Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

Fall 11-4-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

November 2025

Department

Educational Leadership and Research Methodology

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Cristóbal Salinas

Thesis/Dissertation Co-Chair

María Vásquez-Colina

Abstract

This quantitative study evaluated career-related outcomes of career coach interventions among proactive graduate students in a college of business. It investigated how career services interventions influence key areas like employment, job growth, resume and cover letter development, job search skills, LinkedIn strategies, networking, salary negotiation, and job placement. The study was guided by three research questions: (a) do graduate students' perceptions of satisfaction regarding career-related outcomes change after meeting with a career service professional, (b) what type of career-related outcomes do graduate students seek from career services within a college of business, and (c) do perceived career-related outcomes vary depending on the level of proactivity among graduate students who receive career coaching? The study used a survey, which included a Career Engagement Scale that captured students’ post-meeting perceptions (Hirschi et al., 2014). The study’s significance lies in addressing the limited research on graduate-level career services, offering insights for higher education practitioners to enhance career services with development needs, and ultimately improving graduate employability. The findings of this study conveyed that graduate students who met with career services professionals reported positive experiences and valued the support, but their level of proactiveness did not significantly influence their perceived career outcomes.

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