CASE STUDY

BARNES & NOBLE
COLLEGE

INDUSTRY

BOOKSALES

26,000+ employees

COMPANY SIZE

RESULTS AT A GLANCE

Student mindset for career preparation & success

THE CLIENT

Barnes & Noble College serves 6 million+ students, parents, alumni, fans & faculty as an academic, retail, and research partner at 1,400+ Higher Ed & K-12 schools nationwide in the United States. They offer a new generation of services and solutions to help satisfy institutional and student needs – creating innovative academic programs that support faculty with data-driven offerings that encourage innovation, provide course material choice, make teaching more rewarding, and increase student engagement, achievement, and career readiness. They provide students and faculty with the broadest range of course materials supporting unmatched affordability, access, and student achievement. Their print and digital learning solutions equip students with everything they need to succeed—in college and beyond.

Barnes & Noble College is a strategic partner, collaborator, and support system for campus partners, providing research services that help educational organizations make informed decisions with the latest national research and insights and explore a collaborative approach to conducting studies on campus.

THE PARTNERSHIP

Purpose:

  • Help B&N College develop greater insights about Millennials and Gen Z students (e.g., level of career preparation, perception of skills and experiences desired by companies)

  • Help colleges & universities prepare students for their futures by uncovering what they are looking for in work experiences, training, and benefits

  • Help college campuses meet their recruitment, retention, and career placement goals

THE OUTCOMES

The College Student Mindset for Career Preparation & Success

  • Summary report of findings from a survey disseminated to students (18 to 25 years old) attending two- to four-year colleges in 44 states

  • 3,000+ students responding from campuses

  • 17,000 open-ended responses gathered

  • Measured the career preparedness of students

  • Learned what students believed employers wanted in terms of skills and experiences

  • Uncovered what students were seeking in their jobs opportunities (e.g., experiences, training, benefit packages)

FACULTY TOOLKIT

  • Digital toolkit for faculty to better engage with their students as both a mentor and an advisor. Included:

  • Exercises, projects, and discussion topics on career preparation, exploration, and goal-setting

  • Pick-and-choose style, allowing faculty members to decide on the activities that bet suit his/her time and his/her student’s interests

DESIGN THINKING WORKSHOP

Trained the B&N College national management team to better understand their young employees and their student customers through interactive and collaborative workshops

BRAND REPRESENTATION

  • Acted as a brands spokesperson during conference, television, and radio appearances.

  • Passion2Action Podcast

  • Created an iTunes podcast, featuring stories, strategies, and professional advice from Joan and a diversity of podcast guests

CAREER NOW SERVICES

  • On-campus workshops transforming B&N College locations into hubs for social and professional inspiration

  • Social media events, including Twitter chats and Google Hangout sessions, led by Joan