Assistant Director, Career Services @ Columbia University

February 8, 2021

Position Summary

The Mailman School of Public Health is seeking an Assistant Director for its Office of Career Services, reporting to the Assistant Dean of Career Services.

The Office of Career Services (OCS) is committed to supporting Mailman School students and alumni with the career education process. Our services and resources are designed to help students/alumni develop and refine their career exploration and career management strategies; provide infrastructure to support successful job searches, both while students are attending school and after graduating; and effectively market students and alumni and the School to many different employers.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES 

The Assistant Director will provide one-on-one career counseling/advising appointments for students and alumni of the Mailman School of Public Health, including:

  • Resume and cover letter reviews and editing
  • Practice interviewing, salary negotiation advising
  • Career counseling and decision-making
  • Job search research and referrals to career resources

The incumbent will also plan and teach workshops on a variety of topics, including resume writing, job search correspondence, interviewing, job fair preparation, networking, and social media for the job search.

The incumbent will also assist with logistics for large-scale events including two job fairs per year, on-campus presentations by employers, networking events, our yearly Washington DC Career Week, and other programs. Additional responsibilities may include designing and managing alumni-student networking or volunteer programs, assisting with program evaluation and reporting, and other duties as assigned; as well as conducting marketing and communications efforts including assisting with our weekly newsletter, editing content for the website, editing Youtube videos, and conducting outreach to students and employers via LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and outreach via student groups and professional associations and events.

The Assistant Director will actively work with Mailman students and alumni to help them create a strategic and holistic approach to achieving their short and long term career goals. The successful candidate will be an energetic self-starter who provides career guidance and support to students at all stages of their graduate academic experience.

Responsibilities

Resume and cover letter reviews and editing

Practice interviewing, salary negotiation advising

Career counseling and decision-making

Job search research and referrals to career resources. 40%

The incumbent will also plan and teach workshops on a variety of topics, including resume writing, job search correspondence, interviewing, job fair preparation, networking, and social media for the job search. 20%

The incumbent will assist with logistics for large-scale events including three job fairs per year, on-campus or virtual presentations by employers, networking events, our yearly Washington DC Career Week, and other programs. Additional responsibilities may include designing and managing alumni-student networking or volunteer programs, assisting with program evaluation and reporting, and other duties as assigned. 20%

Oversee marketing, communications and outreach efforts, including social media outreach via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, updating websites, editing videos for YouTube, conducting outreach via student groups and clubs, contributing to and editing our weekly newsletter sent via Mailchimp, and assisting with employer outreach. 15%

Perform other related duties as assigned - 5%

Minimum Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree or equivalent in experience, training, and education, plus 3 years of related experience. A Master's degree may substitute in part for experience.
  • Experience providing career services, preferably in a higher education or private practice career coaching setting.
  • Must have experience/knowledge of resume writing, interviewing, recruiting, and LinkedIn.
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills, including strong knowledge of grammar, are important.
  • Commitment to providing career services to a culturally sensitive and diverse population.
  • Must be able to provide a minimum of 3-4 hour-long student appointments per day, in a fast-paced, sometimes high-volume environment.
  • Must have experience and confidence with public speaking and presenting/designing workshops.
  • Strong organizational and project management skills.
  • Demonstrated skill in establishing cooperative working relationships with staff of all levels, faculty, academic personnel, employers and alumni.
  • Ability to choose, conduct and interpret formal and informal career assessment tools and other interactive strategies to assist students in clarifying values, personality traits, interests, and skills. Experience in selection and use of appropriate counseling/coaching interventions and responses to elicit and teach decision making and goal setting.
  • Knowledge of online tools and other resources for career exploration.
  • General knowledge and the ability to rapidly acquire additional knowledge of the world of work, including employer recruiting strategies, job market trends, occupational, career and employment information sources.
  • Experience with marketing and communication via social media.
  • Enthusiasm, passion, sense of humor, collaborative mindset, ability to provide encouraging yet realistic career advice to students, and most importantly, deep commitment to providing the highest quality of career services is crucial.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Preference will be given to individuals with a Master's degree in counseling, HR, higher education administration, social work, psychology, student development, or a related field. Strong preference given to candidates with experience working with nonprofit sector and government job searches, international affairs/global health, and/or public health, healthcare, or medical fields.
  • Experience with online recruiting systems, social media, and Excel; and knowledge of career assessments including Myers-Briggs, Strong Interest Inventory, etc. a plus.
  • Strong preference for candidates with experience working with students at the Master's and doctoral levels; experience with diverse student populations, including Black, Latinx, Indigenous and students of Color, students with disabilities, and LGBTQ students. 

Columbia Mailman School of Public Health is deeply committed to promoting diversity, advancing equity and fostering a culture of inclusion. Therefore, we invite applications from marginalized and equity-seeking groups. Persons with a disability may contact the Human Resources department to request accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process.

Apply here.