Reimagining Career Services: The CareerBridge Platform

Advanced Project Course

March 24, 2026

Reimagining Career Services for the Modern Student

CareerBridge Platform

Team: Aryan Shah · Maya Torres · Jordan Kim · Priya Nair

Presented to Career Services, Lakehead University

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Students Are Struggling to Land Opportunities

Students apply to 100+ jobs with low response rates

No centralized tracking → missed deadlines, confusion

Resumes often not ATS-optimized

Job portals are outdated and hard to use

"Students are not failing due to lack of ability—but lack of system support."

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Career Services = Student Success + University Reputation

Higher employment rates → boosts university rankings

Strong placements → attracts future students

Better outcomes → stronger alumni network + donations

Employers prefer universities with organized hiring pipelines

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Where Current Career Platforms Fall Short

Before

Static job boards (no intelligence)

No application tracking

No resume feedback

Manual admin workflows

No personalization

After

Smart, personalized job feed

Kanban application tracker

AI resume feedback

Automated admin tools

Student-tailored experience

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The Hiring Process Has Changed

90%+

of companies use ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems)

6–8 seconds

is all a recruiter spends per resume

Most jobs

discovered via LinkedIn & Indeed — not university portals

Students need tools, not just listings.

An Opportunity to Lead, Not Follow

Most universities still use basic portals

Lakehead has a chance to become a tech-forward career service

What Improves:

Student satisfaction

Placement rates

Institutional reputation

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A Smart Career Platform Built for Students & Admins

All-in-one system:

→ Job discovery

→ Resume building

→ Application tracking

→ Admin control dashboard

"From job search → to offer, in one platform."

Designed for Student Success

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Personalized Job Recommendations

Matched to your skills, experience, and field

Kanban Application Tracker

Visual board to track every application stage

AI Resume Feedback

Smart suggestions to beat ATS filters

LaTeX Resume Builder

Professional templates built for recruiters

Centralized Dashboard

Everything in one place, always

Empowering Career Services

Job Management

Add, edit, and manage all job postings with ease

Job Scraping

Automatically pull listings from external platforms

Listing Approval

Review and monitor what students see

Engagement Analytics

See how students interact with postings

Reduced Workload

Automation replaces repetitive manual tasks

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Kanban Job Tracker

Like Trello for Applications

Applied

Interview

Offer

Rejected

Helps students stay organized

Improves follow-up timing

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AI Resume Feedback

ATS Optimization Built In

— Checks for missing keywords automatically

— Suggests targeted improvements

— Improves chances of passing ATS filters

Not just a resume builder—a resume optimizer.

Integrated Job Aggregation

Pulls jobs from:

LinkedIn

Indeed

Centralizes all opportunities in one place

Saves students time browsing multiple platforms

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Real Impact on Students

More organized

job search process

Better resumes

leading to higher interview rates

Reduced stress

throughout the application journey

Increased confidence

in career readiness

Real Impact on the University

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Higher employment rates

across all programs

Stronger employer partnerships

through organized pipelines

Better institutional branding

as a career-ready university

Data-driven decisions

with real analytics on student outcomes

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How This Stands Out

Not just a job board.

Combines:

ATS optimization tools

Visual application tracking system

AI-powered resume feedback

Tailored specifically for the university ecosystem

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Built for Scalability & Reliability

Modular Architecture

Built to grow feature-by-feature without rebuilding

API-Based System

Clean integrations with external platforms and services

Scalable Backend

Handles growing student and admin loads with ease

Secure Data Handling

Student privacy protected at every layer

Where This Can Go

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Employer Dashboards

Let companies post, filter, and connect directly

Interview Scheduling

Integrated calendar booking within the platform

AI Career Recommendations

Personalized career path guidance

University Integration

Sync with student records and academic systems

Realistic & Achievable

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Phase 1

Core system — job discovery, resume builder, application tracker (current project)

Phase 2

AI enhancements + job scraping improvements

Phase 3

Full deployment + employer dashboards + university system integration

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Let's Build This Together

Pilot program with Career Services

Feedback-driven improvements at every stage

Opportunity to co-develop and shape the platform

We're ready to collaborate. Are you?

The Future of Career Services Starts Here

"This is not just a tool—it's a system that improves student outcomes and elevates the university."

CareerBridge Platform · Advanced Project Course · Lakehead University · 2026

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