Career Services drops in to the Hall of Flags

Today, a brief highlight of a neat new bit of programming by the Office of Career Services (OCS). Our OCS colleagues are a nimble crew, and in the past few years they’ve added a variety of offerings to their already-substantial roster of services and activities for Fletcher students. The first few times I saw their staff hanging out in the Hall of Flags this semester, I figured they might be experiencing a room crunch in their office and were just improvising some spillover meeting space. As I’ve since learned, though, their regular visits to the Hall of Flags are part of a new schedule of “drop-in hours” available to students for short appointments.

OCS staff have always been available to meet with students on an individual basis in their office. This year they offer 50+ “coaching appointments” per week available for students to schedule, which is on par with what they’ve done in past years. The addition of thrice-weekly “drop-in” hours provides extra opportunities for students to meet with them a bit more informally, and thus far it’s been a big success. Their drop-in hours are designed to be shorter meetings (in the 5-10 minute range), though if no one’s waiting they often will go longer. The Director of OCS informs me that they’ve been meeting with around 25 students per week during drop-in hours, and the eyeball test bears this out. It’s been a rare instance in which I’ve passed through and seen an unoccupied career coach sitting at their table.

This degree of individualized access and attention from OCS is one of Fletcher’s big strengths. It’s great to see the success of this initiative, and also to get a peek at our hardworking colleagues in action!