3 ways to use the CareerHQ Compass in your careers program
Every school that we work with has a different approach to their careers program. Some schools have careers classes each week, while others have little to no career support or resources to work with and struggle to find time in the school calendar to even get started. In this article we explore how schools utilise the CareerHQ Compass for career exploration and how teachers, careers advisors and school executive use the data to shape strategic school decisions.
Curriculum is already packed to the rafters so it’s no wonder that schools are finding it challenging to resource their careers program and to make time for something that is often poorly understood, not standardised and not tested. In saying this, we all know that creating and supporting students to develop the skills and confidence to navigate the transition out of school and into work is not an extracurricular want, but an essential need for the health and wellbeing of young adults.
Our aim has always been to support as many schools as we can in their journey to build a thriving career education program. That’s why we’ve been offering the CareerHQ Compass tool for free to schools over the last two years. In this time we’ve built up relationships with a range of different schools with varied careers programs and resources, who have used our tools in different ways. To support you and your school we’ve created this article to share the three most popular ways that Schools in Australia and New Zealand use the CareerHQ Compass as part of their careers program.
1. Students complete the CareerHQ Compass as a homework exercise in advance of a significant career or education conversation
Schools we work with who have large student groups often send their school’s CareerHQ Compass link to students asking them to complete the Compass as a homework exercise on any device. This saves careers advisors time and energy and helps to enrich face-to-face discussions as students can bring in the results from their CareerHQ Compass to discuss their skills, interests and 4-6 career options that they are interested in exploring further.
2. Share the CareerHQ Compass as part of a careers class
Many of our regular schools use the CareerHQ Compass as a tool during their careers classes to promote career exploration. All you need to do is to get every student onto a device and they will be able to guide themselves through the tool with a little instruction (the lesson plan walks you through the prompts that are helpful to give to students as they move through the career tool).
3. As a one-to-one exercise with students to collaboratively explore career options
This is without a doubt the most personal and meaningful way to complete the CareerHQ Compass. In a one-to-one scenario sitting with students as they answer the modules will help you to better understand how they see their skills, interests and career options, and to understand where their career beliefs come from. The tool is also an excellent way to support positive self-reflection as your insights as a teacher and supporter can help assist students who find it difficult to articulate their skills and interests.
These are just some of the ways that CareerHQ is regularly used by schools. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team and we look forward to supporting you and your careers program.
