Spotlight for Career Services Professionals

College career services offices have changed the ways they engage employers and students from historically marginalized groups during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to preliminary results of NACE’s August 2021 quick poll on internships and fall 2021 recruiting.

Nearly half of responding career centers at this point indicate they have somewhat changed their employer relations strategy, while nearly one-third have made more substantial changes. These changes include increasing virtual recruiting opportunities, outreach to local and regional employers, and their frequency of outreach.

In altering their engagement strategies for students from marginalized groups, career centers are mostly increasing their virtual service options and connecting with student groups.   

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 address plans for serving, engaging with, and recruiting college students for jobs and internships, but also capture what happened with employer internship programs held in summer 2021. The polls run July 27 through August 20, 2021, and results are offered in real time.