OU Career Center Renews Mission With Expanded Services
The Career Center at the University of Oklahoma, formerly known as Career Services, is modernizing its comprehensive approach to aiding students in career development and job searching. This evolution includes a name change, an increase in staff, additional office spaces, and the introduction of a new services model for advising and employer engagement.
The center’s re-envisioned “Career Communities” model utilizes an industry-focused approach to a student job search, which expands the scope of full-time and internship opportunities for every student on campus while better preparing them to enter the workforce.
“Preparing students for life as a graduate is a key priority at OU, and our strategy to reimagine how we guide our students on a path toward career success will have a significant impact on their futures,” said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. “Providing our students with a best-in-class Career Center not only helps position them for a life of fulfillment, it supports our broader efforts to ensure OU is meeting the workforce needs of our state.”
New Name, New Strategy
The most noticeable change is the rebranding that comes with a new name: the University of Oklahoma Career Center. The name suggests the office’s approach to becoming a comprehensive center for professional development and career advancement strategies that goes beyond traditional career advising.
“Career Services has officially rebranded as the University of Oklahoma Career Center, which better reflects our 360-degree model of professional development for our students and the modernization of our approach to meeting the recruiting and branding needs of our employer partners,” said Robin Huston, director of the OU Career Center.
Increased Space and More Staff
The current office spaces for the Career Center, located inside Oklahoma Memorial Union, are being renovated to make room for a staff that will eventually nearly double in size, larger offices and two workstations. The increased number of enclosed offices will allow staff to consult with more students privately during their advising sessions. The renovation is slated to begin during the fall 2022 semester.
Additional staff positions will enhance the student experience in many areas.
An Experiential Learning Coordinator will work with employers as well as faculty and staff on campus to source new experiential learning opportunities for students.
Career Coaches will work directly with students and will help expand the center’s reach on campus. New Employer Relations staff will help create new events and programming for students, as well as assist with the development of new employer partners to increase recruitment of OU students.
A Data and Assessment Coordinator will help tell the story of what OU students do, where they find employment or if they create their own ventures when they graduate. These stories are incredibly valuable in helping the center gauge how they can improve their processes to be of better service to their student population.
“This investment in the Career Center displays the commitment the University of Oklahoma has both to the state of Oklahoma and the world at large,” said Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students David Surratt. “In a competitive market, OU students and alumni stand out thanks to the dedicated staff that provides individual advising, professional networking, development of key intrapersonal, social and cognitive skills, and employer and industry connections.”
New Networking Opportunities
One of these new advising methods is “Career Communities,” which serve as networking opportunities for students to meet and leverage relationships with other students interested in the same group of industries.
This offers students the power to explore careers across six general areas, instead of focusing on a major-based job search. One community is Business, Finance, Consulting and Entrepreneurship; another is Health, Wellness, Life Sciences and the Environment; while another focuses on Media, Marketing, Communication and the Arts.
Students can opt in to as many Career Communities as they choose, giving them access to tailored job feeds, professional development tips and targeted opportunities to connect with employers.
These communities help students narrow their career goals into manageable and relevant fields of interest. There is an adviser assigned to each community to help guide students as they explore these fields.
Student Outreach and Engagement
In addition to these added services and new developments, a popular Career Center event is coming back this fall.
“Careerapalooza” is returning this year and will feature food trucks and games designed to introduce students to the Career Center, Career Communities and the many other career resources available to them. Students must join at least one Career Community to get a ticket for a free lunch from one of three food trucks.
Careerapalooza will be held from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 1. More details will be available closer to the event date.
With so many changes to the OU Career Center on the horizon, be sure to visit their offices in the Oklahoma Memorial Union or online at ou.edu/career. For questions or additional information, email the Career Center at careercenter@ou.edu.
