Blogs

Changes to NACE Blog

By Anthony Fioriglio posted 08-24-2021
In the coming weeks, the NACE Blog will be removed from the NACE Community and in its place, we will be launching a new section called Member Voices on NACEWeb . The decision to transition the NACE Blog to the NACE website and retitle it is a direct result of the incredibly high caliber of submissions that we have received from our contributors. We want to give those voices more visibility and a larger platform to share their insights, while giving their contributions a more polished look than is possible on the current platform. Because of the transition, this will be the final post for the current NACE Blog. However, prior to the official launch of Member ...

The Benefits of Service and Volunteering in Students’ Career Development Journey

By Diana Mendez posted 08-10-2021
By Haley Garofalo and Diana Mendez Haley Garofalo is assistant director, Employer Engagement & Communications at New York University Wasserman Center for Career Development. Diana Mendez, Senior Assistant Director at New York University Wasserman Center for Career Development. August 10, 2021 Both as career development professionals and in our personal lives, service learning and volunteering has served an important role. In our work at the Wasserman Center for Career Development of New York University (NYU), we strive to create a culture of civic engagement through promoting the importance of voting; highlighting employers that do important ...

A Case for Getting Involved Outside of Your Career Center

By Amy Ferman posted 07-27-2021
By Amy Ferman Amy Ferman is associate director for Employer Development & Outreach for the Career Center at University of North Texas. July 27, 2021 The COVID-19 pandemic changed everything in March 2020. As we scrambled to redefine what our professional and personal lives looked like, my first thoughts were to try to keep things simple and not take on unnecessary projects and commitments that might make the already overwhelming situation much worse. However, I started to find growing comfort and satisfaction with the groups that I already engaged as they moved into a virtual environment. Some examples include board positions I had already agreed ...

What Will You Keep From These Creative Times?

By Kathryn Douglas posted 07-20-2021
By Kathryn Douglas Kathryn Douglas is senior associate director of Career Development at Yale School of the Environment. July 20, 2021 In February 2021, like career services teams everywhere, our office reworked a major employer/alumni recruiting and networking event scheduled for the spring from in-person to digital. We also continuously customized it according to rapidly changing factors. Ultimately, YSEinDC , an event that has been in-person since its inception, became Virtual YSEinDC . With a small team of professional staff and student leaders, what is typically a two-day event became a weeklong one. Virtual YSEinDC kicked off with a career ...

Reframing Authenticity

By Lyn Leis posted 07-13-2021
By Lyn Leis Lyn Leis is associate director of Career & Faculty Partnerships at Mercy College. Opinions represented here are her own. July 13, 2021 I’m saying “No, thank you” to the idea of bringing your authentic self to work. I’m over it. In May, I shared some thoughts about what our current wave of diversity hiring looks like, and the recent calls to bring our authentic selves to work. In it, I offered some initial concerns on the demand that employees be themselves at work and the appearance that companies are ready for that. I also shared a few links that are worth your time to gain some perspective on this, particularly Jodi-Ann Burey’s ...

My Journey to Living Authentically

By Lauren Shackleford posted 06-30-2021
By Lauren Shackleford Lauren Shackleford is the Career Development Coordinator at the University of Michigan June 30, 2021 My first job after graduate school showed me the good, the bad, and the downright ugly about learning how to navigate my queerness at a university in a small rural town. I hadn’t realized how much I took for granted until I moved to the middle of nowhere and had the rug pulled out from under me, and I hope by sharing my story that I can help others not feel alone if they have also lived through similar trauma. Additionally, I can assist folx in locating employers and work environments that allow them to be their most authentic selves. ...

Representation Matters

By Paul Hardister posted 06-29-2021
By Paul Hardister Paul Hardister is associate director, Employer Relations & Experiential Programs at Pomona College June 29, 2021 If you want a good history of LGBTQIA+ representation, or lack thereof, in Hollywood, I recommend the documentary “The Celluloid Closet.” Depiction of the LGBTQIA+ community in films made in the prior century barely covered the first two letters of our acronym. Screenwriters inserted stock characters as people either to mock or fear. Rarely did anyone from the LGBTQIA+ community carry their own film. “The Boys in the Band” hit screens in 1970 and featured an ensemble of all gay characters, but it may never have been ...

