Cost-Efficient College Career Services

1. Cost-Efficient College Career Services Janet G. Lenz, Ph.D. Florida State University November 2008 China International Forum of Career Planning & GCDF Global Summit

2. Cost-Efficient Career Services • Designing career services programs • Organizational issues • Philosophical issues • Policy issues • Government & legislative mandates • Career services delivery cube • Staff competencies • Client needs • Intervention complexity

3. Synthesis of three career services dimensions:client needs, intervention complexity, staff competencies • Level ofClient Needs • Level of Competenciesand Skills ofCounselors and Staff • Level of CareerInterventionComplexity Source: Sampson, J. P., Jr., Reardon, R. C., Peterson, G. W., & Lenz, J. G. (2004). Career counseling and services: A cognitive information processing approach. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

4. Cost-Efficient Career Services Key question: • What can career practitioners do to help individuals, with diverse needs and motivations, to use appropriate resources in a timely and efficient manner to enhance their career problem-solving and decision-making skills?

5. Cost Considerations • Lack of literature in this area • Article by Reardon (1996) • Methods for analyzing costs related to service delivery • Costs of using various career assessments

6. The FSU Career CenterLinking Futures

7. FSU Career Center Mission The Career Center mission is to provide • comprehensive career services, • train career service practitioners, • conduct life/career development research, and • disseminate information about life/career services and issues to the university, the nation, and the world.

8. Curricular-Career Information Service (CCIS) • Career Center’s direct service delivery unit • Developed from an instructional systems point of view • Open to students and community members • Merged practice with theory

9. Cognitive Information Processing (CIP) Theory in Career Services • Both practitioner and client play an active role • “Expert” and client versions of concepts • Model is practical, easy to learn and apply, yet accounts for complexity • Emphasis on “getting inside the client’s head” to look at how information is processed • Ultimate aim is to enable individuals to become skillful career problem solvers and decision makers.

10. Translating Concepts for Client Use Pyramid What’s involved in career choice The content of career choice What you need to know The CASVE Cycle A guide to good decision making The process of career choice What you need to do

11. CIP Pyramid Domains Thinking about my decision making Client Version Knowing how I make decisions Knowing about myself Knowing about my options

12. CASVE Cycle - Client Version Knowing I Need to Make a Choice Knowing I Made aGood Choice C ImplementingMy Choice Understanding Myself and My Options E A Choosing AnOccupation, Program of Study, or Job Expanding andNarrowing My Listof Options S V

13. Readiness • The capability of an individual to make appropriate career choices taking into account the complexity of family, social, economic, and organizational factors that influence career development Source: Sampson, J. P., Jr., Reardon, R. C., Peterson, G. W., & Lenz, J. G. (2004). Career counseling and services: A cognitive information processing approach. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

14. Levels of Service Delivery • Self-Help Services • Brief Staff-Assisted Services • Individual Case-Managed Services

15. Self-Help Services • Guided by the user • Served in library-like or remote setting • High decision-making readiness • Little or no assistance needed

16. Brief Staff-Assisted Services • Guided by a practitioner • Served in library-like, classroom, or group setting • Moderate decision making readiness • Minimal assistance needed

17. Individual Case-Managed Services • Guided by a practitioner • Served in an individual office, classroom, or group setting • Low decision-making readiness • Substantial assistance needed

18. CIP Readiness Model • Complexity(high) • Low readinessModerate readiness • High degree of Moderate to low degree • support needed of support needed • (Individual Case-(Brief Staff-Assisted • Managed Services) Services) • Capability • (low) (high) • Moderate readinessHigh readiness • Moderate to low degree No support needed • of support needed(Self-Help Mode) • (Brief Staff-Assisted • Services) • (low)

19. Differentiated Service Delivery Model Individual Enters Brief Screening Self or Staff Referral Comprehensive Screening Self-Help Services Brief Staff-Assisted Services Individual Case-Managed Services Complete differentiated model of delivering career resources and services

20. Moving Between Levels of Service Readiness for career decision making can improve over time Persons can move between levels of service delivery Or, some individuals have difficulty in using resources and need more help, and move to a higher level of service

21. Service Delivery Tools Signage Map Diagnostic assessments Individual learning plans (ILP) Resource guides

22. Signage Effective signage helps users locate specific types of career resources Some signs can be color coded to match specific resource guides

23. Map Resource room map can help users locate appropriate materials

24. Initial Interview • “What brings you here today?” • “I would like to find information comparing the starting salaries of accountants and auditors.” • Concrete request with no problems apparent • No further screening needed -refer to self-help services

25. Preliminary Assessment • Screening instrument—usedto determine readiness for career choice and level of assistance needed, examples • Career Thoughts Inventory • My Vocational Situation

26. Formulate Goals & Learning Activities • Career practitioner and client develop goals to narrow the gap • Develop Individual Learning Plan (ILP)

27. Potential Advantages of ILP Use Promote collaboration between the career practitioner and the client Model brainstorming in problem solving Reinforces idea of career counseling as a “learning event” Reduces client anxiety about “what next?” Monitor progress Tracking client needs

28. Career Resource Room • Can be used with all types of clients • Trained library staff, including professional librarian • Career Key -Guide to career library resources • Uses Standard Occupational Codes (SOC) for classification Epstein, S., & Lenz, J. (2008) Developing and managing career resources. Broken Arrow, OK:National Career Development Association.

29. Career Resource Room • Career & educational planning information • Instructional modules • Occupational information • Multimedia resources • Employer literature • Job listings • Physical & virtual resources

30. Resource Guides Resource guides match needs with appropriate resources and services Specific career resources are related to questions commonly asked by students Resource guides include 2 – 4 recommended career resources or services for each topic

31. Career Resources Establish an optimum number of resources Number of resources should never exceed the amount of time available to train staff members on: Potential positive outcomes of using the resource General content of the resource How resource can be used effectively

32. Resource Guides Potential titles for resource guides: “Choosing a program of study” “Choosing an occupation” “Organizing a job search campaign” “Writing a résumé”

33. Self-Help Services in Career Resource Rooms • Keys to effectiveness • Classification schema & index • Resource guides • Clear signage • Physical environment

34. Career Resources in BriefStaff-Assisted Services • Initial interview • Career practitioner develops ILP with the individual • Individual executes ILP activities • Staff checks in periodically

35. Career Resources in Individual Case-Managed Services • Career practitioner remains with client in resource room • Taking advantage of the “teachable” moment • Process information • Monitor negative thinking

36. Use of Web Sites All levels of service delivery can make use of the Web site

37. Career Center Web Site Staff modeling of Web site use can stimulate information-seeking behavior In brief staff-assisted and individual case-managed services, specific Web site content can be assigned on the ILP

38. Services via the Internet • Matching site resources to user needs • Suggestions for using resources and links • Resources included have been evaluated and/or validated • “Safety net” provided

39. Virtual Career Resources

40. Staffing • Policy on which staff work in resource area • Staff schedule & staffing levels • Staff training & supervision • Use of paraprofessionals *Adapted from Sampson, J. P., Jr., Aspects of a successful career service. Available at: www.career.fsu.edu/techcenter

41. Summary • Consider types of individuals seeking services • Screen for readiness • Match service to needs • Consider design of physical & virtual resources

42. For Additional Information Janet G. Lenz, Ph.D. jlenz@fsu.edu www.career.fsu.edu/techcenter/ www.career.fsu.edu Appreciation is expressed to Drs. Robert Reardon & Jim Sampson for their contribution to these slides.