Running head: CAREER SERVICES

DeNeatria Robinson
Loyola University Chicago
Research Proposal: Career Services

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CHAPTER 1
Introduction

College represents a period of great transition where students start to make strides to
change and invest in their future. A common motive for students enrolling in higher education is
to better position themselves for a job in their selected career field post-graduation. Universities
have noticed the increasing need to not only provide guidance when picking classes, but to
provide guidance when students are picking majors and career paths. In 2006, researchers found
that students reported difficulties with making career decisions, increasing levels of
psychological distress, and declining levels of self-care and psychological well-being (Fouad,
Guillen, Harris-Hodge, Henry, Novakovic, Terry & Kantamneni, 2006). More and more higher
education institutions are creating career centers to provide resources that assist with the very
career decisions that seem to stress current college students, including but not limited to:
resumes, interviewing techniques, appropriate dress, and business etiquette. In the same 2006
study, researchers noticed that about half of the students enrolled at a particular university were
aware that a career center was present on their campus, however, even with this awareness, less
than half of the students actually used the career center.
The issue that comes to the forefront is the utilization of these resources by students. Do
students know about career centers? Do they have one? Do they know the resources provided?
More importantly, do they use them? These are all questions that shape the mission and outreach
methods of career centers every day. Though career centers have been around since 1940s and
1950s as a result of the G.I. Bill recipients (Casella, 1990), career centers still face the challenge
of creating a presence on campus. Being able to provide tangible results and research on the
outcomes of students who use these services has the potential to show students why these centers

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are actually worth a visit. As an optimistic result, stimulate more traffic towards these resources
and alleviate some of the anxiety many college students face in relation to career decisions,
interview preparation, and morale during job search.
Purpose of Study
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the utilization of
career centers on college campuses and student job placement immediately following graduation.
The question we seek to answer through this research is: Does the utilization of career centers
predict the likelihood of job placement for students post-graduation?
The Study
To collect quantitative data that will evaluate the frequencies at which students take
advantage of services offered by campus career centers and current employment outlook,
questionnaires will be used during this study. It is predicted that the data gathered will prove that
students who utilize campus career center services are more likely to find a job in their chosen
field immediately following graduation. The independent variable is visitation to the career
center and the dependent variable is job placement post-graduation.
Possible Implications
Research in this area will contribute to already existing research by providing data
referencing career outcomes for students who actively engage in professional development.
Results from this study have the potential to create new learning outcomes for student that are
professionally based or co-curricular. This study will further the field of career services in higher
education by encouraging institutions to create customized resources for students that will
benefit students post-graduation. In addition to creating an incentive to increase marketing and
outreach to students. By seeking out answers to the proposed research question; best practices of

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career centers, strategies for industry recruiters, and cultural capital of students can be
influenced.
Limitations
The potential limitations of this study are small sampling size, and limited diversity in
students and universities. First, since the students will be recruited at a graduating senior related
event or by promotion through a listserve, there is potential to reach a large population. However,
since there is no compensation or incentive provided to the volunteering participants, there may
be less individuals interested in filling out the questionnaire. Also, the study will take place at
two to four universities thus representing only a fraction of college seniors in the United States.
This leads to the next limitation, limited diversity. Since the presence of a career center on
campus is largely funded by campus financial resources, this can narrow the pool of possible
institution types. Additionally, there is an overrepresentation of predominantly White institutions,
which issues another challenge in collecting racially and ethnically diverse students. Finally,
there is a possibility that one or two particular majors or fields of study may dominant the pool of
applicants that volunteer for the study, depending on the university.
CHAPTER 2
Literature Review
There is not a vast bank of knowledge in the area of career centers. Though career
development services have national associations and academic journals, there is not a lot of
research that reviews the operations, missions, and developmental interventions of college career
services. However, the existing research available, shares three themes: Career services as a
part of higher education, trends in career services, and referrals. Each theme will be briefly
described separately to understand its significance in career services.

