Social network analysis techniques have shown a potential for influencing gradu-ates to meet industry needs. In this paper, we propose a social-web driven solutions to bridge formal education and industry needs. The proposed career development frame-work utilizes social network analytics, influence diffusion algorithms and persuasive technology models along three phases: (1) career readiness to measure and visualize the general cognitive dispositions required for a successful career in the 21st Century, (2) career prediction to persuade future graduates into a desired career path by clustering learners whose career prospects are deemed similar, into a community of practice; and (3) career development to drive growth within a social network structure where social network analytics and persuasive techniques are applied to incite the adoption of desired career behaviors. The process starts by discovering behavioral features to create a cognitive profile and diagnose individual deficiencies. Then, we develop a fuzzy clustering algorithm that predicts similar patterns with controlled constraint-violations to construct a social structure for collaborative cognitive attainment. This social framework facilitates the deployment of novel influence diffusion approaches, whereby we propose a reciprocal-weighted similarity function and a triadic clo-sure approach. In doing so, we investigate contemporary social network analytics to maximize influence diffusion across a synthesized social network. The outcome of this social computing approach leads to a persuasive model that supports behavioral changes and developments. The performance results obtained from both analytical and experi-mental evaluations validate our data-driven strategy for persuasive behavioral change.