How Career Centers Support International Students’ Career Development: A Case Study of A Canadian University
Keywords:
career development, career service, international student, middle-range theoryAbstract
This study explores how a Canadian university’s career center supports international graduate students’ job applications in the local labor market. The research examines the category of career services and international graduate students’ experience using the services. I analyzed career centers’ websites and interviewed seven international graduate students and two career center staff at a university in southern Ontario. The middle-range theoretical framework is used to discuss the relationships of findings between previous literature and my research. My results indicate that one-on-one career counselling is the most popular service. The center has wide connections with on- and off-campus stakeholders. The service can be accessed via email, website, and social media. International students received comprehensive and fundamental career support and positive feedback from career advisors. However, the services are not customized to all international students, especially those in humanities and social sciences. The research extends findings on services for international students and advises the center to develop more approachable and specialized career services.
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