In the context of Sino-foreign cooperative education programs, college students’ career development exhibits cross-cultural characteristics, multiple pathways, and high uncertainty. The traditional guidance model, focused primarily on employment services at graduation stages, can no longer meet the comprehensive educational needs throughout the entire learning process. This study investigates the construction, implementation, and optimization of a phased progressive career development guidance system. Centered on the four-year undergraduate growth trajectory, it establishes a step-by-step guidance framework encompassing “career awareness awakening, pathway diversification, competency accumulation, and decision implementation.” Leveraging career development profiling and artificial intelligence technologies, the system utilizes concentrated practical training in senior years as a critical implementation domain to achieve job matching, risk prediction, and decision support. The study suggests that this system enhances the continuity, precision, and effectiveness of career guidance, facilitating the transition of career development support for international students from end-stage services to holistic educational cultivation throughout their academic journey.