‘I’m just a plain old careers adviser’ – recognising the hidden expert

Abstract

A new ‘employability climate’ with a greater attention to graduate outcomes has emerged within Higher Education in recent years. Consequently, careers advisers find their established practice and their claims to be experts in student career development questioned, even though the increased interest has potential for greater recognition of their role. An exploration of the professional identity of careers advisers in higher education suggests that they are challenged in their professional identity, yet are strongly committed to their purpose. On this basis recommendations have been developed to confirm careers advisers as experts in this increasingly visible aspect of the student experience.