"Career Design Advisor and Creative Professions Specialist"

Job Details

Department: Student Advancement

Pay Rate Type: Salary

Employee Type:

Job Summary:

Colby invites qualified student-centered professionals to apply for this inaugural full-time Career Design Advisor and Creative Professions Specialist opportunity housed within Colby’s nationally recognized DavisConnects Office. Reporting to the Dean of DavisConnects, this professional will develop and lead Colby’s creative professions advising system, educating Colby students about and collaboratively supporting their trajectories in those fields from a developmental and experiential standpoint. The Career Design Advisor will also have the opportunity to provide generalist, exploratory career development coaching to a designated portfolio of students and, pending interest and capacity, teach an associated January Plan course.

Essential Functions

To perform successfully in this position, an individual must be able to perform essential duties satisfactorily as well as possess education/experience, employ the knowledge, skills, and abilities as listed in representative fashion. This listing of essential duties is not all-inclusive, but representative; other duties may be assigned.

Exploratory/General Career Design Advising (30%)

• Advise a designated portfolio of students on career-readiness, exposing them to potential career paths and helping them assess interests, identify and access experiential learning opportunities that translate their liberal arts education into tangible roles and responsibilities aligned with their evolving goals, interests and aspirations;
• Design and deliver effective career and professional development programming and resources responsive to student needs;
• Contribute to the content of the DavisConnects’ resource library, website, and on-demand resources;
• Stay informed on employment trends, industry standards, hiring practices, and career development strategies to effectively guide students;
• Maintain records of student advising and collaborate on metrics reflecting advising and programmatic outcomes;
• Collaborate with and support the efforts of the other members of DavisConnects in preparing students for success in their paths through and beyond college.

Specialist Advising– Creative Professions (60%)

• Serve as the primary DavisConnects advisor to students and alumni interested in creative professions including, without limitation, arts, communication and media professions, helping them assess interests, explore opportunities, and refine a plan leading to post-graduate success.
• Provide guidance on industry-specific and geographically specific approaches to the opportunity-seeking process, including advice on resumes, cover letters and interview technique (including behavioral, technical, and instructional) as well as key strategies and considerations appropriate for particular countries and regions of the world.
• Facilitate workshops and manage programs for target populations, field immersion experiences (e.g. off-campus job treks and opportunities to explore fields), and topical workshops and industry/community forums.
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with internal partners (e.g. faculty, coaches, and staff) and external stakeholders (e.g. alumni, parents and community partners) to facilitate collaborative mentorship of students and broad access to creative professions paths.
• If the Advisor is interested and has capacity,
  • advise and support the efforts of Colby’s student organizations with affiliations to the creative professions, including arts, communications, and media;
  • teach a JanuaryPlan course to Colby students relevant to the Advisor’s subject matter expertise and pertinent in bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Global Connections (10%)

• Develop new relationships, nationally and internationally, to expand Colby’s global network of alumni, parents, and friends of the College. In collaboration with the Industry and Community Partnerships team, secure access to academic year, summer, and post-graduate experiences (e.g. internship, externship, research, employment, and graduate school) relevant to the creative professions. Engage new connections in the development of national and international programming and experiential opportunities, including January Plan courses and mentorship.
• Collaborate with the Director of Fellowships and the Global Education Opportunities team to expose students and alumni to nationally and globally-competitive fellowships and other experiences aligned with their goals, interests and aspirations.

Position Qualifications

Education and/or experience:

• A graduate degree in a relevant field, or equivalent professional experience, plus experience teaching, coaching, advising and/or mentoring individuals interested in the creative professions including, for example, the arts, media and communications;
• Exceptional interpersonal, coaching, communication and problem-solving skills;
• Ability to recognize strengths and clarify the interests and values of students and alumni while assisting them in making informed decisions about their life after college;
• Excellent strategic planning, leadership and organizational skills;
• Commitment to developing innovative approaches to delivering excellent service;
• Experience in creating partnerships with and working creatively and effectively with broad constituencies;
• Team-orientation with an interest in collaborating with other members of DavisConnects in preparing students and graduates for success beyond college;
• Willingness to maintain a flexible schedule as needed, to accommodate evening and occasional weekend programs.
• Familiarity and experience using Microsoft Office and social media.

Physical/Mental Demands

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform essential functions of this position and/or may be encountered while performing essential functions. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• To successfully perform the essential functions of this position, an employee must be able to maintain appropriate confidentiality with regard to employee and student data, documents, issues, etc., and respect privacy needs of students and employees with regard to the same.
• The ability to comply with highly inflexible deadlines is required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position; there will be multiple occurrences of sudden, urgent task completion required.
• There may be occurrences of students, families, employees, members of the general public, and others who express opinions, may exhibit strong emotions, which will require the employee to interact professionally, diplomatically, and appropriately in such situations.
• While performing the essential duties of this position, an employee would frequently be required to move around the office space as well as within hallways, meeting rooms, and other parts of the campus facilities.
• There may be multiple/daily instances of prolonged personal computer use which would include keyboard and/or mouse usage as well as viewing a computer monitor.
• An employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, and ability to adjust focus.
• The overall work environment requires the mental ability to shift focus quickly due to interruptions; an employee must be able to mentally track multiple projects and tasks as well.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate; however, there may be unexpected instances of somewhat loud sounds.

To Apply:

Interested candidates should apply electronically by clicking the “Apply Now” button on the Colby College website. Please upload a cover letter and resume to your application.