Top 6 Reasons to Volunteer with NACE

By Santina Pitcher posted 06-22-2021
By Santina Pitcher Santina Pitcher is associate director of Counseling & Programs at the University of California, Berkeley Career Center. June 22, 2021 I don’t know about you, but I’m a master at volunteering – just ask my husband! PTA? Check! Little League? Check! Classroom helper? Check! Soccer coach? Check! I’m a whiz at finding – or being found by – community opportunities to get involved with and lend a helping hand, but who knew you could volunteer for your professional community, which not only checks off all the feel-good vibes of giving back but also builds your professional capital? Whether you’re checking people in at a conference, mentoring ...

Free to Be: Proactive Inclusion and Equity Efforts to Support Gender Identity and Expression in Professional Settings

By Samara Reynolds posted 06-15-2021
By Samara Reynolds and Ash Taylor-Beierl Samara Reynolds is the director of Career Services at Virginia Commonwealth University. Ash Taylor-Beierl is the assistant director of Employer and Experiential Development at Virginia Commonwealth University. June 15, 2021 Pride Month serves as an opportunity for institutions and organizations to express support for the LGBTQIA+ community. Statements of appreciation, respect, and love flood social media feeds, and while the sentiment is nice, many colleges and employers fail to take that same appreciation to the next level and seriously consider how to be strong allies and accomplices for LGBTQIA+ individuals ...

Presenting My Authentic Self

By Sandra Buatti-Ramos posted 06-01-2021
By Sandra Buatti-Ramos Sandra Buatti-Ramos is the internship and career advisor at Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology June 1, 2021 It was a cool April afternoon in Port Jefferson, New York when I visited a new stylist for what some have termed “the big chop.” The time had come for me to present as my authentic self in all spaces. Cutting my hair was the first step in living openly, as I did as a child before I gave in to the pressures to conform to the false gender binary. I was excited for this change, to get closer to seeing myself in my reflection and letting others see me . As I sat in the salon chair, I joked with my new stylist ...

The Importance of Honoring Names: Perspectives and a Plea from an American of Asian Descent

By Padmaja Rao posted 05-25-2021
By Padmaja Rao Padmaja Rao is associate director of Career Services at Wayne State University. May 25, 2021 The words diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have increasingly become the buzz words du jour, and rightfully so, as inequities, xenophobia, and the like unfortunately continue in our society. Within the realm of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice, there are many concepts to learn, topics to unpack, and feelings to process (which will all take time) if we are to truly move forward. What has gotten lost amidst discussions about authenticity and truly embracing diversity, however, is the importance of honoring people by their given ...

Unpacking Professionalism: A Discussion Following the Shift to Online New Student Orientation

By Ned Khatrichettri posted 05-18-2021
By Ned Khatrichettri and Cameron Vakilian Ned Khatrichettri, M.A. is an internship coordinator in the College of Humanities at the University of Utah. Cameron Vakilian, M.S.Ed is an academic advisor and an internship coordinator for the Department of Communication in the College of Humanities at the University of Utah. May 18, 2021 The College of Humanities at the University of Utah has consistently received positive reviews from new students who attend our summer orientation. Student survey responses have included insights such as, “Assistance with creating my academic schedule made me a lot more comfortable,” “How to fulfill general education requirements ...

The Problem of Bias in Technology

By Chris Miciek posted 05-11-2021
By Chris Miciek Chris Miciek is director of the Career Development Center at Thomas Jefferson University. May 11, 2021 Editor’s Note : This blog post is a review of the documentary “ Coded Bias ”, written and directed by Shalini Kantayya . The year 2020 gave us, among other things, “The Social Dilemma,” a documentary featuring a long line of white male tech entrepreneurs lamenting what they claim were naïve contributions to our technological present that often reduces humans to eyeballs and data points. While it was an eye-opening documentary for many, the film rightly faced criticism for its contributors essentially shrugging and asking, “Who ...

