Okan University Career Services: 2026 Recruiter’s Guide

Okan University career services explained 2026 guide






Okan University career services explained 2026 guide


Okan University career services explained — 2026 guide

Snapshot: what the Career Center delivers in 2026

Summary: The Career Center combines a broad employer network, integrated experiential learning and end-to-end candidate support to help students and graduates enter the global workforce faster and more reliably.

  • Employer network: active collaboration with more than 700 companies, across sectors and regions.
  • Integrated experiential learning: Cooperative Learning (COOP) programs that allow students to complete workplace placements (engineering students may complete up to 120 working days over three semesters).
  • End-to-end career support: recruitment events, CV workshops, employer networking sessions, career consulting and alumni mentoring.
  • Risk mitigation: university-paid occupational insurance for students undertaking internships or part-time work.
  • Curriculum-linked readiness: Business Life Program and systematic career mapping tools embedded through undergraduate study.

Why this matters for recruiters and campuses

  • Faster talent pipelines: recruitment events and employer networking sessions enable direct placement into internships and jobs.
  • Quality assurance: COOP and Business Life Program produce candidates with verifiable workplace exposure and soft skills.
  • Scalable engagement: the employer network and structured mapping tools enable recurrent campus recruitment and project-based hiring.

Core services — what recruiters and partners can expect

Below are the Career Center’s principal services (2026), how they operate, and the practical benefits for employers and admission partners.

Recruitment events

Format: career fairs, sector-specific recruitment days, on-campus interviews and virtual hiring days.

Benefit: direct access to screened candidates; event outcomes are tracked so employers can measure conversion rates and candidate pipelines.

CV workshops and interview preparation

Format: regular group workshops and one-to-one coaching on CV/LinkedIn optimization, competency-based interviews, and international application standards.

Benefit: higher-quality applications and reduced employer screening time.

Employer networking sessions

Format: industry panels, “coffee with HR” sessions, employer-led masterclasses and sector clinics.

Benefit: employers share hiring needs and receive candidate shortlists; students gain early intelligence about sector expectations.

Cooperative Learning (COOP)

Structure: workplace-supported education integrated with academic terms; placements are credit-bearing and scheduled across semesters.

Example: engineering students undertake annual workplace placements, accumulating up to 120 working days over three semesters.

Benefit: employers can design multi-semester projects, evaluate students over time, and convert successful placements into hires.

Business Life Program

Scope: career readiness introduced from year one via personal and professional development courses, industry workshops, certificate paths and mentor matching.

Benefit: sustained student development reduces onboarding time for employers and improves graduate retention.

Career consulting and alumni services

Services: tailored career advisory, role-matching, interview prep, and alumni mentoring networks.

Benefit: graduates remain connected to the Career Center post-graduation, reducing time-to-hire for employers and increasing alumni engagement.

Career mapping tools and reporting

Tools: structured action points and mapping templates for HR and employers to trace candidate journeys across internships, projects and full-time roles.

Benefit: transparency and repeatable processes enable recruitment teams and agencies to integrate candidates into global hiring workflows.

Internship insurance

Detail: the university covers occupational insurance premiums for students doing internships or part-time employment.

Benefit: reduces employer administrative burden and safeguards workplace risk management.

How the Career Center works for international students — a step-by-step path

Before arrival

  • Review campus life and career overview materials via Study in Turkiye and prepare documents (CV, transcripts).
  • Use Study in Turkiye‘s guidance to confirm program and admissions requirements (start at the Admission process page).

During study — year-by-year

  • Year 1: enroll in Business Life Program modules; attend CV workshops and networking events.
  • Year 2: join sector-specific employer sessions; request tailored career consulting and build a LinkedIn-ready profile.
  • Year 3–4: apply for COOP placements and internships; participate in recruitment events and employer masterclasses.
  • Final year: leverage alumni mentoring, on-campus interviews and placement support to convert internships to graduate roles.

After graduation

Continue career consulting and join alumni mentoring initiatives; the Career Center maintains contact and helps match graduates to employer opportunities.

Useful Study in Turkiye links to start:

How recruiters and HR teams should engage with the Career Center — practical partnership models

Partnership model A — Campus recruiting and assessment days

  • Kick-off: define hiring needs, competency frameworks and timelines with the Career Center.
  • Execution: schedule on-campus/virtual recruitment days and assessment centres.
  • Measurement: use tracking tools to monitor applicant flow, interview outcomes and conversion rates.

Partnership model B — COOP-sponsored projects and applied research

  • Design multi-term project roles aligned to academic schedules.
  • Offer mentorship, technical supervision and evaluation rubrics.
  • Convert high-performing interns to entry-level hires with minimal onboarding.

Partnership model C — Curriculum co-design and certifications

  • Work with faculty and the Business Life Program to sponsor micro-certificates or workshops.
  • Benefit: early access to students who complete employer-validated modules and reduced training costs post-hire.

