What’s Your Career Access Strategy?

A Closer Look at the Game-Changing New Features of PeopleGrove

This one hits home for me. I am a mom to two college students (almost – my youngest is set to graduate high school in June). The data is clear: the value of their college education and their post-graduate success hinges on access to meaningful career development—for my daughters and the other 15 million US undergraduates.¹ I'm proud to work for a mission-driven organization that's disrupting the status quo, ensuring career access is available for all. 

Job Connections is the game changer even LinkedIn can't compete with. As featured in our most recent Product Innovations Webinar, we highlighted how data and insights informed the development of Job Connections. Social capital, high-impact experiences, and lifelong access to career learning opportunities are the backbone of career access.

This product innovation boosts colleges’ and universities’ ability to amplify networking opportunities within job postings, maximizing a student’s (and alumni’s) success by leveraging the number one way jobs are earned² — who you know. As a Product Marketer, I work to ensure institutions know how our innovative products support learners during some of the most critical times in their college career, like deciding on a career path and navigating getting hired. My role is fulfilling because we tackling some of the most complex and pressing issues facing  Higher Education by driving innovation. 

PeopleGrove encourages learners to cultivate social capital, engage in meaningful experiences, and enjoy lifelong access to career resources - all under one platform roof.  Every college and university’s strategic plan includes connecting classroom to career and defining a path to a good job with post-graduation employment. Therefore, it benefits institutions to understand how a Career Access Platform operates.  It may be just the strategic differentiator they need  to boost enrollment. Additionally, a Career Access Platform can improve the ROI of a degree and keep alumni engaged and supported long after graduation.  

Let’s look at what we presented in our Innovations Webinar.

Career Ready - New tips and templates

The goal is to teach learners how to network and nurture professional connections beyond a 30-minute informational interview. It is important they know how to turn these interactions into job shadowing or referrals. The product update includes in-app tips and templates to guide learners on appropriate multi-step follow-up, which can significantly impact their success and foster professional relationships.

Gain Experience - New learning pathways

How to find a Super Mentor is outlined in two step-by-step learning pathways designed by Georgetown professor and author Eric Koester. Koester teaches learners how to become a successful mentee by focusing less on advice and more on collaboration. The goal is to empower learners to ideate and find Super Mentors who guide, advise, and work with them on projects. This way, every student can access critical professional expertise. Expertise that will help them find  employment success by leveraging real-world experience in interviews with employers.