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Career Services as a Part of Higher Education. Overall, the general understanding of

what a career center focuses on goes without saying. However, literature is now looking at where
exactly does career centers fit in. In January 2010, the National Association of Colleges and
Employers (NACE) released an article stating that 64% of career service offices reported to the
division of student affairs, while 24% reported to academic affairs. Further investigation finds
that career centers have a range of organizational structures that vary between a centralized
model to a decentralized model in which there are various career centers on campus specifically
for a particular college of study. This is important because the mission and goals of career
services may fluctuate depending on administration and their views on the role of career services
within that institution.
Trends. Though there are not a lot of articles referencing the interactions that career
counselors have with students, there are plenty of articles addressing the trends in career
services. Specifically there is an overwhelming amount of information that looks at the history of
career services in our nation (Dey & Cruzvergara, 2014; Dey, & Real, 2010; McGrath, 2002;
Vinson, Reardon, & Bertoch, 2014). During the 1900-1920, what we call career services now
was fundamentally vocational guidance. This vocational focus was not just for American
citizens, but largely targeted new immigrates to the United States. In the period between 1920
and 1940 guidance was mainly given to teachers, also usually new immigrants. It was not until
the 1940s we started to see a concentration on job placement, which was stimulated by the
returning veterans and the G.I. Bill. Career counseling really started during the 1970s. Today we
are focusing on building connections and professional networks. Researchers are now starting to
notice the various organizational structure models of career centers but no detailed research has
yet been published.

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Referrals. The hugest discrepancy in the foot traffic in career centers is based on race.
White and Asian students are more likely to visit a career center than their Black or
Hispanic/Latino counterparts. This difference between racial groups continue to expand as we
look at how students are referred to the center. Research at a Midwestern university discovered
that 74% of Asian students and 70% of White student either self-referred or were referred to the
career center by someone close to them. Contrastingly, 67% of Black students were self-referred
or referred by a counseling center. Finally, 52% Hispanic/Latino students were referred by a
counseling service or someone close to them (Carter, Scales, Juby, Collins, & Wan, 2003).
Additionally, there is a concern in existing literature that career centers may not be
properly prepared to make referrals for other students in one of areas they are meant to specialize
in, career counseling. These concerns range based on various items, from inadequate funding to
viewing career services through a dominant narrative view. This can be seen in Scott, Belke and
Barfields (2011) article that address the lack of preparedness career and employment counselors
have when working with students who are transgender. A stronger sense of viewing the student
from a holistic perspective seems much needed in career services according to recent research.
Strengths in Current Literature. The strengths in the current literature is attention to
challenges that the career centers face while trying to gain the attention of students and get more
employers interested in coming to their campus. Also, recent research has shown interest in the
social justice aspect of career services and has explored what career resources are the most
needed or hardest to navigate based on identity lenses.
Weaknesses and Gaps in Current Literature. Current literature does not address the
learning or career outcomes for students after using career services. There are plenty of research
articles and national associations that list the various initiatives and resources provided in these

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centers, however, their effectiveness is not measured. There is also an absence of the student
voice in these studies. More qualitative studies exploring the concerns or apprehensions students
have that prevent them from taking advantage of career service resources
In the past, researchers Bullock and Jones (1999), very similar to the research question of
this proposal, wanted to get the opinion of students and evaluate how effective services provided
at the career center were. They utilized focus groups to gain qualitative information for data.
The data collected from the thirteen members of the focus group were used to create specific
programming and customize resources at North Carolina State University. Unlikely the Bullock
and Jones study, and similar studies, this research will be conducted at multiple universities and
measure student career outcomes versus experiences with the career centers. The research within
this study will both follow up previous research and lay the foundation for additional studies.
Researchers in the area of career services have primarily focused on gathering data from
one university because the qualitative results possess results rich in contextual information. My
research will build on top the previous research by expanding the scope to encompass multiply
universities. Thus, taking a step toward not making generalizations based on a very narrow
sampling of individuals. This research study will feel in the gaps left by the qualitative methods
used in previous studies. By asking questions that require definitive answers, the confusion of
interpreting participants responses are removed from the data analysis. Additionally, the use of
qualitative methods in the previous study limited the amount of time researchers could dedicate
to follow up and reproduction of the study. Though it is not the objective of this research, the
demographic information collected during this research will allow researchers to notice any race
or gender differences in students utilizing career center resources. This research, combined with

