Career Development Coach

University of South Carolina; Columbia (SC); On-site; USD 50,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Retirement Plan

Paid Tuition

Annual Leave (15)

Sick Leave (15)

Paid Holidays

Parental Leave

Professional Development

Job summary

The Career Center at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC seeks a Career Development Coach to counsel, coach, and advise students across colleges and special populations. You will help explore majors, assess strengths, and build practical career plans while collaborating with campus partners to support diverse student communities.

You will also lead job-search strategies, networking, and personal branding efforts, manage internship programs, and partner with employers to meet program

Qualifications

• Requires a bachelor’s degree in a job related field and 3+ years of job related experience.
• Experience with college student advising is preferred.
• Skills in career counseling, assessments, and programming are necessary.

Responsibilities

• Deliver personalized career counseling, coaching, and advising through individual and group sessions.
• Guide students as they explore majors, career paths, internships, and experiential learning.
• Promote and support university internship and co-op programs.
• Partner with students and employers by communicating program expectations and procedures.
• Manage internship and co-op enrollment activities, including contracts and eligibility reviews.
• Build relationships with students and employer supervisors through site visits and virtual consultations.
• Evaluate learning outcomes and program success using surveys and follow-up communication.
• Maintain Handshake records accurately and timely.
• Develop and support engaging career programs, workshops, mock interviews, and career courses.

Skills

Career counseling

Psychometric assessment

Program planning

Public relations

Group presentations

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

3+ years related experience

Job description

Posting Number: STA00656PO26

Job Family: Academic and Career Counseling

Job Function: Career Services

USC Market Title: Career Coach

Link to USC Market Title: https://uscjobs.sc.edu/titles/131748

Job Level: P3 - Professional

Business Title (Internal Title): Career Development Coach

Campus: Columbia

Work County: Richland

College/Division: Division of Student Affairs and Academic Support

Department: SAAS Career Center

State Pay Range: G08

USC Market Range: MRE - $49,700 $60,882 $72,065

Anticipated Hiring Range: $49,700 - $72,065

Location of Vacancy: Columbia, SC

Part/Full Time: Full Time

Hours per Week: 37.5

Work Schedule:

• Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Must be willing to flex hours in order to meet the needs of the department

Basis : 12 months

Job Search Category: Student Services

About University of South Carolina:

From the Upstate to the Lowcountry, the University of South Carolina system is transforming the lives of South Carolinians through the impact of our eight institutions and 20 locations throughout the state. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of eight institutions, including the research campus in Columbia and comprehensive four-year universities in Aiken, Upstate and Beaufort. In addition, our Palmetto College campuses in Salkehatchie, Union, Lancaster and Sumter enable students to earn associate or bachelor’s degrees through a combination of in-person, online or blended learning. All of our system institutions place strong emphasis on service — helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and beyond.

Veterans' Preference Statement: The University of South Carolina is committed to equal opportunity and proudly values the skills and experience military veterans bring to our workforce. Across South Carolina, we are making veterans a priority for employment and recognize their vital contributions to our state and our communities.

Advertised Job Summary:

Career Development Coach

• Are you passionate about empowering students to identify their strengths, explore career possibilities, and pursue meaningful professional goals?
• Do you enjoy coaching students as they make informed decisions about their majors, career paths, internships, and future opportunities?
• Can you confidently engage students and employers through clear communication, dynamic presentations, and thoughtful career guidance?

The Career Center is seeking an engaging, student-centered professional to provide career counseling, coaching, and advising to students across assigned academic colleges, schools, and special populations. In this role, you will empower students to explore majors and career options, interpret career assessments, develop practical career plans, and build the skills needed for professional success. You will provide guidance in job-search strategies, interviewing, networking, and personal branding while collaborating with campus partners to support diverse student populations, including students with disabilities, student-athletes, veterans, international students, and underrepresented students.

Primary Duties

• Deliver personalized career counseling, coaching, and advising through individual and group sessions.
• Guide students as they explore academic majors, career paths, internships, co-op opportunities, and other experiential learning experiences.
• Promote, coordinate, and support university-recognized internship and co-op programs.
• Partner with students and employers by communicating program expectations, policies, and procedures.
• Manage internship and co-op enrollment activities, including contracts, eligibility reviews, reporting, and documentation.
• Build relationships with students and employer supervisors through site visits, phone calls, and virtual consultations.
• Evaluate student learning outcomes and program success using surveys, assessments, and follow-up communication.
• Maintain accurate and timely student and program records in Handshake.
• Develop and support engaging career programs, workshops, mock interviews, career courses, and special projects.
• Represent the Career Center through campus committees, collaborative work teams, and university events.

