Career Advisor and Liaison

Mission
We are a community committed to preparing students to be educated and enlightened citizens who lead productive and meaningful lives.

Vision
To be the national model for the engaged university: engaged with ideas and the world.

Who We Are
Established in 1908, James Madison University is a comprehensive public institution offering undergraduate, masters and doctoral programs to more than 20,000 students. JMU is regarded as one of the finest regional universities in the nation and has been continuously cited in U.S. News and World Report, Changing Times and Money Magazine as an outstanding public university. Located in the heart of Virginia’s beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the city of Harrisonburg is approximately 120 miles from Washington, D.C. and Richmond, VA. Known for its livability, diversity, local food, arts and natural surroundings, this Virginia Main Street community is a great place to live and work.

The Career Advisor and Liaison provides a full range of direct service, programming, and decision-making support for students is selected academic areas or for populations such as alumni, honors college students, or graduate students. This position requires a high level of engagement with students, faculty and employers for the purpose of helping students grow professionally and achieve their career goals.

Career Advising:

• Help students explore careers and develop effective search strategies to identify internships/experiential learning, jobs, and graduate/professional school programs.
• Assist students with the development of materials such as resumes and cover letters by providing instruction and feedback.
• Facilitate students’ understanding of the personal characteristics (skills, interests, values, personality, and preferences) that shape career and academic decision-making and exploration of options.

Career Outreach and Programming:

• Present on a variety of topics to help students with career readiness goals, including resume writing, interviewing, job/internship search, graduate school preparation, evaluating job offers, etc.
• Identify and create opportunities for students to connect with employers and alumni, through events for networking, panels to learn about careers, career treks or other experiential learning opportunities.
• Help plan and implement career fairs and other related events.

Teaching:

• Teach UNST 102 (career and academic planning) or other related courses as needed as a means to supporting students in their development of goals and introduce avenues for gaining experience to achieve these goals.

College or Affinity Group Liaison:

• Serve as the primary connection between UCC and Alumni Relations for the purpose of providing career decision-making, career readiness, and job search support to individual alumni and alumni groups.
• In collaboration with the Coordinator of Diversity and Inclusion, serve as the primary connection between UCC and offices and organizations associated with under-represented students for the purpose of providing career decision-making, career readiness, and job search support.
• Gather and disseminate career information, talent acquisition trends, and emerging hiring needs using approaches adapted to best serve the needs of the students and academic disciplines represented.

Employer Engagement

• Communicate with employers that indicate an interest in students in your liaison area to connect them with possible opportunities (student org presentation, classroom presentation, invite to an event, etc.)
• Reach out to employers (suggested by faculty or students in your liaison area) to encourage participation in recruiting at JMU

Required:

1. Master’s degree in college student affairs, counseling, higher education or related field.
2. Knowledge of strategies and techniques used in advising, counseling or coaching college students or young adults on career, academic or personal matters.

Preferred:

1. Understanding of student, identity and career development theories, models and best practices, especially as they are applied to career development and decision-making.
2. Demonstrated ability to effectively connect and communicate with a variety of stakeholders, including under-represented students, faculty across a variety of disciplines, alumni, and employer representatives.
3. Demonstrated ability to develop, facilitate, present and evaluate student development, career-related programs.
4. Ability to teach first-year students in a traditional classroom setting, or virtually should the need arise.
5. Demonstrated ability to work effectively as a member of a diverse and vibrant team, to collaborate with others to achieve common goals, and to support departmental and divisional initiatives.

To apply go to https://joblink.jmu.edu/postings/8648 or visit JobLink.jmu.edu and reference posting number F1572. Pay Range: Commensurate with Experience.

James Madison University is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or veteran status.