Welcome back to Top5 brought to you by to DefinedTalent. We are a results driven service working with clients to connect them with quality talent as well as working to make an impact within the recruiting industry. We talk straight about today's professional world with real world professionals, experts in recruitment, job seekers and business owners alike. Have a question for us? Send it in and you might spur our next conversation. I'm Tara Thurber, Director of
Talent Innovation. And joining me today to discuss her Top5 Ways to Utilize a Collegiate Career Development Center is Beth Ricca, Executive Director of Career Development at Monmouth University. Hey, Beth, thank you so much for joining us today.
Thank you for having me. I'm so happy to be here, Tara.
Absolutely. Beth, let's just start with why don't you give us a short background on yourself and your experience working with college students?
Sure. I have actually been working in collegiate career development for over 25 years. I started my professional career here at Monmouth University.
Wow! (laughs)
So I did my graduate work here, have a degree in Educational Counseling, and didn't really know that there were opportunities to work and stay on a college campus.
Yeah.
And I liked it so much that I accepted my first job in higher ed as a coordinator for student employment here. And then life took me to California where I worked at Claremont McKenna College, which is a small private liberal arts college in Southern California. Then I returned to New Jersey and worked at Ramapo College for 12
years. And I'm finally back home here in Monmouth County, where I grew up, and now leading the efforts of the Career Development Center here at Monmouth, and I'm thrilled to be back. It is a great environment to work in. And I'm excited to share some of my thoughts with you.
Awesome, what a story to kind of start at Mommouth and then go across the US and come back. And now we're here talking. I mean, super, super awesome. And really special to have you on today.
Thank you. Yes. Like I said, it's great to be back, grew up in Manalapan and has always been home for me. So being back at the Jersey Shore feels right.
(laughs) So let's Why don't you walk us through Career Development at Monmouth University? You know, we'll kind of go through there's a couple different questions I've got. But how is University Advancement different from other university offerings?
So I'm happy to walk you through Career Development at Monmouth University. We work with students from their very first semester here at college, as do most Career Centers.
Okay.
Encouraging students not to wait until their senior year to think about what they want to do when they leave. And I think that's one of the hardest pieces for students. They're just, you know, arriving on a college campus. And they're trying to figure out how to juggle, you know, their coursework and getting involved on campus... ...managing their time. And you know, if they're a
Yeah. student athlete, they have commitments there. And so we really, we talk to students as early as you know, the summer before they arrived here to talk about how important it is to plan out how you'll gain the knowledge, skills and experience you need to be competitive when
you graduate. And how thinking about what you're going to do when you graduate early on really helps you prepare to be as competitive as possible, whether you're going straight to graduate or professional school, whether you want to go straight into a career or a full time
position. We work with students in all of those capacities, and then continue to support students in terms of developing their resumes, identifing internships, and then you know, preparing to either apply for continuing their education or applying for full time positions. Wow. I mean, I, in thinking about everything that that's providing these students, and the fact that you're even kind of tapping into them before they're even on campus, is huge.
You know, I think back to my college years, and it was like, I went and did a couple of days before classes started. But I feel like the focus was always on, you know, each semester and the classes that you have take in order to get a certain degree, and it was all very compartmentalized almost. And, you know, towards the end of my college career, I felt so lost,
I felt lost and alone. And now hearing what Monmouth is doing in this beautiful Career Development and the process that you guys are taking, it just seems there's so much more support, and these students aren't alone, and there's so many more avenues for them to gain help.
It's so true. And, you know, our president President Lehy, he has, you know, been here a few years now, and is really committed to ensuring that students are as prepared as possible when they leave here. You know, I think, like you, I didn't even know there was a Career Center when I went to college.
Yes, (laughs) I think there was actually I think there was a, there was a center and there was a booklet that you had to look through, to see if there was a job you could maybe apply for (laughs).
We're dating ourselves, right? I joke when I present to families at
(laughs) orientation, you know, gone are the days where you can print out your, you know, resume that you did on a typewriter and take a Kinkos and get multiple copies on resume paper, like it's a
whole new world. And, you know, one of the things I love about being back at Monmouth is, as I mentioned, the our new president has really embraced that and understands the importance and is really looking to support us and in offering a culture of career development, where it's infused into everything students do - infused into orientation and infused into, you know, what they're doing in the classroom.
