Career Specialist Shadowing

Kylie Cianciolo
 For my Junior Experience, I shadowed Caroline Walker, a Career
Specialist, at the Corporate College West Campus (CCW) of Cuyahoga
Community College. Cuyahoga Community College provides higher
education with an opportunity to earn an Associate’s Degree.
 The dress code is considered business casual.
The expectations involved with having the title of a Career Specialist
include providing a professional approach in assisting students with
their career path difficulties as well as job planning.
The qualifications require, at the minimum, a Bachelor's degree but a
Master’s degree is preferred. Also, having the title of a Certified
Professional Resume Writer is recommended.
Interview Questions
 1) What skills are required in 2) What parts of your job do you
your position on a day-to-day find most challenging?
basis?

Communication, multi-tasking, Prioritizing is the most

and prioritizing are major skills challenging factor with this
required on a day-to-day basis. position.
 3) What do you find most 4) Are there any negatives to
enjoyable? your job?

Caroline finds working with The daily schedule is difficult

students as the most enjoyable because there is a different
part of her job. sequence everyday. The
position is part time but acts
as a full time job.
 6) Which seasons of the year
5) How many hours do you work are toughest in your job?
in a typical week?

20 hours The start of the semester

and the end of the
semester are the most
challenging times.
 7) How would you describe the
corporate culture?
The corporate culture is very
interactive. Other co-workers are
not out to sabotage your
success.
8) Are too many or too few
people entering this profession?
There is a very steady number
of people entering this
profession.
 9) What developments on the
horizon could affect future
opportunities?
The future opportunities that
could be affected are based on
student enrollment as well as
“special students,” like College
Credit Plus students.
10) Where do you think changes will
happen in the next five years?
The CCW campus is
combining with the Westshore
campus so the atmosphere
may be slightly different. Also,
this position may become full
time.
 11) How frequently do layoffs 12) Why do people leave this
occur? How does it affect field?
employees’ morale?

Layoffs never occur; there is a Most people leave this position to

sense of job security. The transfer to another position within
morale that is typically shown is the college or they receive a
confidence. promotion.
 13) Who are the most important
people in the industry today?
The students are the most
important people in the industry
because if there were no students
there would not be a job. There
needs to be a connection between
the employer and the student for
success to be reached.
14) Which companies have the best
track record for promoting women
and minorities?
The post-secondary education field
is dominated by women. There is
only a small amount of men in
roles that are not considered an
executive position.
 15) Are there opportunities for 16) What would be a reasonable
self-employment in your field? salary range to expect if I
Where? entered this field? What is the
long-term potential?

A self-employment opportunity is The entering salary range would

becoming a resume writer. You be in the $30,000. The long
would be able to do this from an term potential could be working
online or in-person standpoint up to become the President of
from various public locations. the college or a Dean.
 17) What is the advancement
potential in the field? What is the
typical path?
The advancement potential can
include becoming an Associate
Director. There is no typical path.
Many of the employees that work
in Student Services have degrees
in broad majors, some including:
Marketing, Spanish, Biology.
18) How did you get your job?
Caroline interned at Baldwin
Wallace College and was soon
offered a job within Baldwin
Wallace. Soon after, she felt
she needed to open a new
chapter so she applied to Tri-C.
19) How long does it take for 20) What is the background of
managers to rise to the top? most employed in this field?

It depends on where you are Most have a background in a

currently in your career. It is specific higher education
estimated to take ten or more subject, human resources, or
years. recruiting.
21) What educational preparation
would you recommend for
someone who wants to advance
in this field?
In this field, if you have a degree it
goes far. A bachelor’s degree is
recommended. A Master’s or PhD
is also a way to gain higher
positions within the career.
22) What qualification do you
seek in a new hire?
A new hire should be able to
work well with others,
problem solve, multi-task and
be able to provide quality
customer service.
 23) From what you know of me,
how well do you think I would fit in
this field?
Caroline claims I would be good
in following through with the
things that I commit to.
24) How does your company
compare with others in the
industry?
There is a large number of
incoming students each year
compared to 4 year schools.
There is not a typical student plan
at Tri-C because every pathway is
unique.
 25) Does your work involve any
lifestyle changes, such as
frequent travel?
No, there is only minimal travel to
local high schools and other Tri-C
campuses.
26) What personal attributes are
essential for success in this
industry?
Communication and
organization are essential
for success in this industry.
27) Think about the most successful employees, what was it
about their character, work ethic, abilities, and performance that
made them exemplary?

