Career Development Toolkit Wins Award for Technology Innovation
We're excited to announce that Cornell Career Services has won the first-ever Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers (EACE) Innovation in Technology award for the Career Development Toolkit. This award recognizes innovative, creative, and effective methods of delivering services through technology. The nomination was recommended by EACE Leadership and Recognition Committee and voted on by the Board of Directors.
The Career Development Toolkit came out of a need identified by Cornell Career Services (CCS) to expand our digital resources to build students’ career confidence by delivering engaging content even without their having to “know what to ask.” In 2020 CCS launched the Toolkit, a dynamic Cornell-specific career curriculum located in Canvas. The 290+ pages in 26 self-paced modules are structured around understanding yourself, exploring options, and taking action. We include custom-made interactive and reflective components and incorporate evidence-based techniques and theory. By putting career resources in Canvas, we minimize barriers to access and normalize the concept of “career education”. Users can see all content, even if not necessarily aligned with their academic field.
Foundational modules include Career Readiness, Career Exploration, Networking, Resumes, Cover Letters, Job/Internship Searching, Career Fairs, and Interviewing. Content experts contributed to Portfolios, Pre-Law, International, Finance, Consulting, and Data Science modules. We created pages in response to questions such as “How do I find inclusive employers?”, “How do I interact with recruiters?”, and “What happens in a background check?”. The online modules provide structure and are a powerful supplement to advising conversations and workshops, reaching over 8,900 students/alumni and counting.
Check out what current users are saying about Career Services and the Career Development Toolkit: “Career Services has been incredibly useful in assisting me with resume and cover letter crafting. Accessing the Career Development Toolkit on Canvas provided me with excellent examples of how to attack each phase of the process and advance goals further” said Max Goldrich, class of 2023. Others responding to our anonymous survey have noted the ease at which they can use the toolkit that is available 24/7; "I like the modules a lot, the easyish interactive questions are nice, it's like a little dopamine freebie while also learning something." Similarly, Career Services our Peer Advisor, Namisha shared "I love using the Career Development Toolkit because it's very organized, covers a lot of information, and gives very useful tips and tricks for applying to jobs!".
If you are a member of the Cornell community, please take a moment to check out the Career Development Toolkit. Our information page has links for alumni and FAQs. After you enroll, start exploring, and be sure to see the list of Toolkit contributors that made this resource possible.