This is part one of a two-part series on early career professional development. Part one focuses on creating environments where early career professionals thrive.
I’ve been asked many times why I started a doctoral program more than 20 years after I was last a student. One of the many answers to that question goes back to June 2021. We just finished the most unique and challenging year of my career and began planning for another year under pandemic restrictions. Then I received a letter of resignation. Then another, and another…and another.
I lost four of nine department staff members all within the first few years of their professional careers. As I talked to other directors, it was clear I wasn’t alone. As I started a doctoral program soon after that time, I knew my research would be on how we can provide experiences for early career professionals that prepare them to be successful.
There’s a lot of literature about why staff are leaving higher education: low salaries, long work weeks, no connection with leadership and a lack of advancement opportunities were some of the most common reasons. However, there’s not nearly as much about why staff stay. So, my research sought to move beyond decreasing turnover rates and answer how might we build cultures where early career professionals can thrive and gain critical competencies for a successful career in collegiate recreation and higher education?
My research focused on a student affairs division that launched an early career professionals program during the pandemic. Its inaugural cohort included 12 participants in the first five years of their career. Three years later, 10 of those participants were still employed at the university. The two who left both resigned during their first year. As I interviewed participants who were still employed, several themes emerged.
Those themes help to create four broad strategies to effectively recruit, retain, and develop early career professionals:
- Foster relationship building and networking
- Provide a structured transition to professional life
- Create opportunities to develop competencies for current and future roles
- Build an understanding of institutional culture and decision making
If your institution has a similar program for early career professionals, I strongly recommend encouraging new staff to participate. And even if they don’t, there are many ways we as directors and supervisors can create meaningful employment opportunities for early career staff.
Relationship Building and Networking
Building meaningful relationships with colleagues across campus was by far the greatest perceived benefit by participants in the study. These connections matter in terms of belonging and productivity, and both directors and supervisors should be constantly seeking ways for staff to connect, even before their first day on campus.
- Intentionally develop search committees and campus partner meetings during interviews that connect candidates with colleagues they will be working with—individually invite campus partners and let them know why you’re inviting them.
- Center relationship building during onboarding. Have meetings with department/campus colleagues scheduled prior to new staff starting and don’t pack the agendas so tightly that they appear transactional.
- Foster individual relationships with everyone on your team, including staff who don’t report directly to you — meet regularly with non-direct reports individually to better understand their experience and professional goals. Be careful these meetings don’t become overly operational or decision-making in nature.
Structured Transition to Professional Life
The transition from graduate school or previous employment into a new professional role can be overwhelming without proper support structures. Early career professionals need clear guidance and consistent check-ins to navigate this critical period successfully. Creating an intentional framework for this transition helps new staff feel supported while establishing expectations for success.
- Establish clear expectations from day one. Provide written role clarity that goes beyond basic job descriptions to include behavioral expectations, communication norms, and performance standards.
- Implement regular check-ins on goals during the first year. Schedule regular one-on-one meetings specifically focused on professional development progress, challenges and goal adjustment.
- Assign an onboarding mentor outside of the department. Pair new staff with a colleague who can provide informal guidance, answer questions, and offer perspective on navigating institutional culture and life as a higher education professional.
Competency Development
Early career professionals are eager to grow and develop skills that will serve them throughout their careers. However, they need intentional opportunities and guidance to build these competencies effectively. Directors and supervisors must be proactive in creating development opportunities that align with both individual goals and organizational needs.
- Create comprehensive position descriptions that clearly outline not just duties but the competencies and skills that will be developed through the role.
- Co-create professional development goals that focus on both current role success and future career aspirations. Engage staff in regular, meaningful conversations about their career trajectory and interests.
- Provide opportunities to lead within the department, division or university. Assign and advocate for project leadership, committee participation or cross-functional team roles that stretch their capabilities.
Understanding Institutional Culture and Decision Making
One of the most significant challenges for early career professionals is understanding how their daily work connects to broader institutional priorities and how decisions are made within complex higher education environments. This understanding is crucial for both immediate success and long-term career development.
- Teach new staff about institutional culture, history, strategies, and priorities through formal orientation sessions and ongoing conversations about the “why” behind policies and procedures.
- Practice transparency without judgment. Openly discuss decision-making processes, budget realities, and institutional challenges while creating spaces for questions and learning, and avoid blaming senior divisional/institutional leadership when difficult decisions negatively impact your department.
- Involve staff at all levels in department strategic planning and annual goal-setting. This will help new staff begin to develop an understanding of and appreciation for how daily work should be connected to broader initiatives, and empower them to contribute to the team culture rather than simply fitting in.
Looking Forward
By creating department cultures that support and develop early career professionals, our departments will benefit now and we will have a strong pipeline for the next generation of leaders in our field. The investment we make in these professionals during their formative years will determine not only their success but the future of our profession.
The strategies outlined above require intentional effort and sustained commitment from leadership but the return on investment — retention, engagement and future leadership development — makes this effort essential. As we continue to face staffing challenges across higher education, focusing on creating thriving environments for early career professionals isn’t just good practice, it’s a strategic imperative.
Part II of this series will discuss ways early career professionals can make the most of their first employment opportunities and position themselves for long-term success in collegiate recreation.
