A decade ago, the City College of New York (CCNY) turned to Symplicity CSM as it recognized the need to advance technologically to better serve its 14,000 students across undergraduate, graduate, and PhD programs. Katie Nailler, Director of the Career and Professional Development Institute was integral to the selection and implementation of Symplicity CSM. The introduction of Symplicity CSM was a strategic move to "bring the office up to current times," facilitating a significant leap in service quality and efficiency. The motivation was clear: to transition from outdated, paper-based systems to a more dynamic, integrated platform capable of tracking, reporting, and facilitating career services at a granular level to provide a holistic picture of career readiness at CCNY. “I can't say enough about Symplicity! It does wonderful things for us,” said Nailler.
“I can't say enough about Symplicity! It does wonderful things for us... It’s a robust product, but once you learn all the modules and then take your time implementing the different modules, you can really drill down on the information on your office. Your higher-level administration will appreciate all the information that you can give them."
Katie Nailler
Director of the Career and Professional Development Institute, City College of New York
Meeting the Challenges of Modern Career Services
CCNY faced some critical challenges before adopting Symplicity CSM. The previous system, limited to job postings with minimal integration, failed to meet the evolving needs of the institution and its students. Symplicity CSM was selected for its comprehensive suite of modules, flexibility, and particularly for its analytical capabilities, which were instrumental in transitioning to virtual career fairs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This swift adaptation underscored the system's value, demonstrating its ability to meet unforeseen challenges and maintain continuity in career services. Nailler shared, "I was able within two and a half, three weeks in the month of March when everything shut down, I was able to flip our in-person career fair to a virtual career fair."
Analytics and Data-Driven Decision Making Over the Competition
One of the standout features of Symplicity CSM for CCCNY is its robust analytical capabilities. “Symplicity’s analytics component is what is the most used and most valuable to us… I’ve sat in on other competitors and it just doesn’t do what Symplicity does,” said Nailler. The ability to track student interactions and generate detailed reports is not just a feature, but a necessity, for CCNY given its reliance on data for grant applications and reporting. The system's depth and versatility in data analysis have ensured that the college remains competitive in securing and reporting on grants, a critical aspect of their funding strategy. “At our institution we have a ton of grants that rely on that data; it’s key to how we operate. No other system can provide us with the crucial data that we need to report on some of our multi-million-dollar grants,” said Nailler. “Our higher-level administration appreciates all the information that we can give them on our career services and make my life so much easier as a director.” said Nailler. “Historically, statistically, that data informs everything.
Operational Efficiency and User Adoption
The adoption and integration of Symplicity CSM have led to significant operational efficiencies within the Career and Professional Development Institute. Nailler noted the career fair module, in particular, as a tool that streamlined the employer registration and payment process, freeing up staff to focus on other critical areas. “The career fair module is fabulous, allowing me to reappropriate staff members to other tasks because of this tool. It has really taken some workload off of us when it comes to using the career fair module. That's been a wonderful!,” Nailler told Symplicity.
Employer Relations with CSM
With CSM, CCNY is able to proactively decide which employers it allows into its career services technology. For CCNY, having CSM enables them to make better career connections for students with employers who are strategically coming to CCNY hire and connect with them. “If they are in our system, they are serious about hiring City College students… If someone wants an online jobs database they can get that from LinkedIn, but my goal is to build a relationship. An employer that comes onto our system that has to take some steps to actually post a job means that they're invested in our students,” said Nailler. “Controlling which employers are on our system and can get access to our students and approving jobs is critical to our work.”
“At our institution we have a ton of grants that rely on that data; it’s key to how we operate. No other system can provide us with the crucial data that we need to report... "
Katie Nailler
Director of the Career and Professional Development Institute, City College of New York
Conclusion
“I think it's wonderful! It’s a robust product, but once you learn all the modules and then take your time implementing the different modules, you can really drill down on the information on your office. Your higher-level administration will appreciate all the information that you can give them,” said Nailler.
CCNY’s experience with Symplicity CSM underscores the critical role of technology in modernizing career services. By leveraging the system's comprehensive analytics, robust job posting mechanisms, and flexible modules, the college has not only improved its service delivery but also its ability to secure and report on significant grant funding. As career services continue to evolve, institutions like City College lead the way in demonstrating the transformative potential of technology in supporting students' professional development journeys.
