for its participants.

Career Development is Expensive

Conferences cost money. Professional clothing costs money. Professional memberships cost money.  Submitting applications requires access to the internet. Studies have already shown us that the demographic of students pursuing higher education is changing from a socioeconomic perspective, rather than simply race or ethnicity. Higher education has traditionally served students of socioeconomic privilege from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, and those low-income students who were smaller in number received the support they needed through federal funding that has been depleted within the past 15-20 years. Regrettably, career development culture was often left out of these resources and this trend continues today. It would benefit careers services to be more creative with generating resources for students when it comes to developing their career, so our roles retain relevance and value.  It would help students overcome socioeconomic barriers if more career services start to develop scholarships for conferences or professional memberships, donate professional clothing, or provide a means for students who don’t live on campus to access internet from their homes.

The Timing of Programs

Some students work. Many alumni and non-traditional students have children. Some students attend classes at night. It’s important to be accessible when planning career services programs. It would serve more students and alumni if career service professionals reviewed programming to fit times of student schedules and remote access to programs for alumni. Consider an office YouTube channel where students and alumni can access workshops or events remotely or online at their convenience. Additionally, allow student leadership roles or student employment to meet internship credit, so they do not have to work the additional hours that prohibit attendance. Advocating with other departments on campus that offer these opportunities would also give more students more time to attend more programs during the day or otherwise. Furthermore, consider implementing large scale programs on academic breaks or weekends. It may appear counterintuitive, but sometimes that’s the only time students are freed up from their academics to do “extra” stuff, such as professional development opportunities.

The Traditional Career Model

Career trajectories are not a straight line. We are not boxed persons. A student’s purpose may fit multiple industries, but students often feel forced to choose one career path. They try to incorporate their wide interests through double majoring, adding minors, and sometimes joining student organizations. The reality is they could do all this and still not have the skill development or exposure they need to achieve their long-term goals. Students need more opportunities to reflect on their dreams and meaningful conversations focused on life-design versus “career planning”. Additionally, many want to own businesses or combine seemingly unrelated interests into one career. It’s not always about resumes, job-search websites, and employer relations events when preparing students for life after college.  Many students have big dreams, but don’t have the knowledge or resources to make those dreams tangible. Career services would benefit students more by helping them to craft their career journeys after college, instead of filing them in the assembly line of the world of work.

Even the brightest of students have trouble navigating the higher education system. Making an appointment for careers services or attending an event gets lost in the sea of necessary tasks for student success. Most students make a priority to seek services when they feel they need it. Unfortunately, from the Career Services perspective, I observe this visit is often too late in their junior or senior year to prepare the network and experiences they need to achieve their goals. Career service professionals have trouble reaching the greater population of students at the appropriate time for the most impact. Systemic barriers often make this an even great challenge for underrepresented students and alumni. The tips in this article can help my colleagues strategize creatively about meeting students where they are to make a greater difference in the lives of the diverse students and alumni we serve.