College and Career Navigator

Posting Details

Posting Detail Information

Posting Number S01776 Position Title College and Career Navigator Internal Position Title College and Career Navigator Department Student Recruitment and Onboarding Position Type Staff Job Family Specialist Job Summary
The College and Career Navigator actively recruits and engages with prospective students, their families, area high schools, local employers, and community partners to build awareness of college options, foster a college-going identity, and create connections to CLC, as one of the top choices in higher education. The College and Career Navigator serves as a point person for prospective students exploring college and career options and has an established caseload of incoming students who have committed to enrolling at CLC . The College and Career Navigator is responsible for providing a personalized, culturally relevant onboarding experience for incoming students through a holistic approach to student support during college and career exploration activities, field of interest and college selection, academic readiness and financial literacy activities, and successful transition to first semester enrollment.

CLC offers a competitive salary, excellent benefits that currently includes BlueCross/BlueShield of Illinois health, Delta dental and Superior vision insurance plans, tuition support for employees and qualified family members, three retirement plans, disability, group and supplemental life insurance, health and dependent care flexible spending account plans, a four-day work week in the summer (Fridays off!), generous vacation, sick and personal time off and 14 paid holidays each year.

The College of Lake County ( CLC ) is a comprehensive community college located in northeastern Illinois committed to being an innovative educational institution providing life-changing paths for our students by offering exceptional learning experiences.