Perks

• Competitive salary + some of the BEST benefits you can find!
• Health and Life Insurance
• Retirement Programs
• Paid Tuition
• 15 Annual Leave
• 15 Sick Leave
• 13 Paid Holidays (including an extended December holiday)
• Paid Parental Leave
• Professional Development Opportunities

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BALBcUSl7ck

Job Related Minimum Required Education and Experience:

• Requires a bachelor’s degree in a job related field and 3 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with college student advising and experiential education experience.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Skills in career counseling, psychometric assessment, program planning, public relations, and group presentations are necessary to perform the required duties.
• Must have strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Job Duty: Career Services Liaison and Partnership Management

• Manage career services for assigned academic college/school liaison role which could include one or more of the following: the College of Hospitality, Retail & Sport Management, the SC Honors College, the College of Pharmacy, the College of Social Work, the College of Nursing, the Arnold School of Public Health, the College of Engineering & Computing, the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Music, the College of Information and Communications, the College of Education, first-year students in the Moore School of Business, and Alumni.
• Manage career services with assigned special populations, which could include one or more of the following: residence halls, students with disabilities, athletes, veterans, international students, and under-represented students.

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 25

Job Duty: Career Counseling and Career Readiness

• Provide counseling, coaching, and advising through a variety of formats, including drop-in interactions, appointments, and presentations/workshops.
• Guide students in understanding the relationship between self-knowledge and major and career decision-making by administering and interpreting formal and informal career assessments.
• Provide students with relevant occupational, education, and employment information that helps them to explore a wide range of major/career options.
• Empower students to make reasoned major/career choices and to develop realistic implementation plans.
• Increase awareness and promotion of experiential education opportunities to students.
• Prepare students for career success by providing instruction and coaching on job search strategies, interviewing, networking, professional branding, and workplace professionalism.

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 30

Job Duty: Internship and Cooperative Education Program Management

• Coordinate the promotion, implementation, and evaluation of university-recognized internship and co-operative education programs.
• Communicate and enforce program policies and procedures to students and employers. Anticipate and address issues related to data security, ethics, and risk management.
• Solicit and monitor internship/co-op reporting to the Career Center and review submissions for program eligibility.
• Implement the student and employer enrollment processes (contracts) for interns and co-op students for assigned liaison area(s) with the opportunity to administer funding where special funds are available.
• Conduct semester site visits in person, by phone, or online consultations with internship and co-op program students and employer supervisors.
• Conduct pre- and post- assessments with students and employers to evaluate achievement of outcomes and overall program success.
• Share assessment results and collaborate with colleagues to make program improvements.

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 25

Job Duty: Internship Student Case Management

• Manage a caseload of students participating in the Carolina Internship Program during designated periods by conducting student experience surveys, assessing experiential learning outcomes, and communicating with employer supervisors to evaluate student performance and progress.
• Accurately document all interactions, assessments, and follow-up activities in Handshake to ensure comprehensive program records.

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 10

Job Duty: Special Projects and Program Management

• Execute special projects as assigned (i.e., oversee Career Ambassador Program, manage University101 class scheduling, manage mock interviews as required, teach a for-credit career course, etc.).

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 5

Job Duty: Strategic Partnerships and Collaboration

• Represent the Career Center’s career development and experiential learning initiatives by serving on cross-functional Career Center work teams, Division of Student Affairs and Academic Support committees, and other university committees and events as assigned.
• Collaborate with campus partners to support departmental and institutional goals, share expertise, and contribute to strategic initiatives and continuous improvement efforts.
• Other duties as required.

Essential Function: Yes

Percentage of Time: 5

Safety Sensitive or Security Sensitive: No

Hazardous weather category: Non-Essential

Number of Vacancies: 1

Job Open Date: 08/28/2026

Job Close Date: 10/11/2026

Open Until Filled: No

Quicklink for Posting: https://uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/212265

EEO Statement:

The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law.