Career Design Advisor and Business, Financial Services and Consulting Professions Specialist

OVERVIEW

Colby invites experienced, relational professionals to apply for this reimagined full-time Career Design Advisor and Business, Financial Services and Consulting Professions Specialist role housed within Colby’s nationally-recognized DavisConnects Office. Reporting to the Director of Career Design Advising, this professional will develop and lead Colby’s business, financial services and consulting professions advising system, educating Colby students about and collaboratively supporting their trajectories in those fields from a developmental and experiential standpoint. This leader will help students understand these fields, assess fit, build relevant skills and experiences, navigate competitive recruiting processes, and connect with alumni, employers, and opportunities. The Specialist 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 be successful in this position, an individual should be able to perform the essential duties and bring the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities that support the role. This list of duties is intended to be representative rather than exhaustive, and additional responsibilities may be assigned as needed.

Specialist Advising — Business, Financial Services and Consulting Professions (60%)

• Serve as the primary DavisConnects advisor to students and alumni interested in business, financial services and consulting, helping them assess interests, understand career pathways, identify opportunities, and develop plans leading to post-graduate success.
• Provide industry-specific guidance on internship and job searches, recruiting timelines, networking, resumes, cover letters, technical and behavioral interview preparation, case interviews, and other selection processes common to financial services and consulting.
• Design and deliver workshops, alumni conversations, employer programs, industry forums, job treks, and other experiences that increase students’ exposure to the professions and prepare them for competitive recruiting processes.
• Cultivate strong relationships with faculty, coaches, staff, alumni, parents, employers, and other partners to expand mentorship, experiential learning, internship, and employment opportunities for students.
• Maintain current knowledge of labor-market trends, recruiting practices, employer expectations, and emerging opportunities in business, financial services and consulting.
• Collect and use advising, program, and outcomes data to assess effectiveness, identify gaps, and inform continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with DavisConnects colleagues on communications and outreach that increase awareness of advising, programs, resources, and opportunities.
• Advise and support relevant student clubs and organizations and collaborate with student leaders to strengthen peer learning and access to career resources.
• Pending capacity and qualifications:
• 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.

Career Design Advising (30%)

• Advise a designated portfolio of students on career and life design, including exploration, self-assessment, experiential learning, opportunity searches, networking, application materials, interviewing, decision-making, and transition to post-graduate life.
• Contribute to a comprehensive advising model that supports students from exploration to action and provides consistent, high-quality advising across class years and professional interests.
• Create and deliver programs, workshops, drop-in advising, and resources responsive to student needs, including programming outside regular business hours when appropriate.
• Collaborate with academic and administrative partners to integrate career and life design into the student experience.
• Contribute to DavisConnects online and on-demand resources and participate in assessment of advising and program outcomes.

Connections and Opportunity Development (10%)

• In collaboration with the Industry and Community Partnerships team and the Director of Career Design Advising, engage alumni, parents, employers, and friends of the College to expand mentorship, internship, externship, and employment opportunities in business, financial services and consulting.
• Partner with external constituents on educational and recruiting events, including information sessions, interviews, job treks, panels, and networking opportunities.
• Help external partners understand effective ways to engage Colby students and broaden access to opportunities.

Position Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required. A graduate degree in a relevant field, or equivalent professional experience strongly preferred, along with demonstrated experience coaching, advising and/or mentoring individuals interested in business, financial services and consulting professions, whether in a formal or informal capacity. 
• Ability to coach students in clarifying interests, strengths, values, and goals and translating those insights into effective career decisions and action plans.
• Knowledge of labor-market trends, recruiting timelines, and hiring practices in business, financial services and consulting, or demonstrated ability to develop and maintain such expertise.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, presentation, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to build productive relationships with students, faculty, staff, alumni, employers, and other external partners.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities, programs, and deadlines in a dynamic environment.
• Team orientation and commitment to collaborating across DavisConnects in support of students and graduates.
• Commitment to expanding access to career information, networks, and opportunities for students with varied backgrounds and levels of prior exposure to financial services and consulting.
• Willingness to maintain a flexible schedule, including evening and occasional weekend programs and events.
• Comfort using career-management platforms, productivity tools, and other technologies that support advising and programming.