So we can engage faculty and talking to students about career development in providing those opportunities for students to get that experience. So, you know, it really is so important that students are meeting us at least, at least part of the way.
You know, college is what you make it and having two college-age students, I definitely recognize how hard that can be sometimes, but also how critical it is for students to, you know, engage with the different services and programs available on campus. Do you find that nowadays, students are more motivated or active to do that? Or is there still some sort of barrier? Like maybe they're just unsure or not confident enough to think they can start that process?
Yeah, I mean, I think that's definitely a concern. And I think the pandemic...
...yeah.
Really, sort of pushed us a couple of steps backwards in terms of, you know, students feeling comfortable with teaching with campus services. And you know, in particular with our department, it can be intimidating, right? Especially when you come into the career center. And
Yeah. Yeah. they don't exactly know what they need, right. And they don't
They don't want to pick up the phone and call know where to start. And so they don't really know what they're asking for. And so one of the things that we found really helpful is to allow students to make appointments online, and to access lots of our services online, so they don't necessarily have to come in as their first step, they can schedule an appointment, or they can work on their resume using someone, they don't want to walk into an office. They're like, one of our resume writing tools.
And so they can get started and then interact with us, and then we can sort of guide them along what do I say?! I see that in a lot of our current college the way. And I think, you know, your point is really well taken that students are intimidated, right? You know, I think about my own kids. students. But I'm also really encouraged by the support that students get by their faculty to engage with our center, and you know, some require it as part of their class, which we love.
Yeah.
You know, there's definitely ways to approach that. But I think really understanding where your students are coming from and meeting them where they are is so important.
I agree with you, 100%. And it's amazing to hear that there is so so much support from the top down. And that faculty are embracing this too. Yes. Because when you when it comes down to it takes all of us as a whole to be able to open up those doors, but not just open them for students, but invite them in, because a lot of times they might just stand outside - they're not sure if they should go in or not. You know, they just started a brand new chapter
of their life. And that's hard in itself, let alone thinking about, Oh, I just started but now I'm trying to think about when it's over. And where's that going to take me? Right? So it's it's just it's mind blowing that there is so much, but it is so exciting to hear everything that Monmouth is doing. You know, you had mentioned something about faculty requiring the services. Let's talk to me a little bit about that, how are faculty embracing this and kind of bringing this in to the
classroom? As well as, is it required for graduation? Let's kind of break that up into two areas there.
Sure. So it's in terms of an internship requirement, or where students engage with us, it really depends on the student's major. You know, there are majors such as nursing, or social work or education, where you're required to do field work, or clinical rotations as part of your degree.
Mmm hmm.
So those students are, you know, able to participate, as you know, part of their regular course we work and getting internships and experience to build their resumes and to gain really valuable skills. An internship is not a requirement for other students. And it is so important that students are gaining some kind of off campus experience in order to compete effectively with, you know, other college graduates. So we really tried to
get the word out. And faculty do a great job in talking to students about how valuable that is, there are other majors on campus that have courses where students can do a form of an internship or field work as part of their coursework. And so we'd love that I would, if it were up to me, all students would be required to do at least one internship by the time they graduate. I'm working towards that.
(laughs)
I've been here for years...So...
...we're in the, we're in the beginning stages there, but I gotta say, too, I 100%, you know, being in the recruiting industry, but also thinking back to, to my years, I didn't do an internship, I didn't even know that internships existed. And now it's like, when I do talk to students, current students or graduating students, there's so many that have done internships versus the ones that haven't done internships, it's, it's
different. Because it's actual real life experience that they're getting before they're, you know, being let go into the real world, so to speak. And I think that it's huge, to make it a point for students to be doing something whether I mean, I've seen some internships for the day or a week, it doesn't have to be a full three-month long program. But at least to gain that professional conversation that you need to take on an interview, you need to speak to even your peers, but other
potential employers. And so to be able to do that while you're in school, and while you're still trying to figure it out, I think is a huge bonus for students nowadays.
Absolutely. And I think you know, one of the ways that career development really is essential is helping students identify what those skills and experiences are that they've developed through an internship or a micro internship, as you mentioned, a short-term experience or a class project or through their leadership involvement, cocurricular involvement on campus or off campus, even a volunteer job. Students are learning so many things in the classroom, outside
of the classroom. Career Development is really here to help students identify those experiences and skills, and then learn how to talk about them with specific examples and write about them and cover letters and resumes. And so that's a big piece of what we do. You know, we know that faculty are there, you know, providing so many different skills and experiences for our students. But our students don't always recognize that as experience or skill
development. And so that's a big piece of what I think all college career centers are doing with students is really helping them identify and then articulate those with specific examples again, right, which is, which is a skill, right? You develop to learn how to tell those stories about your qualifications and your experience. And so that's where, you know, we feel like we can make a really big difference for students.
