Building a Career-Ready Campus:
Our Career Ecosystem Approach
Rutgers is advancing a career-ready campus—an integrated career ecosystem—through a shared vision, clear strategic priorities, and a common framework and language for career readiness. Together, these elements align academic and co-curricular experiences to help students build skills, gain experience, and successfully pursue their post-graduation goals.
Our Vision for a Career-Ready Campus
Rutgers’ commitment to building a career-ready campus is grounded in a strategic vision to ensure every student connects their experiences to meaningful career outcomes.
The Career Journey Model and Career Readiness Competencies provide the shared framework that advances this vision across the university.
Strategic Priorities
Rutgers is advancing a career-ready campus through six interconnected priorities:
First-Year Career Integration
Integrating career development into first-year experiences through structured courses, guided reflection, and early exposure to career pathways—helping students begin connecting their interests, strengths, and experiences to future goals while building confidence and awareness early in their Rutgers journey.
Highlighted Initiative: First-Year Interest Group Seminars
Career Mentoring at Scale
Expanding access to career mentoring through a coordinated ecosystem of programs that connect students with alumni and industry professionals—growing cohort-based models, scaling mentorship opportunities, and helping students build confidence, networks, and professional connections across their Rutgers journey.
Highlighted Initiative: Scarlet Career Mentoring Network
Career Readiness Across the Student Experience
Embedding career readiness throughout the classroom and student experience through coursework, student organizations, leadership opportunities, and on-campus employment—helping students connect experiences to career readiness and skill development.
Highlighted Initiatives: SEE Program & Faculty Career Fellows
Industry Engagement & Applied Learning
Expanding access to internships, co-ops, and industry-aligned experiences by strengthening employer partnerships and connecting students to applied learning opportunities including class projects, capstones, simulations, case competitions, and internships.
Highlighted Initiative: Scarlet Career Incubator
Tailored Career Engagement
Delivering personalized career preparation, networking, and engagement opportunities that connect students with relevant industries, employers, alumni, and career pathways aligned with their interests, goals, and career aspirations—while helping students build confidence, connections, and professional direction.
Highlighted Initiative: Scarlet Career Communities
Post-Graduation Career Pathways
Advancing strong post-graduation outcomes by connecting students and recent graduates to employment, graduate education, and service-based or military opportunities recognized by NACE as positive career outcomes that provide meaningful experience, continued growth, and long-term career momentum.
Highlighted Initiative: Scarlet Career Bridge Programs
Strategic Priorities In Practice
Rutgers is already advancing this work at scale through high-impact programs and initiatives across campus.
These efforts directly support the strategic priorities above and demonstrate progress at scale.
2,000+ students annually — First-Year Interest Group Seminars (FIGS)
80 students per cohort — 4WARD Career Pathways mentoring (expanding with new course)
130 paid internships annually — Scarlet Service Internship Program
400+ students / 700+ attendees — Student Employment Enrichment Program + On-Campus Jobs Fair
Faculty Career Fellows program — high-demand program with a growing waitlist
Career Journey Model: How Students Progress
The Career Journey Model outlines how students progress from exploration to post-graduation outcomes. This framework connects the strategic priorities above—spanning classroom, co-curricular, and experiential learning—to a shared pathway that helps students build skills, reflect on their experiences, and make informed decisions.
About the Career Journey Model
A four-phase model that connects student experiences across campus to career development and post-graduation outcomes.
Discover Yourself
Identify interests, values, and strengths to build a foundation for career exploration.
Explore Careers & Pathways
Connect interests to majors, careers, and opportunities through informed exploration.
Develop Skills & Competencies
Build and apply NACE career readiness competencies through hands-on and applied experiences.
Pursue Your Goals
Prepare for and secure post-graduation opportunities through strategic action and planning.
Career Readiness Competencies: A Common Language for Skills Employers Value
Developed by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), these competencies define the skills students need for career success and lifelong learning.
Career readiness competencies are primarily developed through applied experiences and serve as a common language that help students reflect on and clearly articulate their growth across the Career Journey.
About Career Readiness Competencies
Eight core competencies developed by NACE that define the skills students build across the Career Journey Model.
Career & Self-Development
Continuously develop yourself through reflection and lifelong learning.
Communication
Clearly and effectively exchange ideas, information, and perspectives.
Critical Thinking
Analyze information and make informed decisions to solve problems.
Equity & Inclusion
Engage and collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
Leadership
Recognize strengths and guide others toward shared goals.
Professionalism
Act with integrity, accountability, and awareness of workplace expectations.
Teamwork
Collaborate effectively with others to achieve common goals.
Technology
Use technology strategically and ethically to enhance your work.
Put This Into Practice
Explore how you can contribute—through teaching, supervising, or leading student experiences.