After teaching over 4,000 students, I have learned this.  Students have changed.

It is much more common for students to state that they want to work for an organization that aligns with their values. According to a Deloitte report, Gen Z (those born since 2000) looks beyond a company’s products and seeks to understand an organization’s ethics, practices and social impact.  Research suggests that Gen Z is determined to make a difference and make an impact. 

What Instructors Can Do

Many of us teaching in higher education are excited about encouraging students to identify where they might direct their talents to make an impact in a way that is meaningful to them.  

As instructors, we can build into our courses, assignments and projects opportunities for this exploration.  For example, I have a marketing assignment that asks students to review and evaluate the corporate sustainability commitments and practices outlined on company websites. Students are often amazed at the good things that companies such as Patagonia are working such as responsible production and consumption of their products (GOAL 12 of the UNSDG’s). But sometimes, the information on their practices is hard to find on an organization’s website, or students have pointed out that some claims are not backed up with research or data. 

As a follow-up, I have a marketing group project assignment where I ask marketing students to imagine they are launching their own company. Students are to develop a marketing strategy for a new product and service that they design. As future leaders, they are asked to consider how a product or service might address a challenge that they wish to solve and to consider how they might build corporate social responsibility and sustainability strategies into the product design.

I have been delighted to see product concepts that include elements that support the responsible production and consumption of their product.  The products might be made with vegan leather, are biodegradable, are recyclable or have been designed to have a light impact on the environment and leave nothing but footprints. Students thoughtfully include details on the ingredients, the manufacturing process and the fair treatment of their employees and suppliers.  

Participating in these types of projects helps students to identify what impacts are important to them and informs them as they seek out organizations to work for when they graduate.  It has been demonstrated that work is fulfilling when it contributes to the greater good, giving meaning and purpose. 

A Meaningful Career Journey

My book,  “Backpack to Briefcase, A Student’s Guide to a Meaningful Career Journey”, was written for young people to help them navigate the student-to-work transition. The book is divided into three Phases: Discover, Build and Launch. In the Discover Phase, readers are given activities to uncover what they love, what they are good at, what they can be paid for, and to identify what issues the world needs solving that they might bring their talents to. 

I ask readers to consider the challenges that we are facing in the world today and to list the ones they wish to address the most. This can inform students of possible places they might apply their talents. One way to help students generate ideas about world issues is to have them review the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There are 17 SDGs that were set to be achieved by 2030. By providing students with brief descriptions of the goals, they can better understand the challenges and identify which ones resonate with them. You can find out more at www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment.

What Employers Can Do

I remind my students that you do not have to solve these challenges on their own, as there are many organizations that are already tackling these issues. Students are hungry for information on what organizations are doing to solve challenges that are meaningful to them. These are the organizations where students wish to bring their talents. So it is key that employers clearly share their goals, initiatives and results on corporate websites and social media channels so potential employees are aware of the organizations’ ethics, practices and social impacts.

Grads wish to make an impact in the world, and they seek to bring their talents to organizations that are also working to solve the same challenges.  

Sounds like a win-win to me! 

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Biography: Stephanie Koonar is a marketing professional, academic, career coach, and workshop facilitator. A community connector, she is an award-winning college instructor who has taught over 4,000 students. A Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and Co-Founder of PeerSpectives Consulting, she enjoys coaching purpose-driven individuals and organizations to be their best. Stephanie and her PeerSpectives Consulting Co-Founder, Louann McCurdy, are available to partner with Employers and Educators to collaborate on program development, guest speakers, and facilitate workshops. Contact Stephanie at sk.PeerSpectives@gmail.com. Interested in getting your own copy of the Backpack to Briefcase book? You can purchase it here.

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Employers and Career Educators, I ask you, what does being on a meaningful career journey look like to you?  

From my perspective, you are on a meaningful career journey if you approach your work with enthusiasm, are able to use your strengths to make a positive impact, and are financially independent.  

