Spotlight for Career Services Professionals

This coming semester, when colleges and universities will be holding more in-person recruiting events on campus, some career centers will show their appreciation for the recruiters who attend.

In preparation, career centers are seeking ideas for gifts that are unique, useful, and cost-effective that can be handed out to recruiters during career fairs, industry nights, coffee chats, and other events.

An academic adviser at a rural community college has turned to her hobby for gifts. A beading enthusiast, she creates beaded pens, which she customizes for the recruiters and delivers in nice gift boxes. She reports that because she creates her own patterns, recruiters look forward to a new design each year and appreciate the personalized touch.

The Office of Professional and Career Development at a large university has received positive reactions to two of the gifts it has given to recruiters: upside-down umbrellas and glass writing boards. The umbrellas open and close in the opposite direction of a typical umbrella so that the rain is captured inside the fold, not on the person. Meanwhile, the 5" x 7" glass boards have silicone feet on them and feature an iconic symbol of the university and its logo. The boards work like notepads, but the marker writing can be erased and the board can be used over and over.

Another respondent said wireless phone-charging pads are a popular and practical gift. He explains that they are easy to fit into a suitcase, work with almost all newer phones, and get used almost every day.

Do you have an idea to share? Join the conversation in the NACE Community.