Absolutely very impactful, making huge impacts on just how they're going to end up moving forward. In life once they leave or graduate, right? Right. Do you and the team, do you assist students with the internships? Meaning I know that faculty or you know, maybe there's some internships provided? But is there - Can students come to you and say, Okay, I'm looking for an internship? Do you readily have them available? Do you outreach to other businesses, institutions, whatever the case
may be? How does that work?
So we do have a career management system where we actually use a system called Handshake, which is the number one college recruiting platform right now, all college, all Fortune 500 companies are utilizing Handshake. And it really is a place where students can go for internships and full time and part time opportunities. Even alumni utilize the system to look for more experienced level positions. We have over 10,000 postings that students have
access to through Handshake. So we just implemented it in January of 2020. Moving from a different system, and it's incredible how many opportunities there are for our students. So we've been really happy with that transition. And, you know, giving students access to all of these different opportunities, both locally and in the region, and nationally, and even internationally, really does make a difference for
students. So we give students the tools and help them with their search, their internship search, we don't have a list that students can come in and pick off of and say, I'm interested in working for, you know, getting an internship, where can where can I do this? So we help teach them how to search for internships and jobs so that they'll have those skills for a lifetime. The Department of Labor is saying right now that on average worker will change shops 12 times in their career.
Which is a huge number, right?! And so we want
Wow! our students to be prepared for a lifetime of job changes, as opposed to their first job or just an internship. So we want to teach them the skills that they need, and help them develop the network they need in order to find their positions. We all know, it's not just what you know, it's who you know... Who you know (laughs).
And so, you know, we're teaching them to do those things and feel really good about, you know, them being able to do that effectively on their own, and if not, you know, alumni can take advantage of our services, you know, for a lifetime and always come back and get help and you know, you know, little restart through ouroffice.
I love that. And I do want to kind of ask another question, too. I've worked I've spoken to, and I've worked with a lot of college students and the Handshake app is Handshake is awesome. I mean, as a recruiting service, we are on it, where we can post our jobs to so many different universities and colleges. It's like this - It's kind of like this network for students and alumni. Essentially, it's not your LinkedIn or anything like
that. It's specialized. Have you - have students come to you saying or feeling deflated sometimes saying, I've applied to all of these, and nobody's responded back to me? And it's, it's an I know, believe me, it's a form of rejection that everybody has to learn (laughs). In the recruiting industry, there's always going to be that form of rejection. But how do we get over that and help students to not become deflated or
frustrated? When there are so many opportunities out there, but yet, there's also so many students and so many alumni out there competing for the same thing as well.
Right, great question. I mean, there's a few things that we do. So, you know, the first is that not only do we introduce students to Handshake and other you know, opportunities, places where they can find opportunities,we ask them to engage in professional associations, we have them connect with Monmouth alumni who are working in industries and you know, potentially for companies that they're
interested in working for. We strongly encourage our students to come to our events which we're so excited to be back in person after being remote for two plus years.
Yeah!
Every level of students should come to our Career Fair and meet with the different employers that are there and shake their hand and collect a business card. And then they have this personal connection. So it's not just that they're hiring, online, and their resumes are being reviewed by applicant tracking systems, there's so many more pieces, right? And often we can find a personal connection or professional connection, or someone's an alum who can help mentor current students and help
them build that network. And so it's not just applying and waiting to see what's going to happen, it's, oh, you're interested in this position, let's see, if we have alumni working there. Let's see, if we have, you know, we're connected to them on LinkedIn, let's see if we know the recruiter who we can reach out to on the students behalf. So, you know, there's definitely more that goes into
it. And I think it's certainly, in this world of technology, so easy for students to apply and get discouraged.
Yeah.
You know, any applicant to apply and get discouraged. So any way that we can help make a connection beyond just the application is really, you know, I think what one thing that we do really well, and so it's giving students a little bit of an advantage and helping them with that process.