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existing research can create new trends in career services that benefit students, career counselors
and employers who seek to be in contact with both.
CHAPTER 3
Study Design/Methodology
Quantitative methodology was chosen for this research because it allows researchers to
examine the correlational relationship between the independent variable (career centers) and
dependent variable (job placement). Through the use of a quantitative predictive nonexperimental survey design, both factors can be answered with definitive responses to short
closed-ended questions. For example, when asked if they have ever utilized the services at the
career center, a student can only answer no or yes. The desire is not to gather information about
their experience with the centers, but to examine the utilization of its services.
For the purposes of this research, a quantitative method is the most relevant and
appropriate approach to answering the research question. Essentially, this method gives
researchers the ability to contact a wide range of students; gather fundamental information for
future qualitative studies; alleviate time restraints for both student and researcher; and record
existing behavior among students without manipulation.
Unit of Study/ Participants
The targeted sample for this study are graduating college seniors. Ideally this study would
occur at two to three universities. Within the selected universities, researchers hope to compare
various colleges or schools of study (i.e. School of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts, and
School of Business). Researchers are interested in seeing if one particular school of study
accesses career services more than another (i.e. School of Engineering vs. School of Business).

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The most relevant characteristics of the participants of this study are: graduating seniors and
attendance at an institution with a career center.
The participants will be selected using the non-random sampling technique, convenience
sampling. This sampling method is relevant because (1) only one classification or class standing
is need for this study and (2) convenience sampling allows for the recruitment of participants to
be easier. Participants will be recruited by using university listserves to contact graduating
seniors or at a senior specific event on campus (i.e. senior week event). Since the sample is of
convenience, demographics such as race, sex, and age will be collected in order to evaluate any
bias or over/underrepresentation in the study. The collection of this descriptive information also
always for replications or variations of the study.
Data Collection Tools/Instrument(s)
All data collected will be abstracted from the questionnaire given to the students, which
includes six to ten close ended questions. The questions will allow students to answer yes or no
with the exception of one question which will have a scale. The items on the questionnaire lists
questions with a behavior and attitude focus and represented all three time dimensions (past,
present, and future).
While constructing the questions for the questionnaire, much detail was paid to the
expected participants of the study. Since college students and busy and graduating seniors are
preparing for upcoming transitions, the questions were designed to be efficient, clear, and short.
Taking these three standards into consideration, questions used natural language, avoided double
negatives, did not included double-barreled questions, and only asked for responses that were
relevant to the objectives of the study. To encourage students to give honest responses, there was
much attention given to avoiding leading questions and ensuring that responses could be

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mutually exclusive. The rationale for the design choice is to ensure clear, accurate, and
efficiently gathered information for the study.
Reliability. To confirm the reliability of the questionnaire, it will be assessed through the
internal consistency reliability. Focusing on the topic of job preparedness the questionnaire
should represent a homogeneous test, at which Cronbachs alpha will be used to test the
reliability of the selected instrument.
Validity. The validity of the questionnaire will be confirmed through evidence based on
content. Each item on the questionnaire will be evaluated to see if the questions match my
research objectives, does not exclude important information, and does not contain any irrelevant
information.
Procedure
At two mid-size universities in the Midwest, researchers will work with administrators to
send out an email requesting participants for a short survey. The email will contain a link to the
online questionnaire, where they can fill it out without researcher presence. All results would
then be submitted back to one researcher to code. In the event that this option is not available,
researchers will request to attend an event on campus where senior students would be attending.
Researchers will hand out the questionnaire to students and requests that they put the forms into
a box (provided by the researchers) where the information could remain anonymous. Researcher
would then record and code this data at a different time.
Study Design and Rationale. The data will be collected using a quantitative predictive
non-experimental survey design. This design was selected because the research objective is to
predict outcomes for students through constructing a study. At the same time, researchers want to

