Gonzaga Career Services and Return on Investment

By: Jennifer Klein, Career Center

From our perspective, the employability of college graduates has been steadily increasing over the past few years. This appears to be largely attributed to students being more proactive in their career planning and preparation efforts. Gonzaga supports students with many opportunities to connect with employers and alumni, in addition to traditional career service resources (career fairs, résumés, etc.).

We have all heard, “It’s who you know!” when it comes to finding a job, which is why GAMP (Gonzaga Alumni Mentor Program) is key to differentiating the student experience at Gonzaga. Students who are proactive in their career planning acquire GAMP mentors to help them navigate the various types of employment available in their major. Parents who want to help can join GAMP by registering as a Mentor. Information for registering as a Mentor or Mentee can be found at gonzaga.edu/joinGAMP.

The Career Center & GAMP office has been surveying students on career outcomes for nearly a decade; below is a snapshot of the data most recently collected from Gonzaga graduates at two different points.

Gonzaga University, Class of 2014, at-the point-of-graduation: In reviewing national numbers, we learned that slightly more than 30% of graduating seniors from the Class of 2014 nationwide who applied for a job had one in hand prior to graduation, according to results from the 2014 Student Survey by the National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE). By comparison, 52% of Gonzaga seniors reported having work (either a job, post-graduation internship, or a volunteer/service opportunity) secured by graduation. Moreover, a total of 75% of Gonzaga’s Class of 2014 reported that they would be working, furthering their education, or preparing for a licensure or exam following graduation in May.