That's brilliant. And I think that that right, there is something that's going to take a lot of these students even further, because it is hard out there. There's a lot of opportunities out there. But there's a lot of people out there too. And I think what is so valuable, is being able to, yes, have the ability to tap onto a site and apply. That's great! But having the ability to ask for help, the ability to say, Hey, this is where I'd like to be, how do I get there?
Right.
Knowing that that support is there. I think that speaks wonders for a student, because you're not going to get that a lot. And to get that at the beginning of your career. And learn, oh, I need to try and, do a little bit of research and see who the hiring manager is. That's teaching them without doing it necessarily for them. But showing them the way and opening those doors and paving that path for them to be able to say, Oh, this is what the career development team did for us at
Monmouth University. Now I know, in five years, I'm looking for a new role, but they're going back to their network, they're going back to their roots.
Right.
To then take them to their next chapter, which in turn to I think is amazing, for Monmouth University as a whole, because then you do get to stay in contact with your alumni, you get to utilize that relationship at such a heightened level, that not only benefits those people at that time, but Monmouth University as a whole and it kind of comes full circle again.
Right! They become alumni and they realize the value of giving back to Mommouth. You know, especially entry level positions straight out of college, alumni aren't necessarily in a position to support Monmouth financially, but there's so many other ways that you can support your alma mater, you know, by volunteering through the career center offering to be a mentor or offering to help a current student get their foot in the
door at a specific company. So, so important to develop that early and then help students who are going to become your alumni - getting them in the frame of mind to be able to give back to the university. So it's a win win for everyone.
And it's a lifelong relationship that you've - that has just been formed. Like I think about Montclair State University where I graduated, and I've gone back there multiple times to see the growth and the transition that it's now become. But I wouldn't even know where to begin to say, Hey, I went, - I'm an alumni here, how can I help? What can I
do? Do you find that a lot of other colleges and universities are kind of expanding their career centers and kind of trying to do the same thing that Monmouth is doing or do you feel that Mommouth is really kind of creating something special that is getting picked up by other universities and colleges?
You know, I think there's always been a connection between Career Centers, collegiate career centers, and alumni.
Yeah.
Because they can really offer so many things to current students. I think one of the things that Mommouth has done, which is one of the reasons I wanted to return to work here is aligned career development reporting to University Advancement. And University Advancement, obviously has these natural connections with alumni and other external constituencies. And that those connections, I think, have a lot of value for
career development. And so, reporting up through the same vice president, we've been lucky enough to be ntentional in terms of us making connections with our alumni. Whereas the traditional model of having Career Development Report to academic affairs or student affairs, doesn't allow that natural connection. And so I'm really excited about what the next few years will bring in terms of this alignment at
Monmouth. And the opportunities that it's providing to career development to, you know, really connect with alumni in a meaningful way. So, so it's a little bit unique, but I think it's definitely a goal for most collegiate career centers to want to utilize and connect with alumni to enhance current student success.
I think it's brilliant. I think it's brilliant, what you're doing, I cannot wait to see how it all kind of unfolds over the next couple of years.
You and I both! (laughs) Yeah! (Laughs) So Beth, what would be your Top5 ways or tips or advice that you would provide to incoming students and families about utilizing the Career Center at Monmouth University. So it's so hard to narrow it down to five.
I know, you can add a couple more in there, if you like. (laughs)
This, you know, I've touched on already. But, you know, for students, no matter where they're going to college, engage with the Career Development Center early, it's never too soon to attend a career fair or career event. Crude mountain centers of colleges work really hard to try to get the word out. So check your email, follow us on social media, take a look at what we're doing. I always tell the families of students to follow
us on social media. So they can be like, Oh, I saw this company's coming to campus today, like are you going? It's a great way for families to know what's happening and give your students a little push in the right direction. So,certainly take advantage, don't wait till your junior senior year to utilize services that career development is offering, I'd say number two, so important to for students to do more than go to
classes, right? In high school, you had to be involved in high school and do community service and volunteer and obviously do well in classes. And it sort of starts all over again, when you get to college. So it's so important and employers and graduate school admission officers, they want to see this involvement. And there's so many ways, as I mentioned, for students to develop skills and gain experience, as part of the extracurricular culture of their
college. So, really important that students are doing that as well. I mentioned college is what you make it right?
Yes!
Here in particular, like, it's really easy to come to campus, go to classes and go home. Right?
Yeah.