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evaluate past and future, natural behaviors and knowledge. Therefor a non-experimental design
without an intervention was the most appropriate.
Confounding Variables. Since the group of participants may consist of one or two college
majors dominating the pool, we plan on recording participants majors and reaching out to
additional schools of study if necessary. Also, to avoid the potential confusion regarding whether
students were already confident about the job search process before utilizing career center
services, a question will be asking students how they felt about job preparation before attending
workshops and other resources by the career center.
Data Analysis and Interpretation
The data will be collected and displayed on multiple charts. First, there will be a
histogram that illustrates the independent variable of amount of visitations to the career center
and the dependent variable of job placement. Job placement will be reflected by the amount of
interviews students report having. Additionally, another graph will measure the independent
variable with the dependent variable of feeling prepared. Lastly, there will be chart recoding the
race, biological sex, and major of the students who feel prepared and have interviews lined up.
The data analysis used will be SPSS.
Conclusion
Something to be taken into consideration before doing this study is the community that
career center serves and how that affects that particular departments mission, goals, and
interactions with students. Also, some would want to consider the region(s) where this study is
constructed. Researchers would have to consider traveling expenses for others on the team, at
which point in the year will the survey be distributed and how this may and how accessible the
career center is for all students.

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The biggest challenge in writing this proposal was the procedure section. This is
primarily because I had already communicated that same information earlier in the document and
could not determine how that section should be written. However, I did learn that I am capable of
laying a foundation for what could potentially be a legitimate research proposal one day.

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Appendix A.
Questionnaire
Gender:
Race/Ethnicity:
Expected Graduation:
Major:

Have you used the career services?

Have you been to a workshop?
Do you have a job lined up after graduation?
Are you interviewing for jobs after graduation?
Are you about applying to jobs in your field?

Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No
Yes/No

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References

Bullock, M., & Jones, J. (1999). Beyond Surveys: Using Focus Groups To Evaluate University
Career Services. Journal of Career Planning & Employment, 59,4, 38-44.
Carter, R. T., Scales, J. E., Juby, H. L., Collins, N. M., & Wan, C. M. (2003). Seeking career
services on campus: Racial differences in referral, process, and outcome. Journal of
Career Assessment, 11(4), 393-404.
Casella, D. A. (1990). Career networkingThe newest career center paradigm. Journal of
Career Planning & Employment, 50(4), 3239.
Chesler, H. A. (1995). Proof of Worth: Career Services Help Leads to Better Jobs Faster. Journal
of Career Planning & Employment, 55, 2, 47-50.
Collins, M., & Allen, C. (2000). Key Trends in Career Services And College Recruiting. Journal
of Career Planning & Employment, 60, 4.)
Creager, M. F. S. (2011). Practice and Research in Career Counseling and Development2010.
The Career Development Quarterly, 59, 6, 482-527.
Dey, F., & Real, M. (2010). Emerging Trends in University Career Services: Adaptations of
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Dey. F., & Cruzvergara, C. Evolution of Career Services in Higher Education Evolution of
Career Services in Higher Education. New Directions for Student Services.
Fouad, N., Guillen, A., & Harris-Hodge, E. (2007). Need, awareness, and use of career services
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McGrath, G. L. (2002). The Emergence of Career Services and Their Important Role in Working
with Employers. New Directions For Student Services, (100), 69.

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Roth, S. E. (1994). The Role of Career Services within Student Affairs. Naspa Journal, 31, 3,
169-75.
Scott, D. A., Belke, S. L., & Barfield, H. G. (2011). Career Development with Transgender
College Students: Implications for Career and Employment Counselors. Journal of
Employment Counseling, 48, 3, 105-113.
Successful Students Tap Career Centers. (2007). Journal of Accountancy, 204(3), 17
Vinson, B. M., Reardon, R. C., & Bertoch, S. C. (2014). Career services at colleges and
universities: A 30-year replication study. Journal of College Student Development, 55(2),
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