For the Class of 2020 and 2021, news of a vaccine in the United States does bring hope to many, including those in higher education, the challenges brought on by COVID-19 will continue and it is up to career services professionals to ensure they continue to support their students looking for work and internships in an unprecedented job market. A recent article from Vox notes recent analysis that the unemployment rate for those 15-24 years old is at 11.7%. That number will continue to grow as "normal" will be a slow, uphill climb. Yet, as the spring recruiting season approaches for 2021, career service professionals are now more important than ever for college campuses.
Oftentimes as recent graduates look for work they are met with positions that they are either under-qualified for, competing with other recent graduates with more work experience, or overqualified for an entry-level position with low earning potential. For career services professionals getting students the right job can be a challenge during these unprecedented times. With high rates of unemployment and dwindling outcomes for employers, similar to the 2008 recession’s class of college graduates, a lack of employment and low wage can have lasting impacts, a phenomenon Georgetown economist Nicole Smith calls “failure to launch.” As Smith told Vox in December 2020, “When you create an economy with triple-digit negative growth and double-digit unemployment, it’s much harder for young people to launch careers.”
With Symplicity CSM, career services professionals can help students all within one platform. If a student meets with one career services staff member (virtually or in-person), the system allows for staff to take notes and pass those along to another department or staff member to better support a student and ensure nothing gets lost. Additionally, tracking students internship and experiential learning opportunities allows for career service staff to see what things a student can count as professional experience to put them ahead of other applicants for a job. Utilizing Symplicty CSM allows career services staff to also advocate for their student’s best interests by seeing what a job’s salary is, what coursework a student is taking that best aligns with available jobs, build connections between employers that are recruiting, and find curated jobs that allow students and employers full transparency.
The CSM platform, that builds the foundation to enable universities and colleges to measure and report on critical KPIs around student engagement and outcomes, streamline student and employer outreach, and run robust NON - OCR. With an enterprise-scale employability platform, universities can leverage CSM to engage students, employers, staff and administrators in the career-readiness process. At Symplicity, we believe the careers center provides critical services and fosters lasting connections with students and employers. As a result, CSM has the largest network of students and employers in the space.
For those interested in learning more about CSM, schedule a conversation with us or email info@symplicity.com.
