Trends & Predictions

  1. Stem students at work.
    Understanding the Self-Perceived Career Barriers of Hispanic STEM Students

    As students of color, including Hispanic students, are eager to attend higher education institutions and advance their economic wealth, many barriers hinder their academic success.

  2. A professor teaches a college class.
    Research Reveals Opportunity to Increase Faculty Awareness of Campus Resources

    Because faculty are frequently asked by their current and former students for career advice, there is an opportunity to increase awareness among faculty of the resources available to them.

  3. Student activists protest.
    NACE Quick Poll: Potential for Campus Unrest Has Little Effect on Fall Recruiting, Hiring Decisions

    The political and social unrest seen on college campuses last spring and that may potentially reignite this fall has little impact on college recruiting, according to results of a recent NACE quick poll.

  4. A laptop showing a virtual meeting.
    A Year in Review for the NACE Liberal Arts Affinity Group

    The NACE Liberal Arts Affinity Group reflects on its many accomplishments since last year's conference and looks ahead to next year.

  5. Two women review a report.
    Career Progression Among Career Services and University Recruiting Professionals

    Results of a NACE quick poll identify barriers and accelerators affecting the career paths of career services and university recruiting professionals.

  6. A group of different colored pencils with faces drawn on them.
    Quick Poll: Do NACE Members Feel Like They Belong at Work?

    Belonging at work—feeling that one is valued, accepted, and supported—helps to ensure a healthy, productive, and positive work environment. NACE surveyed its membership to better understand their experiences with belonging in the profession.

  7. An illustration of a crumbled piece of paper transforming into an origami bird.
    Designing the Future of Career Services

    In an ever-evolving landscape, career services needs to adapt and innovate. Here, Hassan Akmal discusses how career services can reimagine itself to meet the needs of students and alumni.

  8. A human hands touches a robot one.
    LLMs, ChatGPT, and a Really Bad Idea

    In this op ed piece, Chris Miciek discusses problems with jumping into AI without considering the consequences and urges we take the middle ground.

  9. A robot reads a book.
    AI on Campus: A Look at Current Practice Among Career Services Professionals

    The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) polled its career services members in spring 2023 about their use of AI in their work and in their work with students.

  10. A career services professional takes the First-Destination Survey.
    More than 80% of Career Centers Conduct First-Destination Surveys

    More than 80% of schools conducted first-destination surveys in 2021-22, according to NACE’s 2021-22 Career Services Benchmarks Survey Report.

  11. A college campus.
    Trends Continue for Career Services’ Location, Reporting Structure

    Career centers are being housed less frequently in student affairs, more frequently in other divisions, and increasingly in various parts of the institution.

  12. An illustration of silhouettes of people with low battery icons above their heads.
    Majority of NACE Members Report Work-Related Burnout

    Among respondents to a recent NACE quick poll, more than half of the association’s employer members and more than two-thirds of its college members reported experiencing burnout.

  13. A recruiter walks to a career fair
    Prevalence, Popularity of Career Fairs Remains Steady

    Career fairs are one of the most frequently provided services by college career centers, as 91.7 percent reported hosting at least one career fair in 2017-18.

  14. robotic head with abstract overlay
    Predicting Employment Through Machine Learning

    A study conducted at Ohio University shows the power and potential of machine learning to predict and influence employment at graduation.

  15. close up of two people shaking hands
    Job Outlook 2016: The Attributes Employers Want to See on New College Graduates’ Resumes

    When they are considering new college graduates for jobs, employers look for leadership, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills, and a strong work ethic.

  16. group of men and women smiling the picture
    The Future of Career Services Is Now

    The current drive to better understand and anticipate the future of career services may be distinctive in that it is influenced by certain environmental factors that threaten a potential sea change in higher education.

  17. picture of college campus with a building and students off in the distance
    The University Commitment to Career Services

    Given the increased attention to career outcomes from both government and university administrations, one would expect a significant commitment on the part of the university to the career services office. This commitment could be measured in terms of critical resources expressed as either added dollars or increased personnel to handle the increasing difficulty of counseling students to succeed in a depressed job market. Using data from two installments of NACE’s annual Career Services Benchmark Survey for Colleges and Universities (2007 and 2014), this article examines the strength of that commitment.

  18. A group of career services professionals.
    Career Services Staff Salaries Begin to Separate at Management Level

    There is very little differentiation in the average salaries for each of the career services positions until one gets to the management level.

  19. classroom
    The Significant Impact of COVID-19 on College Enrollments

    The guarded optimism of early June has faded into the reality that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on college enrollments for the fall.

  20. abstract image
  21. Picture of computer tablet with graphs
    Pandemic Impacts Career Services Budgets, Staffing

    Research illustrates the hit that career center budgets took during the pandemic, as more than one-third of career centers reported cuts to their personnel budgets.

  22. Picture of a career fair
    Fees Charged to Employers for In-Person Career Fairs Dropped Sharply This Year

    It’s not surprising that fees for in-person career fairs were down sharply in 2020-21 compared to 2019-20, but the charges for hybrid fairs jumped for some employers.

  23. Paper planes
    Repositioning Career Services: Drivers, Implementation, and Outcomes

    Qualitative research conducted with 12 markedly different colleges and universities identifies the factors that led to the elevation of the career services operation.

  24. four people sitting around table
    NACE August 2021 Quick Poll: Fall 2021 Recruiting

    NACE is polling employers and career services professionals on their plans for fall 2021 in light of the pandemic and greater opportunity to return to in-person interactions. The polls run July 27 through August 20, 2021, and results are offered in real time.

  25. Man looking at four pictures
    NACE Quick Poll: Career Centers Accounting for Hybrid Recruiting This Fall

    Most career services offices plan to hold both in-person and virtual career fairs this fall, but many employers expect to hold their own virtual events.

  26. Abstract image of connections
    College Career Services on the Move: Why—and What Does It Mean?

    Research shows a greater number of career services units are moving away from their traditional homes in student affairs divisions; this article explores the root causes behind the trend and uses the University of California, Irvine to illustrate what this shift might mean for universities exploring career services realignments on their campuses.

  27. Three people in conversation
    NACE Quick Poll: Career Centers Alter Outreach to Employers, Students From Marginalized Groups

    College career services offices have changed the ways they engage employers and students from historically marginalized groups during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  28. People sitting around table
    Career Services Makes Small Changes to Outreach Strategy, Substantial Changes to Career Fairs

    While the COVID-19 pandemic caused many adjustments to the ways career services offices operate, they did not make substantial changes to their employer relations strategy.

  29. concentric circles on water
    Candid Reflections on Fall 2021 in Career Services: Observations and Suggestions for Future Practice

    Over the last two years, the nature of employment has shifted, and college career services may need to adjust to more closely align with these changes.

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