Job Details

Position Description: Graduate Assistant – Employer Engagement & Data Innovation

The Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) is dedicated to preparing the next generation of artists, designers, and creative leaders. We recognize that the rapidly evolving employment landscape—driven by advances in artificial intelligence, shifting employer recruitment practices, and the growth of virtual hiring platforms—requires new tools, systems, and insights to connect our students with meaningful opportunities.

The Graduate Assistant for Employer Engagement & Data Innovation will play a critical role in building the Career Center’s infrastructure to support employer relationship management and engagement strategies. This includes optimizing Handshake, evaluating new recruiting and data tools, supporting the Employer Advisory Board, updating graduate outcomes communications, and researching best practices for employer relations committees. The role also offers the opportunity to develop skills in teamwork and consensus-building while contributing to strategic employer engagement initiatives.

Job Description

System Optimization & Tools

• Optimize the use of Handshake to strengthen employer engagement and student access to opportunities.

• Support development of scalable, user-centered systems/CRM tools to track employer engagement, alumni outreach, and event outcomes.

• Research and recommend new technology platforms and tools to enhance recruiting, career services, and employer mapping.

Data Analytics, Reporting & Communications

• Manage, clean, and analyze large datasets with attention to accuracy and integrity.

• Conduct statistical analysis and generate reports to evaluate outcomes, measure impact, and guide strategic planning.

• Create dashboards and visualizations to communicate insights to staff, faculty, and leadership.

• Assist in updating and maintaining the Graduate Outcomes page to share transparent, accessible data with internal and external audiences.

Employer Engagement & Advisory Board Support

• Assist in the coordination and support of the Employer Advisory Board, including meeting logistics, research, communications, and follow-up.

• Research best practices for employer relations committees to strengthen advisory board operations.

• Participate in team-based projects that require collaboration, discussion, and reaching consensus on recommendations.

• Track employer feedback and incorporate insights into CCPD strategies.

Employment Data & Research

• Monitor and synthesize national and regional employment data, labor trends, and emerging industry insights relevant to Pratt’s creative disciplines.

• Keep abreast of recruitment shifts, employer practices, and AI-driven tools shaping the hiring landscape.

• Provide recommendations based on data-driven insights to improve employer engagement strategies.

AI-Driven & Strategic Innovation

• Explore and evaluate AI platforms (e.g., labor market analytics, talent-matching engines) to forecast employer needs and highlight high-opportunity student connections.

• Contribute to developing new, data-informed processes that strengthen employer partnerships in the creative and design industries.

What You Will Learn

• How to optimize career services technologies (like Handshake) and explore cutting-edge AI platforms used in talent recruitment and labor market forecasting.

• Best practices in employer relations committees and how to contribute to an Employer Advisory Board.

• Practical experience in data analysis, visualization, and statistical reporting to support institutional decision-making.

• How to conduct employment trend research and translate findings into actionable strategies.

• Skills in team collaboration, consensus-building, and professional communication within a career services setting.

• First-hand insight into how higher education career centers are adapting to the rapidly evolving employment landscape.

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