Career Advisor- Work-based Learning

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:
 

Grade: Professional 305Pay Range: $54,800.00 - $82,200.00

Job Description

Career Advisors provide comprehensive support in a collaborative, holistic, student-centered way to promote career development and engagement in work-based learning. Career Advisors vary the type, length, and intensity of support based upon student and alumni needs. Using technology, career advisors interact with students and alumni in one-on-one settings and develop tools and resources to help scale services. This role will directly support work-based learning (WBL) by coaching students on internships, micro-internships, project-based learning, and other hands-on career experiences, helping them identify, apply for, and maximize these opportunities in alignment with their career goals. Career Advisors also provide support on various high-level projects including collaboration with colleges, supporting the administration of WBL opportunities, partnership with Internship & Experiential Learning Managers, support of departmental initiatives, and general projects that support the growth of Career & Professional Development.

Primary Responsibilities Include:

Student Advising/Consultation:

• Provided high level, individualized career coaching to students and alumni, helping them define career options, develop job search skills, and construct actionable plans to achieve their career goals.

• Coaches students through mock interviews, salary negotiation and how to navigate delicate conversations with hiring managers.

• Advise students on opportunities to support career progression through work-based learning

• Provides education on effective job search strategies for students with various levels of professional and industry experience.

• Develops and delivers virtual workshops, seminars and other virtual live events on career related topics including application development, job-search strategies, career-related technologies, interview skills, career core competencies and readiness, with a focus on work-based learning.

Internship & Experiential Learning Coaching:

• Guide students through internship and experiential learning opportunities, including traditional internships, virtual or remote experiences, micro-internships, job simulations, and project-based learning.

• Support students in identifying work-based learning opportunities aligned with career goals and building competitive applications.

• Help students articulate internship and experiential learning outcomes in résumés, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, and interviews.

• Assess student readiness for experiential learning, creating individualized action plans to build skills and confidence.

• Collaborate with Career Advisors to co-develop and facilitate student-facing webinars, workshops, 1:1 coaching sessions, and resource guides.

College Liaison Support:

• Serves as an assigned college liaison providing support, information, and education to college specific stakeholders; stays abreast of assigned industry best practices on items such as: hiring, recruitment, and labor market information.

• On occasion, may provide support to employer relations team in facilitating virtual industry employer events for students and alumni.

Project & Initiative Support:

• Partners with internal stakeholders and colleagues in the development, execution, and management of departmental initiatives.

• Responsible for providing direct support on project deliverables including but not limited to resource development, serving as a SME, supporting employer relations and employer connection events, and more.

• Collaborates with Career Services Manager to design, scale, and evaluate internship and experiential learning programs, ensuring alignment with student career readiness goals.

• Work with colleagues who are “student obsessed” and keep the student in mind for every decision.

Administrative:

• Support with the development and administration of work-based learning opportunities.

• Attends virtual staff meetings, trainings, and other departmental related virtual gatherings.

• Follows up and completes required university administrative tasks such as required training, performance reviews, etc.

• Seeks out educational and professional development opportunities using LinkedIn Learning, NACE, ACE, NCDA, and more.

• On occasion, may be assigned other duties as needed to help drive to the vision, fulfill the mission, and uphold WGU’s and the department’s organizational values and leadership principles.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities You’ll Need to Be Successful:

• Possess the ability to increase student engagement in career counseling, coaching, and advising through a variety of formats including on-demand interactions, appointments, workshops, and self-service resources. 

• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively both orally and in writing; ability to communicate feedback in an encouraging manner

• Commitment to creating an inclusive environment, demonstrated experience working with a diverse group of constituents, students, alumni, faculty, and/or staff in a positive and effective manner.

• Assess incoming resumes for proper formatting, layout, sentence structure and content construction

• Accountable to maintain understanding of regional and national job/labor markets and able to advise students and alumni appropriately in their job search and recommend career-related resources

• Innovative and creative in coming up with ideas to enhance career service department offerings, processes and procedures

• Ability to embrace change and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, with demonstrated ability and comfort to handle multiple tasks and projects.

What You'll Bring (Minimum Qualifications):

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree

Experience:

• 3+ years of career services experience focused on work-based and experiential learning.

• Demonstrated knowledge of the business, It, healthcare, and education industries.

• Knowledge of career development gained through career services in a university or recruiting environment.

• Excellent communication skills, particularly phone, email, and video/web cam.

• Proficient and comfortable with new technologies and modes of service delivery.

• Ability to alter working hours to accommodate the needs of students and alumni.

Bonus Points For (Preferred Qualifications):

• 5 or more years of experience in graduate university career services.

• Knowledge of Salesforce, Handshake, Big Interview and/or other integrated career management and job database tools

• Experience in coaching students through experiential learning opportunities, including internships, micro-internships, job simulations, and project-based learning

• Understanding of best practices in developing, managing, and assessing experiential learning programs that align with career readiness goals

• Strong knowledge of career development frameworks and industry trends to support experiential learning integration into student career plans

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.

• Required a workspace that is free from noise and distraction.

• Ability to work a student friendly schedule. Evenings and weekend hours are required (8-10 hours outside of normal working hours).

Travel:

• This position requires occasional travel of up to 15%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year). Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed. Additional travel may be assigned as needed to support business requirements.

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Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It’s not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.