Job Description Summary

As a valuable member of the department’s education team the advisor designs, teaches, evaluates, and advises students on career readiness and professional development through various learning opportunities, services, courses, and high-impact practices. This involves:
● working with students of all majors and diverse backgrounds
● coaching students on career direction and potential opportunities
● teaching students the knowledge, methods, and skills required to secure and maintain employment (co-ops, internships and full-time)
● assisting students who wish to pursue graduate studies
● meeting students individually, in groups, online and during classroom formats as appropriate.
The advisor will report to the director of career services. In the future, the position may report to an assistant director.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities (other duties may be assigned)

Core functional position-specific duties

1. Maintain a schedule of office hours to meet with students.
2. Conduct career assessments with students and explain results or identify experts.
3. Collaborate with faculty, industry practitioners, student affairs colleagues, and experts to design, facilitate, and evaluate career readiness and professional development experiences that will equip Tech students with the skills, NACE-based competencies, and other strategies that promote career success.
4. Design, facilitate, and evaluate workshops that teach students how to develop cover letters, résumés, application packages, and portfolios.
5. Teach and advise students through all stages of the job search, including self-assessment, career exploration, industry recruiting processes, various types of interviewing, job offer negotiations, and decision-making.
6. Identify, maintain, use, and refer students to tools and resources related to the job search process and success in the workforce.
7. Advise students on how to prepare for career fairs and other recruiting activities.
8. Assist the team to plan and execute events.
9. Revive the career coaches program within the colleges.
10. Serve as a guest presenter on career readiness and professional development competencies (e.g., in classes, residence halls, at orientation, and to student groups).

Responsibilities common to all student affairs professional staff

1. Apply safety-related knowledge, skills, and practices to everyday work.
2. Actively engage in creating an inclusive, welcoming, and professional work environment for staff, students, and visitors.
3. Collaborate with appropriate stakeholders to ensure that services delivered to students are audience-specific, timely, culturally-relevant, needs-based, aligned with leadership’s priorities and student learning outcomes, and can be evaluated.
4. Leverage relevant social media platforms and other marketing and outreach strategies to promote and increase attendance at events.
5. Maintain a positive and professional attitude while carrying out responsibilities.
6. Identify and propose appropriate professional development opportunities to enhance knowledge and skills.
7. Participate and actively engage in university continuous improvement initiatives and strategies and apply knowledge to everyday work.
8. Assist with collecting program data and other evidence to better understand student needs, student learning, and programmatic formative and summative outcomes.
9. Ensure that office databases and other record-keeping systems are updated, accurate, and audit-ready.
10. Support and assist department and divisional leaders in efforts to enhance brand, operations, services, visibility, and impact internally and externally, especially within the profession.
11. Perform other mission-critical and position-specific duties as requested based on operational needs (e.g., all-hands-on-deck events such as orientation, welcome week, homecoming, commencement, and other university traditions).

Required Education, Certifications, Licensures (minimum requirements)

● Bachelor’s degree.

Required Experience (minimum requirements)

● Three or more years of related experiences as described in the "core functional position-specific duties" outlined in the essential duties and responsibilities section.

Desirable Education and/or Experience

● Master’s degree
● Performing related duties in a higher education setting
● Industry experience
● Teaching experience
● Handshake and Career Fair Plus experience or similar platforms
● Experience working with diverse students, e.g. STEM, graduate-level, under-represented, and international

Required Knowledge, Skills, and/or Abilities (minimum requirements)

To maximize our effectiveness and success as a division and to serve as campus leaders in developing staff talent, student affairs at Michigan Tech adopts the following core required knowledge, skills, and/or abilities for all positions:

Skills:

1. Communication skills: ability to communicate effectively with individuals across racial, ethnic, cultural, and other boundaries and styles through interpersonal, oral, written, and group presentation modalities.
2. Self-management skills: ability to manage time effectively, learn and fully contribute to overall departmental tasks and goals, and offer suggestions for enhancing contributions to organization.
3. Project coordination skills: ability to lead or contribute to planning or organizing projects, programs, services, etc.
4. Conflict resolution skills: ability to use interpersonal skills to develop and maintain positive professional relationships with individuals from various diverse backgrounds and experiences, and resolve differences with colleagues, students, and others.
5. Analytical skills: ability to analyze complex information and offer sound recommendations.
6. Computational skills: ability to perform basic mathematical computations to assist with financial operations and/or data collection, analysis, and reporting.
7. Computer skills: proficiency with word processing and spreadsheet software, preferably Microsoft Office or Google Suite.