The factors that make them exemplary are their attention to

detail, they follow through on their commitments, and they
provide good customer service to help students obtain their
future goals.
Problem & Solution
 Problems that a Career Specialist at CCW faces
on a daily basis
The biggest annoyance that Caroline faces on a daily basis is finding a way to
inform students about the different career services that are offered at Tri-C. The
Career Services are often an overlooked department of the student services.

Solution for the Problem

I propose to create a prominent FAQ’s page for easy student
access since the information on the Career Services page is
more hidden. Many Tri-C students spend a large amount of time
on the Tri-C website researching classes and majors so it would
be beneficial to contribute to creating an easier way to view the
information.
Some of the FAQ’s I would propose are:
● Who do I contact to schedule an appointment?
● What services can the Career Center offer me? I proposed my ideas to
● Even if I do not have a career idea, should I Caroline. Caroline liked the
consider seeing a career specialist? suggestions and is going to
● What campuses are career centers located on? look into creating a section
Where are they located within those campuses? on the Career Center’s page
● Can they review my resume? Offer interview specifically for FAQ’s.
preparation?
● What workshops do they offer?
● Are there any online tools that I can use to
explore career opportunities?
What surprised you about the job? Would you
want to do that job?
I was surprised about the simplicity that the job offered in a very laid back
environment. I would consider doing this job, but after learning more
about Caroline’s background I am going to look into careers and degrees
involving non-profit opportunities.
Daily Journals
 Day 1
Date: April 23

Location: Corporate College West at Cuyahoga Community

College (CCW), Westlake Hours: 2.5 Tagged Categories:
Investigate, Communicate, Collaborate

Today, Caroline and I talked about her overall education and career
experience. We also explored MyPlan and completed the quizzes as part of
my career exploration under her guidance. MyPlan is a career testing site that
helps students discover their interests and then find career opportunities that
correspond with them. Caroline also explains the results that the test provides
to the student so she can assist them with creating a future plan.
Day 2
Date: April 24 Location: CCW Hours: 3.5

Tagged Categories: Create, Solve Problems, Investigate

Today, I shadowed and participated in a workshop that

Caroline presented on resume writing. This is a major
part of Caroline’s job as she reviews and works with
students to help them perfect their resumes.
Day 3
Date: April 30 Location: CCW Hours: 4

Tagged Categories: Investigate,

Communicate, Collaborate

Today, I attend an Interview Preparation

workshop that Caroline presented. Also,
Caroline showed me the office work and
scheduling routines that she does on a daily
basis.
Day 4
Date: May 3 Location: CCW Hours: 4

Tagged Categories: Communicate,

Collaborate, Investigate, Create
Today, I observed “Freshmen Day.” Caroline had a presentation about
general career services within the orientation. Also, I worked with
Brian, the Student Life Advisor. We discussed how the Student
Engagement department works closely with the Career Center. After
speaking with Brian, I feel for my problem and solution, there is not
enough information, such as FAQ’s, on the Tri-C website regarding
the Career Center.
Day 5
Date: May 6 Location: CCW Hours: 2

Tagged Categories: Create, Collaborate,

Serve, Communicate

Today, I sat in on four of Caroline’s resume

coaching sessions. I am including a picture with
the resume checklist as I did not feel it was
appropriate to take a picture with the students.
Day 6
Date: May 14 Location: CCW Hours: 4

Tagged Categories: Create, Investigate,

Collaborate, Solve Problems, Communicate

Today, I sat in on five of Caroline’s career coaching

appointments. Caroline then put me to the test of revising
the errors on my own personal resume. Finally, we
discussed the errors that I had made in comparison to the
other resumes she was correcting.
College/Career Fair
I looked into careers on virtualjobshadow.com
 Hospital
● Collects pre-surgical
Admissions information from patient- if it is
an inpatient procedure.
Representative ● Processes and organizes
patient information.
● Informs patients of general
information about the
procedure.
Substance Abuse
● Provide support for those who
and Behavioral are suffering from eating
disorders, alcoholism, drug
Counselor addiction, etc.
● Can also provide treatment.
● Employment rates in this field
are growing since the stigma
with mental health is lessening.
 Social and ● Assist social workers by
providing services that can
Human Services include psychology and
rehabilitation.
Assistant ● This job is expected to have a
higher growth rate within the
next few years.
● This directly corresponds with
nonprofit agencies as well as
government agencies
 ● This shadowing experience
followed the Executive of
Entertainment Marketing at
Best Buy.
Events Manager ● Coordinating events is a major
part of the job as well as time
management.
● Need to have extensive and up
to date knowledge with current
pop culture.