By Lisa Kuiper and Christine Fader

Transitioning from post-secondary studies to next steps has always been an exciting but somewhat anxious time for students.  With the pervasiveness of online media, terms such as “gig economy” and “precarious work” have entered the lexicon of students and their parents and are influencing how they view the world of work. Those of us who work with youth, especially at a university or college career centre, can attest to a sense of anxiety amongst the population we serve.  As career professionals, we also have a role to play in helping students understand how what they’re currently doing supports their future goals.

In an attempt to quell the anxiety that students and their parents are currently facing, Queen’s University launched the It All Adds Up initiative in 2014 as a partnership between the Career Services office and the Alma Mater Society student government, expanding it during 2015-16 to 18 other career centres on university campuses across Ontario. All the universities launched their campaigns together and over 1,100 Ontario university students participated during the two launch weeks in November 2015.

The campaign uses both Instagram photos and in-person conversations to help students reflect and share images about their academics, activities and interests while attending post-secondary.

When the campaign was expanded from one university to 19, an effort was made to make the campaign as easy for partner schools to engage in as possible. A toolkit was created that included a detailed workplan, shared graphic files (e.g. posters, Facebook banners, etc.), and sample correspondence.  This was shared with a co-ordinator at each school.

Outcomes in 2015-16 for participating career centres included greater profile, new collaborations with other units and positive media attention. The campaign was included in major events (e.g. career fairs), networking sessions (e.g. Waterloo), in peer-to-peer mentoring programs (e.g. Queen’s University) and in student staff training (e.g. Brock University). It was also part of mental health initiatives (e.g. Carleton University), a static career centre wall display, updated annually (e.g. University of Ottawa), graduating class events (e.g. UOIT) and embedded into regular programming such as counselling and programming interventions (e.g. OCADU). The program also ran in our second official language, French, on two campuses (York – Glendon and University of Ottawa). But, perhaps the most telling evidence of the benefits of this career centre collaboration:  100% of Career Centres Directors involved in this past year’s campaign were interested in participating again in the coming year.

The campaign was a success for students who didn’t know what to put on the board at first. Students were able to gather ideas from other participants and to reflect on their own accomplishments. Once they got started writing, they found it easier to express their thoughts and as a result, they saw their confidence levels rise and stress levels decrease.

In addition to positively impacting students’ confidence and decreasing the stress associated with thinking about career and future, this campaign is shaping a hopeful narrative on campuses that is reinforcing the value of a university degree and showcasing the talented and engaged students to a broader audience, including employers, professors and media professionals.

It All Adds Up is open to interested schools in Canada and farther afield in 2016-17. For more information and to learn how your career centre can get involved, follow #ItAllAddsUp on Instagram.

Lisa Kuiper is the Employer Development Coordinator with Career Services at Brock University. She has worked within the human resources field for over 15 years in graduate recruitment, event management and employer development for Human Resources Development Canada (now Service Canada) and the Public Service Commission. She is an active member of the Career Association for Career Educators and Employers (CACEE) and the National Association of Career and Employers (NACE) as well as a Board member with the Human Resources Association of Niagara (HRPAN) and Pathstone Mental Health. 

Christine Fader works as a career counsellor and the communications lead at Queen’s Career Services. She is the author of the “chick-lit” style career book, Career Cupid: Your Guide to Landing and Loving Your Dream Job.