Building a Career-Ready Campus
“A career-ready campus integrates career development into the student experience through intentional collaboration.”
— William (Wil) Jones
Assistant Vice Provost & Chief Career Officer
About the Rutgers Career Ecosystem
The Rutgers Career Ecosystem brings together faculty, staff, and campus partners to embed career readiness across the student experience. Through this coordinated approach—spanning more than 200 campus partners—Rutgers connects academic and career development to help students explore pathways, build skills, and successfully pursue their post-graduation goals.
Your Role in Advancing Career Readiness
Career readiness is a shared responsibility across campus. Whether you teach, supervise, or lead, you play a critical role in helping students connect their experiences to the skills employers value. Select your role below to explore how you can integrate career readiness into your work.
Instructors: Integrate Career Readiness into the Classroom
Rutgers Faculty Career Fellows (FCF)
The Faculty Career Fellows program, offered by Career Exploration and Success in partnership with the Institute for Teaching, Innovation, & Inclusive Pedagogy, empowers faculty to connect classroom learning with the skills employers value most. This cohort-based program provides a $2,500 professional development/research stipend for completing the program.
Request a Classroom Presentation
Invite CES into your class for interactive sessions on career exploration, résumés, interviewing, or connecting majors to careers.
Curriculum Integration Support
Access lesson plans, reflection prompts, and sample Canvas modules aligned to NACE Career Competencies—or partner with CES on a syllabus refresh.
Integrate Online Career Tools
Embed career tools directly in your syllabus or Canvas site: Handshake activities, curated job feeds, and self-paced modules that extend learning beyond class.
Employer-Connected Class Projects
Partner with CES to connect your course or program with employers interested in short-term collaborations. We help faculty and staff design and coordinate employer-connected experiences—such as real-world projects, case challenges, or semester-long partnerships—that align with learning goals and bring industry perspectives into the classroom.
Integrate Career Discovery into First-year Transition Courses
Help students begin exploring their interests and goals early in their Rutgers journey. CES offers sample lesson plans and interactive presentations—adapted from our own First-year Interest Group Seminars (FIGS) and Students in Transition Seminars (STS)—that introduce career discovery concepts and tools. We can collaborate with instructors to tailor these sessions for other first-year transition courses, helping students connect academic choices with future pathways.
Transition
This work is part of a broader, shared framework for career readiness used across Rutgers—explore how it connects across roles.
Supervisors: Integrate Career Readiness into Student Employment
Student Employee Enrichment (SEE) Program
The SEE Program turns on-campus jobs into meaningful career development experiences. It provides supervisors with tools and training to help student employees connect their work to NACE Career Competencies, encouraging reflection and growth.
CES also hosts On-Campus Job Fairs to support student hiring and celebrates students and supervisors during National Student Employment Week each April, recognizing excellence in employment and mentorship.
Nominate a Student Employee for an Award
The Excellence in Career Readiness Awards are based on career competencies defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers—essential skills employers seek in college graduates. Developed through real-world experiences like on-campus jobs, each award category celebrates a key area of career readiness and the students who exemplify it.
Post On-Campus Jobs in Rutgers Handshake
Rutgers Handshake is the central platform for campus recruiting—posting jobs, scheduling interviews, and registering for events. Nearly 6,000 students log in weekly to receive personalized job recommendations and updates on on-campus opportunities.
For help posting positions, contact Catarina Caulfield or 848-445-7287.
Recruit at an On-Campus Jobs Fair
The On-Campus Jobs Fair connects Rutgers departments with students seeking on-campus employment. Hosted by CES Student Colleagues through the SEE Program, it takes place each semester within the first two weeks of classes and has drawn nearly 700 students.
Many roles emphasize high-impact experiences tied to NACE Career Readiness Competencies. Departments describe these connections during registration, helping students see jobs as career-building opportunities.
Reserve Interview Space
On-campus departments can reserve the CES Interview Suite or individual interview rooms—located in the Busch Student Center—at no cost, based on space availability. These professional spaces are ideal for conducting interviews for cohort-based graduate programs, single or multiple positions, or other recruitment needs.
To check availability or make a reservation, contact Zac Stager, Sr. Assistant Director of Recruiting Programs & Employer Engagement.
Transition
These efforts are part of a broader, shared framework for career readiness used across Rutgers—explore how it connects across roles.
Student Leaders: Integrate Career Readiness into Student Organizations
Student Organization Career Program Co-Sponsorship Fund
Student organizations can apply for up to $2,000 in funding to plan and host career-focused events that support student development. These events can include workshops, networking sessions, guest speakers, alumni panels, or skill-building programs designed to help students explore career paths and build professional competencies.
Funding is intended to encourage innovative programming that connects students with industry insights, practical experience, and career readiness resources.
Student Organization Reception & Employer Networking Dinner (SOREND)
This engaging evening includes a seated dinner, program updates, and scholarship and award announcements. It offers student organizations and employers a chance to connect, explore partnerships in programming, sponsorship, and mentoring, and network in a relaxed setting. Attendees will gain insight into how student leadership experiences translate into career opportunities while building meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships.
Request a Career Readiness Student Organization Presentation
Request a Career Readiness Student Organization Presentation to bring interactive career content to your group. Sessions cover resumes, networking, interviews, personal branding, and NACE Career Competencies.
Presentations are customizable to your organization’s goals and led by CES staff, helping members build practical skills for career success.
Transition
Across all roles, this work is part of a shared framework for career readiness used across Rutgers—explore how it connects across roles.
Strategic Priorities in Action
Rutgers is advancing a career-ready campus through the following strategic priorities:
First-Year Career Integration
Integrating career and self-discovery into first-year courses through career assessments and guided reflection. The CES First-Year Interest Group Seminars (FIGS) model currently engages more than 2,000 first-year students annually, with plans to expand to 3,000+ students while extending into additional first-year transition courses to maximize reach across first-year students.
Scarlet Career Mentoring Community
Expanding connections between students and industry professionals while advancing a coordinated approach to career mentoring across Rutgers. Across CES mentoring programs, the goal is to support 1,200 mentoring connections annually, while increasing awareness and alignment with additional mentoring programs across campus.
Student Employee Enrichment (SEE)
Embedding career readiness into on-campus employment by helping student employees develop and articulate key competencies. The program is currently piloting with approximately 400 federal work-study students, with the goal of expanding to all first-year federal work-study students.
Resources, Learning, and Data
Access tools, professional development opportunities, and data to support your work in advancing career readiness across Rutgers.
Expand Access to Career Resources
Rutgers is expanding access to career resources that support students and campus partners across the ecosystem—ensuring that career readiness is accessible, visible, and integrated into the student experience.
Donate professional attire for students preparing for interviews and career fairs.
Refer students to free professional headshot sessions.
Connect students directly to CES staff for personalized career support.
