Florida Institute of Technology · Career Management ServicesA small office that students stopped asking for directions
Career Management Services at Florida Tech had run on Handshake and then Symplicity. It moved to Career Forge through the 2025–26 year, launched to students in August 2026 and ran its first fall fair on it in September: a little over 1,100 students, badges printed a week ahead, and no “how do I” questions from new students.
Published 4 November 2026
- Where
- Melbourne, Florida. A private university of science, engineering and aviation.
- Before
- Handshake, then Symplicity.
- Since
- Set up from August 2025: events first, then check-in and badges, coaching, and jobs; students from August 2026.
- Runs on Career Forge
- Event Management, Check-in & Badge Printing, Coaching, Jobs, email to students; experiential learning under discussion.
The switch
A small office had used Handshake and then Symplicity. The reasons it gives for the move are the ones students notice: a cleaner interface, easier navigation, and an email to students that takes minutes to write.
The first fall fair
The office set the kiosk up in its own space the week before the fair and promoted early check-in as Skip the Line, so students collected their badges in advance. On the day the line was much more manageable than the year before, and employers said so.
Coaching students run themselves
Students book coaching by topic, coach and time without asking the office how. The result is fewer questions and more appointments the office did not have to make.
Jobs
Staff post on an employer's behalf with auto-fill from the employer's own ad, which the office calls a time saver. Postings shared across the Career Forge network sit beside the school's own employers' jobs.
What Career Management Services said on its check-in calls
“We promoted early check-in, which we called Skip the Line, and had the kiosk in our office for about a week beforehand. The line was much more manageable than last year's fall fair, and we got good feedback from employers.”
A fall fair of a little over 1,100 students, with the kiosk set up in the office the week before so students could print their badges early.
“We haven't had any questions or complaints, not even a “what do I do”. In past systems, brand-new students would ask how to get in and what to do. We haven't had any of that.”
“The coaching area is an easy place for students to help themselves, which is a big win for a small office like ours. Students really enjoy using it, and we get far fewer questions about how to find things or how to do things.”
“One of the big wins from the beginning has been the badging system. It works really well, it impresses students and the rest of the university, and we've been able to use it for other events.”
From recorded calls with the Career Forge team, cleaned for reading, nothing added. Every career center on Career Forge
