Effective job placement assistance programs have, at their core, student career strategies that begin prior to enrollment. For example, Rhodes Wellness College in Vancouver, British Columbia, has included career strategies in their web site. Here prospective students can discover the types of skills that are developed in each of the programs and the types of employment graduates of the college are securing.

Many colleges include a comprehensive job readiness unit or module within every program of study. Module lengths vary among colleges, ranging from a low of two days to a high of six weeks, and help students improve skills in developing potential employer contacts, preparing an application letter, preparing a résumé, preparing for interviews, selecting appropriate dress, and a host of other topics. Colleges who invest exceptional amounts of time and energy in preparing students for entry into the job market report that higher post graduation employment levels are the natural outcome.

A number of colleges utilize human resources (HR) specialists and other speakers from industry to help prepare their students for post graduation employment. While HR specialists provide helpful information toward résumé writing and preparing for interviews, industry speakers can provide information relating to careers in their industry sector. This practice has the added benefit of both enabling the college to develop and maintain healthy and productive relationships within the business community, and enhancing the college’s ability to provide quality job leads to students.

While many schools provide job placement assistance for recent graduates, some provide this service for the duration of their graduates’ working career. Normally, a job board featuring current employment opportunities is located in a high student traffic area such as a lunch room or a student lounge. A few colleges have become particularly creative and have developed an online job board feature within their web sites.

A number of principles must guide the practice of maintaining a job board. First, it must be updated regularly, ensuring that job postings are current within the last thirty days. Secondly, job boards must be presented in an attractive manner that draws the student again and again. Lastly, remember that there is no replacement for employment counsel.