This academic year, OCPD has adopted a new tool, Handshake, to help us be more strategic about how we serve students and postdoctoral scholars across campus. The goal was not simply to track activity, but to solve a persistent challenge: understanding who we are reaching, who we are not, and how to ensure all trainees know they can access career and professional development support.

What this change allows us to do:

• See our true campus reach. We are currently engaging 96% of degrees/programs on campus.

• Identify gaps and underserved populations. We can now see where engagement is lower, including among first-generation students and international students and postdoctoral scholars who may be less familiar with career services or uncertain about how they apply to them.

• Respond to a shifting career landscape. In a challenging job market, with growing interest in international career pathways, we can tailor outreach and programming based on real engagement data rather than assumptions.

• Engage trainees earlier. Six months into the academic year, approximately 45% of students/postdocs have used an OCPD program, service or resource, with continued growth expected, allowing us to support career planning before concerns become urgent.

This is just the beginning. With better data, Career Services can partner more intentionally with schools and departments, identify champions in every program, and ensure that every student and postdoctoral scholar who wants support knows how to find it and feels welcome accessing it.