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Faculty/Staff Career Readiness Toolkit

Helping you support student success through career readiness tools and technology.

Bring career readiness into your classroom with quick, ready-to-use materials designed to support students’ success.

Career Exploration

Career Outcomes

Job Search Preparation

Career Success Tools

Focus 2 Career

Explore Self-assessment and Career Paths

Focus 2 Career is a self-guided, interactive platform designed to help students explore career paths, evaluate majors, and plan their education based on personal strengths, values and interests. It supports career exploration, self-assessment and guided reflection, and is ideal for use in general education and first-year experience courses.

  • Audience: undergraduate and graduate students
  • Key Features: career and self-assessments (e.g., work interests, values, personality), guided reflection
  • Supports: Career Exploration, Guided Reflection, NACE Competencies

Steppingblocks

Research Alumni Outcomes and Industry Data

Steppingblocks is a digital career counselor that provides students with real-time labor market insights, NIU alumni outcomes and major-to-career pathways. Its data-driven tools help students connect their coursework to real-world outcomes and inform decisions about majors, skills development and future career goals.

  • Audience: undergraduate and graduate students
  • Key Features: personality assessment, Career 360 search (for alumni outcomes and hiring data)
  • Supports: career exploration, NACE competencies, high-impact practices

Assignment 1: Career Interest Feeds

Purpose: Help students explore interests and career themes through curated content.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Tailor a personalized career feed
  • Identify emerging roles and trends
  • Recognize key transferable skills

Instructions:

  • Log in to Steppingblocks using NIU single sign-on.
  • Click “Update Interests.”
  • Explore a career feed post, video, or infographic.
  • Create one slide summarizing the insight.
  • Present in class (3–5 minutes).

Reflection Prompt:

What topics stood out and why? How do they connect to your personal or professional goals?

Assignment 2: Outcomes Research Activity

Purpose: Connect majors to career outcomes using alumni data.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Identify employers and job roles
  • Analyze in-demand skills
  • Plan career development

Instructions:

  • Log in and click the “Outcomes” tab.
  • Select your major and fill out the following:
    • Major/Degree
    • Top 5 Hiring Companies
    • Top 5 Job Categories
    • Top 10 Skills

Reflection Prompt:

Which skills were unexpected? What two skills will you work on this semester?

Forage

Integrate Virtual Work Experiences

Forage offers free virtual job simulations from top employers (e.g., BCG, JPMorgan Chase) that give students hands-on exposure to industry roles and real-world tasks in fields like marketing, finance and law. It helps students gain practical experience before applying to internships or jobs.

  • Audience: all students
  • Key Features: free virtual job simulations, hands-on exposure to career paths
  • Supports: experiential learning, career exploration, NACE competencies

Assignment 1: Job Simulation and Reflection

Purpose: Apply course knowledge to real-world job tasks.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Apply academic concepts
  • Build relevant workplace skills

Instructions:

  • Log into Navigate and click Forage.
  • Select and complete a simulation.
  • Submit certificate screenshot.
  • Complete reflection.

Reflection Prompt:

How did you use academic skills? What did you learn about your strengths?

Assignment 2: Reflective Journal

Purpose: Promote reflection and career clarity.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Engage in deep learning
  • Evaluate personal growth

Journal Prompts:

  • Before: What do you expect from this experience?
  • During (3 entries): What did you learn or find challenging?
  • After: What changed for you, and what will you explore next?

Huskies Get Hired

Develop Professional Profiles and Job Search Readiness

Powered by Symplicity, Huskies Get Hired is NIU’s career portal connecting students to jobs, internships, employer events and more. It helps students develop their professional profiles and get job-search ready.

  • Audience: all students
  • Key Features: job and internship search, event registration, real-time application tracking
  • Supports: career planning, job and internship search, digital presence

Assignment 1: Profile Creation

Purpose: Help students establish a professional online presence.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Navigate and utilize a job search platform
  • Build a profile aligned with career goals

Instructions:

  • Sign in at niu-csm.symplicity.com.
  • Complete your profile and upload a resume.
  • Take a screenshot of your completed profile.

Optional: Log your completion in Huskie Career Launchpad to earn a badge.

Assignment 2: Internship/Job Search

Purpose: Promote active career engagement.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Apply job search filters
  • Identify relevant opportunities

Instructions:

  • Search using filters (e.g., Internships, Part-Time).
  • Apply to two roles.
  • Submit confirmation of applications or screenshots.

Quinncia

Get AI Feedback on Resumes, Interviews and LinkedIn

Quinncia provides instant, AI-powered feedback on resumes, interview skills and LinkedIn profiles. It helps students align with industry expectations and applicant tracking systems (ATS), improving their readiness for internships and job opportunities.

  • Audience: all students
  • Key Features: AI-powered resume reviews, mock interviews and LinkedIn feedback
  • Supports: resume development, AI and ATS literacy, reflective practice

Assignment 1: Initial Resume Upload

Purpose: Introduce students to AI feedback tools.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Communicate skills professionally.
  • Understand resume effectiveness.

Instructions:

  • Log in to Quinncia and upload your resume.
  • Review “Flags” (errors) and “Improvements” (suggestions).
  • Reflect on which edits will make the most impact.
  • Submit a screenshot of the feedback and your key takeaways.
Assignment 2: Revised Resume Submission

Purpose: Apply feedback and improve resume quality.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Strengthen resume clarity and competitiveness.
  • Respond to AI-based critiques thoughtfully.

Instructions:

  • Revise your resume using Quinncia’s feedback.
  • Re-upload and review your new score.
  • Submit your updated resume and a reflection on the changes you made.
  • Track your progress toward the Bronze, Silver, or Gold benchmarks.

Optional: Submit completion to Huskie Career Launchpad for badge recognition.

Huskie Career Launchpad

Gain Career Skills and Stand Out to Employers

Powered by Suitable, this Huskie Career Launchpad helps students grow their skills and talents, then showcase what they’ve done by earning digital badges to display on platforms like LinkedIn and discuss with future employers.

  • Audience: all students
  • Key Features: career activities, career skills, resume and LinkedIn profile enhancement
  • Supports: career exploration, NACE competencies

Contact Us

Career Services
Peters Campus Life Building 220
815-753-1642
careerservices@niu.edu

Hours of Operation

Monday-Friday: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Schedule a student appointment