The college is widely recognized for student success, business and community partnerships and for the achievements of our faculty, staff and alumni. Long-known as an employer of choice in Lake County, CLC was ranked #15 on the Forbes list of Top 100 Employers in the State of Illinois for 2019. Required Qualification
1. Bachelor’s degree, preferably in a related field.
2. Experience in higher education or higher education institution, secondary education, and/or human services.
3. Strong oral/written communication and interpersonal, presentation, computer (word processing, internet, email, database) and organizational skills.
4. Ability to work flexible hours including some evening and weekend hours, consistent with student and program needs.
5. A valid driver’s license.
6. Ability to work effectively and constructively with persons of diverse cultures, language groups, and abilities; demonstrated sensitivity to and ability to work with diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds of high school and community college students, faculty, and staff. Desired Qualifications
1. Master’s Degree in a related field.
2. Experience working with community college, and under-represented students. Some may be underprepared.
3. Bi-lingual in English and Spanish. Posting Date 05/23/2022 Closing Date 06/03/2022 Expected Start Date 06/13/2022 Special Instructions Summary Pay Rate $47,488 Full-Time/Part-Time Full-Time Location Grayslake Total Hours per week 40.00 Work Schedule
4 days at High School Sites
1 day in CLC office
Weekends and evenings, based on student & program needs Software Testing Required Powerpoint, MS Word Interview Process Requirements Presentation EEO Statement
The College of Lake County is an equal opportunity employer and has a strong commitment to diversity. In that spirit, it seeks a broad spectrum of candidates including minorities, women and people with disabilities. EOE /AA/M/F/D/V Summary of Essential Functions
Student & Customer Service – 65%
1) Recruitment and engagement of prospective CLC students
- Develop and execute outreach and recruitment activities in support of the college’s integrated marketing and enrollment plan
- When working with prospective students, ednicate the benefits of college, build awareness of college and career options and pathways, and foster a college-going identity through one-on-one, group, and written methods through the use of asset-based language,
- Customize delivery of information to meet the needs of varying audiences including high school students, parents, high school counselors, local employers, and community organization partners.
- Connect prospective students to alternative methods of exploring CLC’s offerings, such as on-campus tours, virtual tours, experience days, or other events highlighting academic programs and career options.
- Utilizes college and career exploration tools and one-on-one coaching to build student confidence in their decision to attend college and to pursue a specific field of interest.
- Build prospective student perception of CLC as a top choice in higher education by linking student’s field of interest and career and educational goals to academic programs at the college.
- Execute targeted communication strategies and campaigns across multiple communication modalities (call, email, text, mailings, in-person appointments) to facilitate the student decision to attend CLC .
- Design and execute recruitment and outreach events such as parent programming in high schools, college and career readiness workshops, and returning to education information sessions for working adults.
- Assist with student application to CLC and support the student’s choice of CLC .
2) Academic advising
- Apply “appreciative” (strengths based) and “advising as teaching” approaches to help students determine, discover, design and create a pathway to their academic, career, and completion goals.
- Assess students’ academic abilities and level of career decision focus based on their previous academic record, intake assessment responses, career exploration tool results, and Placement Assessment results.
- Help students select a field of interest or a program of study.
- Create a holistic academic plan with the student, ensuring all credit for prior learning has been received, that aligns with the student’s academic and career goals.
- Advises students for first semester course selection and assists with registration.
- Maintain detailed advising notes in a shared notes system.
- Embed cultural competence in advising practice.
- Maintain currency of FERPA regulations and advising professional standards.
- Provides seamless hand-off from onboarding advisor to field of interest advisors for continued holistic support through graduation.
3) Transfer guidance
- Connect student to FOI Advisor for transfer guidance and planning to assist with the decision to attend CLC and to incorporate transfer school admission and major requirements into students’ academic plans.
4) Career exploration
- Guide students through career exploration tools to assist in career identification and connect to fields of interest and academic programs at the college.
- Apply career coaching/career development facilitator training skills and concepts.
- Collaborate with faculty in the FOI regarding careers and connect students with faculty mentors as appropriate for career exploration.
- Connect students to Career and Job Placement Center, as appropriate.
5) Financial planning
- Ensures the creation of a financial plan with the student by connecting student to financial aid options, financial literacy resources and educating the student about payment options and procedures.
- Collaborate with Financial Aid in understanding various funding opportunities including scholarships and grants.
- Provide appropriate referrals
6) Support students on developing success skills, academic skills and navigating personal situations that impact the decision to enroll and academic outcomes
- Effectively navigate conversations with potential students to discover the student’s story and identify potential internal and external obstacles or barriers to enrollment. Work with student to identify solutions through resources available at the college and elsewhere.
- Begins academic skill preparation through referral to additional testing preparation services, online modules, and workshops.
- Create an environment in which students strengthen their self-advocacy, ownership, decision making, critical thinking, and goal setting skills.
- Promote healthy approaches to balancing the demands of college, work, and family to students.
- Develop relationships with FOI department and corresponding academic units, the outreach and on-campus experience team, financial aid, student records, registration services, and the welcome and one stop center.
- Serve on college committees and governance as approved by the Director.
Project Leadership – 25%
1) Case management of incoming students
- Build rapport and regularly communicate with students who have made the decision to attend CLC from their point of acceptance through the first day of classes.
- Through the use of phone calls, email, text, in-person meetings, and mailings, guide incoming students through the remaining tasks to prepare for enrollment, such as placement, accessing financial aid, evaluation of prior transcripts, etc.
- Provide and ensure completion of just-in-time orientation modules to meet individual students’ needs during the onboarding process.
- Celebrate students’ achievements and completion of activities and onboarding milestones
- Utilize data and technology to run proactive communication campaigns to assist students at different points in onboarding.
- Utilize analytics to subdivide caseloads into tiers based on need in order to deploy efforts in a more equitable and effective manner; designate highest-need students for intensive support and regular touchpoints during onboarding.
- Track students’ progress by closely monitoring onboarding activity and registration data in real time.
- Maintain currency in computer/technology skills including Case Management Technology, PeopleSoft, Target X, career exploration tool, iTransfer.org and Microsoft software.
2) Assisting students with development of a personalized success plan
a) Responsible for assisting students from pre-recruitment through first semester advising
3) Connect students with CLC community and support services
- Link student to campus services and resources based on personalized intake data and feedback during one-on-one conversations. Conduct a personalized transfer and follow up. Document referrals and outcomes.
- Encourage students to engage in co-curricular opportunities related to their FOI and personal goals.
- Link students to academic and student life experiences (internships, study abroad, clubs and organizations, jobs, fitness and wellness, etc.) that meet personal interests, goals, and needs.
4) Collaborate with other departments to ensure a high-quality recruitment and onboarding experience for students
5) Collaborate with high schools to ensure embedded college and career navigator responsibilities
Department Operations and Procedures – 10%
1) Participate in professional development activities
2) Management of database tools (PeopleSoft, TargetX, etc.)
3) Work closely with PR/Marketing to identify email campaign opportunities
4) Collaborate with non-traditional student populations (Adult education, other nontraditional)
5) Participation in on-campus experiences as needed Posting Specific Questions - supplemental questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

1. * Do you have a Bachelor’s degree, preferably in a related field?
   • Yes
   • No
2. * Do you have a valid driver's license?
   • Yes
   • No
3. * Do you have experience in higher education or higher education institution, secondary education, and/or human services?
   • Yes
   • No
4. * Are you bilingual in Spanish and English?
   • Yes
   • No
5. * Do you have a Master’s Degree in a related field?
   • Yes
   • No
6. * Do you have experience working with community college, and under-represented students. Some may be underprepared?
   • Yes
   • No

Applicant Documents
Required Documents

1. Resume
2. Cover Letter
3. Unofficial Transcript 1

Optional Documents

1. Unofficial Transcript 2