That's fine. But students are missing out, right? There's so many, so many programs on any given day at Monmouth, it can be overwhelming, right? There's a there's a Art Gallery event, there's an athletic event, there's speakers coming to campus, there's an academic program, there's a career program. Students need really need to take advantage of those things. And, you know, we can obviously meet them where they are, but they have to put in...
...a little effort. (laughs)
I mentioned I would tell every student to do at least one internship. I think earlier, you know, you're saying what a great way to sort of test out and get experience where we're asking 17 - 19 year olds to make decisions about what they want to do for the rest of their lives. And that is so overwhelming. And so anytime a student can experience, the world of work or professional setting helps inform these decisions, and I tell students, it's okay if you don't like your
internship, right? What a great way to find out that what you thought a career would be like isn't really what it is, when you've experienced it right? What a great way to test out a potential career through an internship and find out before you make a commitment to a full time job that you know you want to, it's not the right place for you so.
Right (laughs).
So I think that that's so important. And then definitely, you know, just as I said, it's important to do more than go to classes and take advantage of the events and programs. You know, students should really utilize their support network, there's so many people at every single college administrators and advisors and counselors who really want to help your students succeed, want
to help students succeed. And students will say, like, I didn't know who to ask, or I didn't know what the question that had to get my question answered, like, that's just not true, right?
(laughs)
Like, there's so many of us here who want to support current students are in horror infested, particularly at a small school like Monmouth.
Yeah.
We pride ourselves on being able to provide that individualized service. So when I talk to incoming families, I say, you know, even if it's not career related, and you remember my name, reach out to me, I'm happy to help you connect you with the right person. And so for students to meet with their advisors, and ask questions and take advantage of their environment is really one of the keys to being successful. So those are my Top 5, I could go on and on. But I think those are good for now.
They are, and I feel like I could go on and on talking with you about all of this, because in the recruiting industry, and in the job market right now, it's just, it's a crazy, it's a different world. It's not a crazy, it's crazy too but it's a different world, I feel and kind of putting myself into the shoes of a lot of these students - I didn't know where I wanted to be when I was a
freshman. And I went through four years, forced myself into five years just to get a little bit of a higher degree, got out of school felt so lost and alone. And I feel like, especially with COVID, I'm sure a lot of graduate students that graduated during COVID get out and they're like, Well, what do I do now? Because you're not in person you're not face to face, or you just didn't reach out in the past. And now it's here. And now you're like, Well, what do I
do? So it's like, I always say to people, always start putting stuff out there, don't worry about what it's gonna look like, put all the dots out there, don't worry about the picture that it's going to create, as long as you're putting it out there. It's allowing others to see that and have questions and answers and more movement for these students. And it can shift the way that they're experiencing the whole college experience, right out of the gate.
Absolutely. You know, in terms of students being able to be engaged more and more interested, when they're working towards something specific, it's so much easier to commit to your classes and work hard, as opposed to when students aren't quite sure what they want to study, or aren't quite sure what they want to do with their career it's a little harder to focus.
Yeah.
And so by, you know, working with us early, and helping, at least have an option, you know, three to five options of things you might be interested in doing, we found that it really increases students performance in classes.
Yup!
It increases their level of satisfaction, there's so many reasons to, to collaborate and work with career development earlier, you know, for that matter, work with all of the different areas on campus that will support students.
Absolutely. And it's just such a huge plus for some students that get into college, they don't even know why or what they're doing. And to have that connection, even before they put their foot on campus. That takes a lot of that stress and anxiety away to know, okay, there's support there. I can go and get support, and it's going to be a successful experience. And we're going to be good. And I think that is beyond measurable for all of
these students. Going into college, thinking about college, applying to college, just knowing that it's not you're in and then you have to figure it out the first day you start classes,.
Right!
That it's okay to not know because there is that support system to help you outside of your family and your other support right? Because you're now moving into this new chapter. So you Brilliant, it's it's so amazing to hear what you guys are doing over there. I'm so excited to kind of be walking along the journey with you guys. And I'm looking forward to what the next couple of years bring.
Thank you. You and I both and we'll be having you on campus to share your expertise with our students. So look for that invitation!
Awesome. I can't wait. Beth, thank you so much for joining us today!
It's my pleasure. I really I love what I do. I love talking about you know how we can help really make different that difference for our students and you know, anytime
Amazing I will be reaching back out to you (laughs). I've got some more thoughts and ideas brewing. We are to DefinedTalent coming to you at Top5. Make it a great day.