Integrating career readiness into your courses

Earlier this year, I wrote an article for the Psych Learning Curve on how faculty and academic departments can prepare undergrads for the world of work (e.g., collaborating with campus career services, etc.). I also made the case for why faculty should go through the effort. In this follow-up article, I want to focus specifically on how faculty can integrate career readiness into their respective courses.

The syllabus

Whether or not students actually read the syllabus is a topic for another article. One thing is certain, the syllabus is a crucial document outlining course expectations among other important information. Therefore if you want to integrate career readiness into your courses, your syllabus is the place to start. In addition to having learning objectives on your syllabi, consider including a skill objective. The purpose of a skill objective is to highlight which skills students will acquire as part of the course. Keep in mind that the skills students learn in their courses and the skills employers seek are not mutually exclusive! Many, if not most, are easily transferable from one context to the other.

As you will see below, the career readiness competencies identified by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) are skills students are most likely already acquiring in your courses.

1. Critical Thinking/Problem Solving
2. Oral/Written Communications
3. Teamwork/Collaboration
4. Information Technology Application
5. Leadership
6. Professionalism/Work Ethic
7. Career Management
8. Global/Multi-cultural Fluency

So why should you highlight these skills? In my experience, teaching and having worked in career services, students often have difficulty recognizing and/or articulating the skills they have acquired in their internships/jobs, let alone their courses. As such, it’s not enough to just mention specific skills on a syllabus. Instructors also need to indicate how students will acquire these skills. Below is the skill objective for a course I recently developed (Financial Psychology).

Skill Objective:

In addition to learning about the psychological and behavioral aspects of personal finance, students will develop the following job-related skills and career readiness competencies.

1. Critical Thinking/Problem Solving – Students will apply course material to explain and provide solutions, from both a micro and macro level, on complex personal finance issues (e.g., Student loan debt crisis, 2008 Financial Crisis, etc.).
2. Oral/Written Communications – Students will further develop their writing (citing sources, etc.) through weekly discussion boards and exercises. Additionally, students will develop their oral communication through the creation of a video presentation.
3. Teamwork/Collaboration – Students will enhance their teamwork and collaboration skills by participating in a semester-long group project. This will require students to develop crucial skills related to the formation, maintenance, and performance of a virtual team. In many respects, this is more challenging than in-person collaboration/teamwork.
4. Digital Technology – Since this course is fully online, students will learn how to navigate various online learning tools to complete assignments and collaborate with their peers. Students will actively work with the following technology: BlackBoard (weekly discussions and group collaboration), Google Drive (group collaboration and file sharing), PowerPoint (presentation and voice-over), and YouTube (content creation).
5. Research Skill – Many of the course assignments require students to seek out additional information. The ability to find credible information as well as separating fact from fiction are skills that are extremely important in everyday life.
6. Career Management – This course will explore the psychology of getting paid and career planning as it relates to sustaining one’s current and future financial goals. Specific topics include career awareness, planning, decision making, and knowledge of the world of work.

Additionally, I include the following statement in my syllabi (I got this idea from another instructor):

• Remember one of the benefits you get from this course is not just a designation on your transcript, but a great line on your resume that will impress schools and employers. How do you do this? Add a “Projects” section to your resume. Document your role (e.g., group leader, etc.) and provide specific, action-oriented, descriptions of what you did and what skills you learned. For more ideas on how to include a course on your resume visit our College’s career development center.

For more information on adopting a skills perspective and which skills psychology majors acquire through their education check out the following resources.

• Prepare Students for the Job Market
• The Skillful Psychology Student: Prepared for Success in the 21st Century Workplace.
• Preparing to Use Your Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology

Assignments and activities

If you would like to take a hands-on approach consider incorporating career-related assignments and/or in-class activities into your courses. One assignment I’ve incorporated into several courses, as extra-credit, is the informational interview. Informational interviews allow students to see the practical application of the course subject matter as well as collect information about a career field. In my Financial Psychology course, students will have the opportunity to interview a Financial Coach, Financial Counselor, Financial Therapist, Financial Psychologist, or Financial Planner. Careers which apply psychology to financial issues, but require different preparation (degree levels, credentials, etc.). As part of the assignment, students create a YouTube video presenting their findings and reflect on their own desired career path. For career-related assignments and activities check out the following resources.

• The University of Massachusetts-Lowell Career & Co-op Center: Career-Related Classroom Assignments
• Virginia Commonwealth University Career Services: Career Curriculum
• Indiana University Academic and Career Development: Grab-and-Go Activities

While incorporating career-related assignments brings a different level of career engagement into your courses, you can still prepare your students for the workforce with your current assignments. You can do so by reiterating which job-related skills students will acquire in the assignment instructions. Sometimes students just need assistance connecting the dots.

• Case studies allow students to develop critical thinking/problem-solving skills, research skills, and written communication.
• Group presentations enable students to work on their teamwork/collaboration skills, oral commutation, and information technology use (to create videos/presentation, etc.).

Although targeted to students, the following Eye on Psi Chi article connects skill acquisition with various course assignments.

• Real-World Skills: How to Develop Marketable Career Competencies and Sell Yourself to Employers

Final thoughts

None of the suggestions above will guarantee that students will be prepared for the workplace and/or land an employment opportunity. They will, however, show students how to leverage their academic preparation, allow them to see the transferability of their skills, and hopefully help them make better career decisions. As educators, I think that’s all we can hope for.