Enhancing Career Services engagement: understanding accessibility and awareness among third year students & above

Abstract

Despite the comprehensive range of services offered by MacEwan University's Career Services, there is a notable gap in student awareness and utilization of these resources. This report aimed to develop and implement marketing strategies that will boost visibility and use among students, ensuring they are well-informed about the available services that can aid in their career development. The research also aimed to understand students’ needs from Career Services regarding flexibility, accessibility, and specific career support. The objective was to identify which services are beneficial to MacEwan students and determine the best ways to deliver them. The research design employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. The quantitative component utilized a Google Form survey distributed through campus-wide emails and posters, resulting in 396 valid responses. Stratified sampling was used to ensure equal representation across five faculties, with 125 students selected using Excel’s RAND() function. The qualitative component involved guided interviews to gain deeper emotional and behavioral understanding. Major findings showed career planning and resume reviews were the most used services, while LinkedIn help and interview prep were under-utilized. Posters and the MacEwan Website were the most effective communication channels. Most students had 1–2 hours of free time in the afternoon. Recommendations include faculty partnerships, expanded on-campus advertising, faculty-specific targeting, increasing MacEwan website visibility, portal restructuring, aligning service hours with student availability, and correcting misconceptions.