Disrupting the Student Employment Paradigm with Arizona State University

About the School

Arizona State University is a premier public research university located in Tempe, Arizona. In Fall 2025, the university reported a total enrollment of approximately 190,000 students across its metro campuses, ASU Online, and ASU local sites. ASU is widely recognized for its diversity and accessibility, carrying 400+ undergraduate degrees and a student body where 36.5% are first-generation college students. The institution has consistently been ranked #1 in the nation for innovation, sustainability, and global impact, while also holding a #2 ranking for employability. ASU’s University College is the only location where career assessments are required for University College students. This ensures that professional development resources are available to all students regardless of their major or campus.

Challenges before Suitable

Before integrating Suitable, the Work+ program utilized other competency assessment tools such as Skills Surveys.. This early iteration faced significant scalability issues, as manual tracking processes made it nearly impossible to manage the thousands of student workers and observers across the university. The previous system was not user-friendly for students or supervisors, often resulting in a one-size-fits-all approach that failed to meet diverse departmental needs. Furthermore, administrators struggled with data collection; analytics were difficult to compile and reporting was limited to static PDFs rather than dynamic dashboards. Without an integrated or intentional assessment tool, there was no widely adopted method on campus to benchmark career readiness or provide students with a cohesive narrative of their own growth. These pain points necessitated a transition to a more modernized, automated, and secure technological advancement.

Life with Suitable

ASU transitioned to Suitable to manage their student population of over 8,000 student workers and 1,900 observers. The platform introduced a modern user interface and a mobile app that allows students to access their professional development data in real-time. A core component of the solution is the Career Readiness Inventory, an interactive assessment where students self-evaluate and then receive feedback from their supervisors. Suitable’s platform visualizes this data through shareable Career Readiness Reports, which replace static documents with interactive insights into the 7 NACE competencies scores ASU recognizes, such as Critical Thinking, Communication, and Professionalism. To ensure success, ASU launched a workshop series for observers, teaching them how to score students fairly and lead impactful debriefs. The platform’s single sign-on integration ensures unrivaled data security while making the experience intuitive for the entire campus community.

Key Insights and Takeaways

The implementation of Suitable has led to remarkable engagement metrics within the Spring 2026 cohort. Within University College, ASU achieved a 99.2% student completion rate for required assessments, with 656 total student completions and 859 observer completions recorded between March and April 2026. The data revealed that students consistently ranked themselves highest in Teamwork (3.4) and Technology (3.3), while observers often rated students even higher than their own self-assessments in areas like Professionalism (3.6). The university found that providing observers with dedicated resources, such as a Supervisor Debrief Guide and a “Supervisor Hub,” was vital for turning assessment insights into a growth-oriented impact. Using incentives like gift cards also successfully engaged non-required student workers to participate.