Career Counselor

Job Description

The USF St Petersburg campus Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) empowers students to navigate their distinctive professional identity by integrating career development into their educational journey. We cultivate partnerships with campus and the community while creating innovative and agile services to equip our students with the skills, confidence and experiences necessary to succeed.

The USF St Petersburg campus Center for Career and Professional Development is a small team of dedicated individuals that work together to provide quality programs and services to help students achieve career success. These programs include orientation programming, a first-year professional mentoring program, employer connection events such as job fairs and spotlights, career carnival, career cruises, and many more. The office uses tools such as Focus2 Assessments, Clifton Strengths, Handshake, Big Interview, Microsoft (Teams, Outlook, Planner, and Forms), canva design, and Canvas LMS.

Responsibilities

Serve as Employer Relations Coordinator to create industry to campus connections for the USF St Petersburg campus, by developing partnerships with employers. Serve as a Career Coach (Counselor) to students and recent alumni, including providing career consultations on major exploration, career development and planning, job and internship search, and interview preparation. Liaison with academic programs for the development of internships and employment opportunities. Coordinate career programs for students and other career events involving employers such as career fairs and expos, information sessions, panel discussions, on-campus recruiting, mock interviews, and resume critiques. Maintain services database and develop reports on services usage. Supports the mission of CCPD and all of its associated programs.

Student Vocational and Career Counseling & Job Search Counseling
• Assess, counsel and coach students and alumni to support their career / vocational needs.
• Conduct and evaluate students' abilities, interests, personality, values, and skills using a variety of psychological assessments, tests and interviews.
• Support students in developing goals and priorities and provide relevant resources to secure appropriate employment in business, government, education and other professional fields to support accomplishment of career / vocational goals.
• Advise students/alumni on career plans.
• Facilitate career / vocational development of students and alumni through individual counseling sessions, workshops, classroom presentations and presentations to student employees in the Division of Student Success departments.
• Advise students/alumni on job placements opportunities, including educational and vocational training required.
• Deliver job search coaching and assistance to students and alumni through individual advising sessions, workshops, classroom presentations and presentations to student employees.
• Develop resources on job search strategies for the department use.
• Prepare students for continued educational experiences by assisting with graduate school search and application processes.
• Develop resources on job search strategies for the department use.
• Follow up with students to ensure progress.
• Make appropriate referrals to mental health/wellness professionals, disability services and other divisions to help students get additional assistance to meet their needs effectively.
Program Direction and Development:
• Develop and enhance Career Services programs and on-line services, social media presence, and marketing of services.
• Assist in planning, assessing and reporting on annual goals.
• Assist with coordination of career fairs/special events and employer recruitment services.
• Utilize tools such as: Focus2 Assessments, Clifton Strengths, Handshake, Big Interview, Microsoft (Teams, Outlook, Planner, and Forms), canva design, and Canvas LMS.
Developing Contacts/Partnerships with External Constituents
• Job development of off-campus employment and internship opportunities and employer relations.
• Develop a working knowledge of USF majors as a guideline for identifying and recruiting employers whose hiring needs reflect the diversity of USF majors.
• Initiate contact with and persuade new employers to participate in career fairs/special events and employer recruitment services (which include on-line job listing and résumé referral services, and on-campus presentations).
• Ensure a positive working relationship with current employers to retain their participation at career fairs, posting positions on the on-line job listing database and other recruitment services.
• Maintain and monitor Handshake as the employer database.
• Participate and collaborate with colleagues on the Industry to Campus Connections team on the Tampa campus.
Develop/Analyze Assessments and Data
• Maintain accurate and complete student counseling records to meet university standards.
• Develop and conduct outcome assessment surveys on delivery of services, with employers participating in recruitment services.
• Assist with and monitor the student satisfaction of services evaluation data.
• Assist with the collection of other students and alumni career related data.
Policy-Making and/or Interpretation:
• Routinely interpret and enforce office, university, state and federal policies regarding services to students, and recruitment services.
• Responsible for understanding and applying federal and state laws, university and office policies on all aspects of the employment process, including equal opportunity, affirmative action and ADA guidelines, as applied to recruiters, hiring managers and/or human resource professionals participating in any of Career Services' recruitment services.
• Collaborate with other USF campus CCPD offices to align policies and maintain university wide standards.
Developing Outreach and Marketing Materials
• Develop strategic employer outreach and marketing plans to identify prospective employer contacts.
• Develop strategic student outreach and marketing to assist with career development and job attainment.
• Plan and execute Social Media marketing calendar
• Hire and supervise student marketing intern
Misc. Duties
• Actively seeks to improve multicultural competence, personally, programmatically, and organizationally.
• Serve on cross campus committee(s) to advance the work of CCPD.
• Assist in recruiting, hiring, training and supervision of Career Peer Advisors and Student Staff as needed.
• Office administration and other tasks or duties assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

The position requires a Master's degree in Career Counseling, Career Education, College Student Affairs, MBA; or a Bachelor's degree in those same fields with a minimum of two years of directly related experience. Alternatively, in specialized academic areas, the position may require a degree in that field of study.

Legal, Licensure, & USF Requirements: Certification from a professional organization such as the National Career Development Association, the National Association of Colleges and Employers, or the National Board of Certified Counselors may be preferred or required for specific positions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in College Student Personnel, Career Counseling, Counselor Education, Counseling Psychology, College Student Affairs and professional experience in career services, employer relations, recruiting, internship programs advisement or college student affairs.

SB1310: Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements

Under Florida's SB 1310, a public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required, not to exceed:

• (a) Two years of direct experience for an associate degree;
• (b) Four years of direct experience for a bachelor's degree;
• (c) Six years of direct experience for a master's degree;
• (d) Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or
• (e) Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree
• Related work experience may not substitute for any required licensure, certification, or registration required for the position of employment as established by the public employer and indicated in the advertised description of the position of employment.
• Minimum Qualifications that require a high school diploma are exempt from SB 1310.

This position requires a level 1 or level 2 background check.

ADA Accommodations: Applicants for USF employment are entitled to request reasonable accommodations in the application process. Any request must be made at least 5 working days before the accommodation is needed. Contact View email address on click.appcast.io for assistance.

About Us

Working at USF

With approximately 16,000 employees, the University of South Florida is one of the largest employers in the Tampa Bay area. We are dedicated to cultivating a talented, engaged and driven workforce that strives to be bold. Employees excel in USF's rich academic environment, which fosters their development and advancement. In 2025, Forbes recognized USF as one of Florida's best large employers, ranked No. 1 among the state's 12 public universities. Our first-class benefits package includes medical, dental and life insurance plans, retirement plan options, employee and dependent tuition programs, generous leave, and hundreds of employee perks and discounts.

About USF

The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and USF Health. USF is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 50 public university and the best value in Florida. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine as the No. 1 medical school in Florida and in the highest tier nationwide. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of universities in the U.S. With an all-time high of $738 million in research funding in 2024 and as a top 20 public university for producing U.S. patents, USF uses innovation to transform lives and shape a better future. The university generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. USF's Division I athletics teams compete in the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at

Compliance and Federal Notices

This position may be subject to a Level 1 or Level 2 criminal background check.

Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws:


The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law. The University maintains programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Applicants for USF employment are entitled to request reasonable accommodation(s) in the application process. A request is to be made at least five (5) working days prior to the time the accommodation(s) is needed. Visit the Central Human Resources ADA Accommodations webpage for more information on requesting an accommodation during the application/interview process.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law. The University maintains affirmative action programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws. This job description does not constitute an employment contract.