Abilities:

1. adhere to work attendance requirements.
2. model self-care and well-being for colleagues and, most importantly, students.
3. manage emotions, function effectively, and make sound decisions in stressful and crisis situations.
4. handle multiple projects in a timely and professional manner in a fast-paced and results-oriented environment.
5. promote and achieve diversity, equity, and inclusion of multi-racial/ethnic, low-income, LGBTQ+, veteran, non-traditional, online, disability, first-generation, and others.
6. be flexible, diplomatic, patient, service-driven, and a self-starter.
7. work independently under limited supervision and in teams.
8. make reasoned administrative and procedural decisions and judgments on sensitive and confidential issues.
9. work evening and weekend hours based on operational need.

Desirable Knowledge, Skills, and/or Abilities

To maximize our effectiveness and success as a division and to serve as campus leaders in developing staff talent, Student Affairs at Michigan Tech adopts the following core desired knowledge, skills, and/or abilities for all positions:

1. Preparatory knowledge: coursework- or work-based knowledge of student development theories, learning theories, and other theories related to profession.
2. Student knowledge: knowledge of generational college students and the ability to design generation- and audience-specific programs/events/services.
3. Accountability: experience with applying formative, summative, qualitative, and/or quantitative methodologies to assessing student learning outcomes and/or evaluating programs and services.
4. Multimedia experience: ability to collaborate on or design brochures, event flyers, and/or newsletters and develop and manage social media accounts.
5. Reporting experience: experience with program databases or software programs used to track, monitor, and report services to students.
6. Ability to plan and execute programs and services based on social justice, cultural responsiveness, anti-racism, and civility.

Work Environment and/or Physical Demands

WORK ENVIRONMENT:
● Moving small to medium-sized boxes of materials in and out office during special events
● Fast-paced
● Results-oriented
● Accountability-driven
● The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Personal Protective Equipment: None Required

Required Training and Other Conditions of Employment

Every employee at Michigan Technological University will receive the following 4 required trainings; additional training may be required by the department.

Required University Training:

• Employee Safety Overview

• Anti-Harassment, Discrimination, Retaliation Training

• Annual Data Security Training 

• Annual Title IX Training

Required Departmental Training: 

● Ongoing professional development to be determined

Background Check:

Offers of employment are contingent upon and not considered finalized until the required background check has been performed and the results received and assessed.

Other Conditions of Employment:

The successful applicant will be responsible for ensuring eligibility for employment in the United States on or before the effective date of the appointment. Visa sponsorship is unavailable at this time. This is not an E-Verified Position.

Michigan Technological University is an Equal Opportunity Educational Institution/Equal Opportunity Employer that provides equal opportunity for all, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities

1.00

FLSA Status

Exempt

Appointment Term

12 months

Shift

Pay Rate/Salary

No less than $50,000

Title of Position Supervisor

Director of Career Services

Posting Type

Dependent on Funding

Special Instructions to Applicants (if applicable)

Please upload a cover letter, résumé, and three references (preferably one from a supervisor), ideally as a single PDF document.
Position will remain open until filled. Screening and interviews may begin immediately.
The screening process may also include a self-assessment of required and desired skills, abilities, and experiences.

Additional Information

Michigan Tech is an internationally renowned doctoral research flagship university located in Houghton, MI. Houghton is located in Michigan's scenic Upper Peninsula on the south shore of Lake Superior. The area provides a unique setting where natural beauty, culture, education, and a diversity of residents from around the world come together to share a superb living and learning experience.

We embrace our winters and cherish our summers with an unapologetic spirit of resilience and adventure. We attract students and employees who love “the great outdoors” and are comfortable with not having amenities usually associated with large communities.

Michigan Tech is an ADVANCE institution, one of a select group of universities in receipt of NSF funds in support of our commitment to increase diversity and the participation and advancement of women in STEM.

Michigan Technological University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer/educational institution. Applications from women and minorities are encouraged.

The Character of the Division

The division of student affairs at Michigan Tech is devoted to student success from enrollment to commencement. We are dynamic and culturally-responsive. We guide, support, and, on occasion, challenge students as they develop, refine, and pursue their academic, career, and personal endeavors. All staff are responsible for creating a safe, welcoming, diverse, inclusive, respectful, and caring environment for students, colleagues, and visitors. We seek skilled and diverse colleagues who are student-focused, self-motivated, and will embrace and respect who we are and what we do. We also seek colleagues committed to moving the division forward towards prominence and influence on campus, nationally, and within the student affairs profession. Titles and responsibilities are subject to change in accordance with university policies and procedures to meet the needs of our students, the university and division, the state of Michigan, employers, and the profession.

Before applying, we encourage interested individuals to spend time learning more about who we are, our values, and what we do: https://www.mtu.edu/student-affairs/.