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...and presents model that is delivered via distance education at one university. One of the major goals of the program presented is to ease the transition of college graduates to the workforce. The practical suggestions are appropriate for practitioners who work with this population, and they can be adapted for individual or group counseling.
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If asked why they are in college, approximately 75% of today's college students will quickly respond "to get a good job" (Brown, 1996; Rooney, 2003) or "to make more money" (Cooperative Institutional Research Program, 2002). In a society that is experiencing vast changes in the workplace, many college seniors will annually complete requirements for a baccalaureate degree, leave academic life behind, and begin the transition to the workplace.
As they begin the transition, they will face the complex demands of a new economy; a demanding, highly competitive job market; an increasingly diverse population; and ever-changing technology. Are they prepared for the challenges of the future? According to the students themselves, employers, and researchers, the students are definitely not prepared for the transition. Students and employers are demanding that universities do a better job of meeting their needs.
Students and parents are questioning the high cost and the value of higher education. Students have invested time, energy, and resources (their own and their parents') in the education process and, therefore, have high expectations regarding their future employment. They believe that employment will bring with it an increase in their living standards and means through which they can repay accumulated student loans (Sullivan, 1993). Because of these high expectations, and the particularly high level of instability during the semester that precedes graduation (Sanford, 1967), today's students are increasingly challenging career/employment counselors to meet their needs. At the same time, as researchers have previously pointed out, students who are seeking career counseling for assistance in writing a resume often require additional counseling time because they need more personal counseling (Burlew, 1996; Super, Savickas, & Super, 1996) regarding such issues as clarifying values and goals (Yost & Corbishley, 1987). In attempting to meet this need, university career services staff members become overwhelmed by the number of students seeking assistance. Additionally, career counselors nationwide are reporting an influx of alumni who are also requiring career counseling services (Giegerich, 2003). Therefore, students and university staff are challenging the university to increase the number of career programs that will be available to place graduates in good jobs quickly.
With a more diverse student population, it has become more important for counselors to assess and identify students' specific career needs. For example, an ACT survey recently reported that 41% of entering students indicated a need for help with educational and occupational plans (see Habley, 2001). Although these entering students had serious career concerns, one would expect them to have "achieved identity" (Marcia, 1991) and to have been prepared to cope with their developmental tasks by the time they graduate. Realistically, many continue to have a wide range of career concerns and a lack of workforce readiness. In fact, one fourth of all employees have been working in their current jobs for less than 1 year; the average tenure among American workers is 3.5 years (PQNDT, 2004). The balance between students' academic skills and the job-oriented competencies that they should have developed before graduation eludes many students.
In addition to the increasing internal demands of the undergraduate student body, corporate America has loudly voiced a need for qualified, prepared college graduates. Qualifying for an interview requires domain knowledge, which is often presumed to be a result of attaining a college degree...
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