Diversity Hiring and Authenticity at Work

By Lyn Leis posted 05-04-2021
By Lyn Leis Lyn Leis is associate director of Career & Faculty Partnerships at Mercy College. Opinions represented here are her own. May 4, 2021 Recently, a student came to our office for some feedback on his application for a highly coveted student leadership program at a prestigious firm. These leadership conferences and institutes have been used for at least a decade to attract diverse talent from the college student pool to cultivate for employment at their companies. As we reviewed our student’s application, a few questions raised red flags for the career center staff, myself included. Most concerning was a required question that asked students ...

My Experience as a NACE Volunteer

By Stephanie Reyes posted 04-27-2021
By Stephanie Reyes Stephanie Reyes is senior associate director of the Career Center at California State University - Fullerton. April 27, 2021 I’ve been a NACE member since 2015 and can’t thank the association enough for all the volunteer experiences I’ve had, which have been so integral to my leadership development. When my NACE membership began in 2015, I didn’t have a leadership title, but I knew I wanted one. Not only did I want to be a leader within the institution I worked for at the time but for NACE as well. I was fortunate enough to have started out my career with amazing leadership, many of whom volunteered for NACE in some capacity. When ...

The Value in Volunteering

By Jay Killough posted 04-20-2021
By Jay Killough Jay Killough is the director of the Texas Tech University Career Center. April 20, 2021 Growing up in Clovis, New Mexico, my first opportunity to volunteer as a young kid was through my grandfather with Meals on Wheels. I will be honest and say it was not my choice to volunteer, but I begrudgingly went along with his request. I remember riding around town in his old, dusty El Camino delivering meals to those in need. My grandfather was a retired educator in town and well known in the community. I can remember the joy on people’s faces as we delivered their meal for the day, which led to small talk and catching up on the hot topic of the ...

Raise Your Hand: Volunteerism

By David Ong posted 04-13-2021
By David Ong April 13, 2021 David Ong is senior director for talent acquisition for Maximus. He is currently president-elect of NACE and assumes the role of president in July 2021. When the team at NACE approached me to author a blog about my journey as a volunteer for NACE, a flood of memories came to mind, and those memories are accompanied by feelings of pride, joy, accomplishment….and admittedly a little stress on occasion as my tenure as the next president of NACE draws nearer. But hey, isn’t that typical when any of us are taking on a new responsibility? My volunteer experience was admittedly not something that came to me immediately. I joined ...

NACE Is Celebrating National Volunteer Appreciation Month

By Cecelia Nader posted 04-01-2021
April 1, 2021 Cecelia Nader is senior executive and volunteer administrator for NACE. April is National Volunteer Appreciation Month. We hear it all the time—volunteers are the backbone of an organization. I know from personal experience that for NACE, this is most certainly true. I’ve had the pleasure of working with NACE volunteers for almost 17 years. I’ve always been struck by the extent of our members’ generosity in contributing their time and talent. When called upon, they are all in—sharing knowledge and supporting fellow professionals. NACE’s culture is itself one of giving and nurturing. It’s what our members do every day. So, it’s not a stretch ...

When the Winds Shift: Navigating Career Velocity, Part 2

By Janet Long posted 03-23-2021
March 23, 2021 Dr. Janet Long is executive director of career design and development at Widener University. This is the second of two parts. Read Part 1 . “I shall stay until the wind changes.” -- Mary Poppins Last week, I wrote about how to recognize the three progressive stages of shifting career winds. To recap, Part 1 focused on the earliest signs—breezes—where you are no longer as mentally present in your work, are often bored, and may remain busy while feeling uninspired. In this second of two parts, I’ll explore the mid-signs—occasional gusts—and the later signs, when winds are whipping, again drawing on parts of my own transition to illustrate ...

When the Winds Shift: Navigating Career Velocity, Part 1

By Janet Long posted 03-16-2021
March 16, 2021 Dr. Janet Long is executive director of career design and development at Widener University. This is the first of two parts. “I shall stay until the wind changes.” -- Mary Poppins Most people agree that change is not easy. In job market speak, career transition often implies change without choice. The phrase “in transition” itself has an ominous ring, transparent code for I’m between jobs and need to land now . Yet if you are willing to listen for and even embrace the changing winds, career transition can be both self-propelled and empowering. This first of a two-part article will look at how to recognize the signs and stages of shifting ...