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Product Update

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 […]

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 earned2who 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.

76.2% of students reported that connecting with members on PeopleGrove’s university career platform increased their confidence in their ability to be successful in the job market.

Getting Hired - Connect community and opportunities

Job Connections educates  learners on the power of leveraging connections in a competitive job market. We show them the people in their network associated with the jobs they are interested in pursuing. We then give learners the tools they need to take advantage of the connection, moving them closer to landing a good job.

With nearly 80% of jobs filled through personal connections, networking is vastly underestimated as a key to getting hired. Capitalizing on the successful networks our partner institutions have built and continue to foster, we identified an opportunity to connect these thriving communities to every job posted on the network. We did not set out to create another job board but looked to enhance existing systems like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Handshake. As a result, PeopleGrove displays jobs only if we can connect them to an alum or professional at that company or in that job title.  

We know the world is constantly changing, and workforce demands are evolving rapidly. That's why we are dedicated to staying ahead of the curve–with our cutting-edge technology. Investing in a platform where we bring high-impact learning experiences and guidance to learners throughout their career journey.  

Join us in our mission to ensure that every learner can successfully navigate to their next professional step in life. Connect your university network to career readiness and experience building.  Provide equitable access to social capital and opportunities. Support alumni with lifelong career resources and inspire them to give back to their alma mater. 

Learn More About Career Access 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

  1. 2021-2022 Social Capital Impact Report
  2. Super Mentors Book 
  3. PeopleGrove Definitive Guide to Career Access
  4. Learn more about our Explore Career Paths 
  5. Job Connections See how PeopleGrove gives your learners an unfair advantage in the marketplace. 
  6. Platform Promotion - Our constantly evolving PeopleGrove Marketing Tool Kit for Partners
  7. Product Tours See how Career Access comes to life
  8. Education and Training Resources Get the help and support you need.

Interested in Career Access?

Keep reading about this promising new concept in Career Access: Higher Education’s New Core Differentiator.

Read the Guide