1. At Your Service: Recognizing the Importance of Student
Involvement in the Community
career.ku.edu

2. Roadmap Define “Service” Importance for employers
How career coaches can help
Strategies and samples
Questions

3. Types of Service Service Learning Direct Service Indirect Service
Course-based, meet identified community needs, reflection component
Service Learning
Person-to-person contact with those in need
Direct Service
Not as hands-on, benefits larger community
Indirect Service
Lend voices, writing ability, other talents toward public issue
Advocacy Service
Any examples of service on your campus or that you promote or look for in employees?
What service should NOT be, “charity” model
Ethical Service
Not technically service, i.e., fundraising or 5ks
Philanthropy

4. Turn to a partner and talk about a service experience you have had.
What impact did this have on your life? Your career?
Turn to a partner and talk about this

5. Father of Experiential Learning Theory
“Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. Knowledge results from the combination of grasping experience and transforming it.”
-David Kolb,
Father of Experiential Learning Theory
Service is a dimension of experiential learning: there are internships, part-time jobs, service <this is just as valuable

6. Why This is Important for Employers
Articulating meaning from experience
Self-Reflection
Network expansion
Working with people different from yourself
New skills gained
Can contribute something transferable
Personal stories. Explanation of “Work Values.” There aren’t necessarily “good” or “bad” work values, but it is very important to discover what yours are.
Discovering and developing personal meaning in the world of work
Value recognition

7. Mark Keating Major: Strategic Communications Career Goal:
Public Relations Consultant
Service Experience:
Volunteering with Just Food

8. Volunteering with Just Food
Pick up and deliver donations
Work well within team environment
Made flyers and information packets
Sort donations effectively
Assist with healthy cooking classes
Engage with local community

9. Why Employers Care About Mark’s Service
Gained new perspective, connected with the community
Self-Reflection
Met and worked with the Director of Marketing for Just Food
Network expansion
Collaboration, organization, presenting, creating, and designing
New skills gained
Value recognition
Community impact, giving back, teamwork

10. Volunteers have a 27 percent higher likelihood of finding a job after being out of work than non-volunteers
CNCS also found that volunteering is associated with an increased likelihood of finding employment for all volunteers regardless of a person’s gender, age, ethnicity, geographical area, or the job market conditions
Corporation for National and Community Service

11. Matthews et al. (2015) – Service Learning
Example:
Starting salary: $40,000
+ 19.1% = $47,640

12. How Career Coaches Can Help
Drawing meaning from experience and recognizing value
Self-Reflection
Utilizing network expansion
Working with people different from yourself and using those connections
Articulate new skills gained
Can demonstrate ability to contribute something transferable
Carly’s examples here
Promote opportunities
Finding service opportunities that appeal to interest or support career goals

13. Accomplishment
Skill
Service Experience

14. Accomplishment
Skill
Recognized by supervisors for excellent communication and organizational ability
Created outreach and awareness materials for organization events
Service Experience
Pick up and deliver donations
Work well within team environment
Made flyers and information packets
Sort donations effectively
Assist with healthy cooking classes
Engage with local community

15. Mark’s Resume Example SERVICE EXPERIENCE
Volunteer August 20xx – May 20xx
Just Food Lawrence, KS
Recognized by supervisors for excellent communication and organizational ability
Served the Lawrence community through the pickup and delivery of food donations
Collaborated with other volunteers to recognize problems and identify solutions
Designed outreach and awareness materials for organization events
Enhanced local residents’ self-efficacy by assisting in healthy cooking classes
Gained an enhanced cultural perspective through active engagement with diverse aspects of the community
Mark’s Resume Example

16. Behavioral interview questions
Interviewing
Resume as a base
Behavioral interview questions
Focus on skill

17. Finding Opportunities
Established opportunities
Volunteer fair
Center for Community Outreach
Using connections
Service Learning Certificate
Get creative!

18. Questions? Renee Denton Carly Klynsma Graduate Assistant Career Coach
University Career Center
The University of Kansas
Carly Klynsma
Graduate Assistant Career Coach
University Career Center
The University of Kansas