This is something many of us wish for. In fact, a recent worldwide study conducted by Ipsos found that out of almost 20,000 adults surveyed, 48% indicated that one of the greatest sources of their happiness was “feeling that my life has meaning”. 

Research conducted by the Brainstorm Strategy Group with 16,000 post-secondary students indicated that after “balancing work-life with personal life” students stated that their most important career goal is to “feel that I am serving a cause or greater good”.

In my recently published book, “Backpack to Briefcase, A Student’s Guide to a Meaningful Career Journey”, I provide readers with the steps and activities to guide them to launch their meaningful career. The book is divided into three phases, Discover, Build and Launch.

The ikigai

I begin by introducing readers to the ikigai framework. Ikigai is a Japanese word that roughly means “your reason for being”. You can identify your ikigai by discovering the answers to 4 questions posed in the circles in the diagram shown here. Your ikigai is found where the four circles intersect. 

The ikigai circles capture: 

1. Circle 1: What You Love
2. Circle 2: What You Are Good At
3. Circle 3: What the World Needs
4. Circle 4: What You Can be Paid For

Is there a role for Employers and Career Educators to guide students to discover their ikigai? 

I believe so. 

Here are some suggestions for guiding students to discover their ikigai. And I am sure you will recognize that you are already doing so!

What Can Employers Do?

1. Circle 1: What You Love: When meeting students, employers can ask students to identify their passions, interests and hobbies, either in casual conversation or to break the ice.
2. Circle 2: What You Are Good At: In interviews, to help students recognize their strengths or what they are good at, employers may ask students to share a task that they completed that they were proud of. Following up with a question to ask them to reflect on which of their strengths they used to accomplish this task, will tease out their natural talents.
3. Circle 3: What the World Needs: When you are attending Career Fairs or networking events, share with candidates your company’s goals, values, and mission. This allows students to evaluate how their values align with your organization’s. 
4. Circle 4: What You Can be Paid For: As industry experts, share your knowledge about the state of your industry, the salary ranges, and the skills that are required for future roles. This provides young people with a sense of “where the puck is going” so they can acquire the skills employers are seeking.

What Can Career Educators Do?

1. Circle 1: What You Love: Educators can continue to encourage students to step out of their comfort zone by joining clubs, taking different courses, or developing new passions.
2. Circle 2: What You Are Good At: Instructors can promote completing the Gallup CliftonStrengths® or the Myers-Briggs® assessment, offered through the Career Center. This will provide students a way to identify and articulate their strengths and unique traits. 
3. Circle 3: What the World Needs: Have conversations with students about world issues. This will help students to consider which challenges or issues they are passionate about solving. In addition, showing student the ways to identify organizations that are already working on these challenges allows them to see that they can align their energies with others. 
4. Circle 4: What You Can be Paid For: Offer workshops or webinars outlining how to tap into Labour Market Information such as industry forecasts, salary ranges, attrition rates and the skills that are forecasted to be in demand. This information helps students narrow down their options.  

In summary, these and many other ways allow you to prompt, guide and assist students as they discover their own sense of what is meaningful to them. This can lead them to a life with purpose, where they know that they are making a positive impact on the world, and feel energized on their journey as they pivot from role to role in response to growing and learning about themselves.  

A life well-lived is more than fleeting moments of happiness; it also has meaning and purpose.  

Biography: Stephanie Koonar is a marketing professional, academic, career coach, and workshop facilitator. A community connector, she is an award-winning college instructor who has taught over 4,000 students. Member of CACEE and member of the ACE-WIL BC research committee. A Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and Co-Founder of PeerSpectives Consulting, she enjoys coaching purpose-driven individuals and organizations to be their best.

Stephanie and her PeerSpectives Consulting Co-Founder, Louann McCurdy are available to partner with Employers and Educators to collaborate on program development, guest speak, and facilitate workshops. Contact Stephanie at SK.Peerspectives@gmail.com

Interested in getting your own copy of the Backpack to Briefcase book?   

You can purchase it here