Partnership model D — Alumni and mentorship networks

  • Offer alumni roles as mentors; run industry panels that engage recent graduates and senior students.
  • Benefit: sustained talent pipelines and enhanced employer branding on campus.

Operational checklist for admissions teams, agencies and edtech partners

Use this checklist to align internal processes with the Career Center and Study in Turkiye support.

Pre-engagement

  • Define target programs and graduation timelines.
  • Map employer needs to program outcomes and COOP windows.

During partnership setup

  • Agree KPIs (internship-to-hire rate, event conversions, average time-to-hire).
  • Request Career Center event schedules and student cohort breakdowns.
  • Set data-sharing and candidate feedback cadence.

Event execution & candidate assessment

  • Provide clear job descriptions, assessment rubrics and interview panels.
  • Use career mapping tools to record candidate progress.
  • Offer project-based internships that can scale into graduate roles.

Post-engagement

  • Share recruitment metrics and candidate performance summaries.
  • Provide mentoring and upskilling pathways for hires.
  • Renew and scale partnerships based on KPI outcomes.

Measuring impact — expected outcomes and metrics to track

Key metrics

  • Number of students engaged at events.
  • Internship placement rate and COOP participation.
  • Internship-to-full-time conversion rate.
  • Time-to-hire for graduates and average onboarding time.
  • Employer satisfaction scores and repeat engagement rate.

Qualitative outcomes

  • Student readiness on soft skills and workplace adaptability.
  • Employer confidence in graduate capabilities.
  • Alumni network strength and mentor participation.

Examples of sector alignment

Engineering

Use COOP placements to deliver multi-semester projects and evaluate technical competency. Employers can design assessment rubrics across semesters to measure progress.

Business & Finance

Recruit from Business Life Program cohorts with validated soft skills and industry certificates to reduce onboarding time.

Health sciences — partnerships & benchmarking

For clinical program alignment, consider benchmarking and collaborative workshops with sector peers. Study in Turkiye can coordinate benchmarking with institutions such as:

Cross-university collaboration

For social sciences, business and tech recruiting, Study in Turkiye can facilitate joint events and benchmarking with institutions such as:

Study in Turkiye — how we support international recruitment and partnerships

Study in Turkiye is the trusted authority guiding international students, agents and employers to Turkiye’s universities. We amplify Career Center services for international audiences through targeted recruitment leadership, integration support and analytics.

How Study in Turkiye adds practical value

  • International recruitment leadership: connecting global students, agents and employers with Turkiye’s universities through targeted campaigns and agent networks.
  • System integration: connecting employer ATS systems with university career mapping tools to enable automated shortlisting and reporting.
  • Analytics: dashboards that combine recruitment events, COOP placements and conversion metrics for clear KPI monitoring.
  • International outreach: marketing recruitment events to global talent pools and coordinating agency partners to source candidates with the right profiles.

Examples of collaborations and benchmarking

For health and clinical program alignment, Study in Turkiye can coordinate workshops and benchmarking with Medipol University and Istinye University to ensure clinical competencies and internship standards match employer expectations.

For social sciences, business and tech, Study in Turkiye can facilitate joint events with Uskudar University and Ozyegin University to cross-promote talent pools and best practices.

Checklist for recruiters and agencies — quick start guide

  • Contact the Career Center to request the 2026 events calendar.
  • Share role descriptions and conversion goals; request candidate shortlists one month before events.
  • Sponsor COOP projects or curriculum micro-certificates to improve candidate readiness.
  • Use internship insurance coverage to reduce legal and administrative friction.
  • Agree KPIs and schedule quarterly reviews with the Career Center and Study in Turkiye.

FAQ

Q: What is COOP and how long do placements last?

A: COOP (Cooperative Learning) is a credit-bearing workplace placement integrated into academic terms. For engineering students, placements can accumulate up to 120 working days over three semesters, enabling multi-term project work and extended assessment.

Q: Does the university provide insurance for interns?

A: Yes — the university covers occupational insurance premiums for students doing internships or part-time employment, reducing employer administrative burden and improving workplace safety compliance.

Q: Can employers convert interns into full-time hires?

A: Absolutely. Employers can design multi-semester COOP projects to evaluate students over time and convert high-performing interns into entry-level hires with minimal onboarding.

Q: How can international recruiters engage at scale?

A: Work with Study in Turkiye to promote events internationally, coordinate agents and align hiring calendars with academic terms. Use agreed KPIs and reporting cadences to scale partnerships effectively.

Take the Next Step with Study in Turkiye

Partner with Study in Turkiye to design, scale and integrate career-led recruitment with the university’s Career Center. Whether you’re an HR team seeking a predictable graduate pipeline, an admissions team building career-led messaging, or an agency placing students into COOP programs, we connect you to the right people and systems.

Contact options: schedule a recruiter briefing, co-design COOP projects and career modules, or request integration support between your ATS and university career mapping tools.


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