The Placement Exchange Job Board

Senior Career Advisor, Doctoral & Graduate Students 

The University of Southern California Career Center seeks an experienced Senior Career Advisor, Doctoral and Graduate Students for a newly created position on our Career Engagement team. The primary responsibilities include leading scalable career services for 28,000 master's, doctoral, and postdoctoral students representing diverse disciplines. 

The individual will develop and manage relationships with campus partners and plan the annual Beyond the Ph.D. and Postdoctoral Career Conference and programming. This role is crucial in meeting the high student demand for graduate career advising appointments and managing website content. The incumbent will also serve as the Career Center's liaison to the University Park (UPC) and Health Science Campuses (HSC). The individual will foster partnerships with the Graduate School, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, alumni, employers, and graduate student organizations to develop, sponsor, and promote various career exploration programs. Additionally, this individual will collaborate with other campus career services offices and critical departments to maximize graduate student outreach. 

The ideal candidate will have experience in benchmarking, researching, advising graduate-level students, event planning, developing original career content, and leading graduate student engagement and programming for the Career Engagement team. The incumbent will demonstrate professionalism and strong written and verbal communication skills while advising students and recent graduates on the following career-related topics: 

• Investigate career paths
• Strategize graduate-level internship and job searches
• Develop competitive curriculum vitae, resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profiles
• Prepare for interviews and networking
• Negotiate graduate-level internship and job offers
• Maintain a professional online presence

Job Accountabilities: 

Career Advising:

• Understand challenges related to master's and doctoral students and postdoctoral candidates, including educating doctoral students about the many career opportunities beyond academia 
• Advise HSC master's students and UPC and HSC doctoral students, providing in-depth guidance on career-related matters and job search strategies 
• Administer career assessments, including the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Strong Interest Inventory, and other career assessments
• Produce original content for presentations, workshops, videos, web pages, digital handouts, social media, and other educational materials
• Write and update resume and curriculum vitae tip sheets and website content
• Create new presentations covering trending career topics for presentations to graduate students, alumni, and other key stakeholders
• Write, edit, and proofread precise, engaging, accurate, and compelling educational content and marketing copy in various styles appropriate to target audiences
• Remain current with recruiting trends and collaborate with the employer community for doctoral career opportunities
• Coordinate social media marketing, delivering content to engage graduate students, including hosting Instagram Live events
• Utilize good interpersonal communication skills, including active listening and collaboration skills

Program Development and Management:

• Plan and execute career events for small and large groups, including the Beyond the Ph.D.: Ph.D. and Postdoctoral Career Conference, and promote networking opportunities with alumni and employers seeking master's, doctoral, and postdoc candidates
• Communicate with academic schools to determine graduate career services and report to campus partners
• Recruit, train, and supervise graduate intern(s) 
• Advise domestic and international graduate and doctoral students and alumni through in-person, phone, and online appointments and enter advising notes into the career advising database
• Collaborate with the USC Graduate School, Graduate Student Government, professional associations, and other on-campus partners
• Represent the Career Center at graduate student events and professional associations
• Identify graduate student career resources and lead vendor relationships
• Serve as the Career Center's liaison to the USC University Park and Health Sciences campuses and create customized programming for this diverse student population
• Develop and conduct student and alumni career workshops, moderate panel discussions, and create structured activities for groups and individuals
• Stay current on career development trends, relevant on and off-campus resources, and related technology by actively engaging and presenting at professional workshops, seminars, and conferences
• Possess strong project management and organizational skills
• Perform other related duties as assigned or requested

Please note: 

• This position requires working some evenings and weekends and additional duties as assigned

All applications must include a cover letter and a resume to be considered.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

Doctorate in Humanities, Social Science, Education, or a related field

Experience:

• Career services counseling/advising in a not-for-profit four-year college/university setting
• Strong working knowledge of career development best practices for doctoral and postdoc students 
• Ability to research and quickly develop knowledge of employer recruiting strategies, job market trends, and occupational, career, and personal growth for doctoral and postdoctoral students
• Multicultural competencies: the ability to work with diverse populations, skilled in communicating effectively and professionally using tact and diplomacy, and the ability to work effectively as an individual, a team member, and with various groups
• Provide excellent customer service to diverse student and alumni populations
• Knowledge of technologies, including WordPress and Canva
• Knowledge of virtual career center platforms, including Symplicity, Uconnect, Brazen, and other platforms
• Strength in establishing and maintaining effective cross-campus collaborations, balancing competing priorities, developing, and implementing both large-and small-scale programs and events
• Ability to handle confidential information following FERPA regulations

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Education:

Bachelor's or master's Degree in Humanities, Social Sciences, Student Affairs, Human Resources, Education, Counseling, Social Work, or a related field

Field of Expertise:

Related education and experience in counseling, career services, and advisement

Experience:

Three to five years of experience in career advising and program management

The annual base salary range for this position is $74,152.25 - $84,460 . When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree Minimum Experience: 3 yearsMinimum Field of Expertise: Bachelor’s degree in counseling, higher education, human resources, or related field. Three years’ experience in career services, human resources, recruiting, or related industries, with some experience in a coaching or leadership role. Ability to manage, balance, and prioritize different tasks and projects. In-depth knowledge of federal immigration employment regulations and processes, interpreting and providing guidance as to their pertinence to international students. Advanced knowledge of employer recruiting strategies, job market trends, and occupational, career, and employment information sources. Superior level of professionalism, exceptional attention to detail, and exemplary written and oral communication and interpersonal skills. Demonstrated experience interacting with diverse groups, exercising diplomacy, good judgment, and discretion.

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