How does the Placement Department specifically and positively impact other departments in your school? What are ways that Placement Services can impact enrollments?

I just began working for a company and the placement program is very new here. The space is very small and there is really no where to conduct one on one consultions are the empty classrooms adequet.

Like many, I'm new to Job Placement. What is the best way to contact employers, just basic cold calling? What if many are not hiring? Any tips?

I have had "advice sessions" with faculty who want to share with me their judgement calls on "unplaceable grads" - what can I do to help others keep a positive attitude concerning all students?

I give out a homework assignment; find 4 people who you can network with or 4 individuals in an office, firm, hospital etc who you can make contact with for future help in job search. Has any one else done anything similar?

I am having a problem getting the students at my school to use the career development services that are here for them to use. I call them, e-mail them and I'll be lucky if out of 20 students, 5 call me back. Any ideas?

I've found that most of my colleagues in Career Services come from areas unrelated to placement, i.e. Recruiting or Outplacement firms. Wouldn't it make sense that Career Service professionals have some training before they assume their role of recruiting employers to submit jobs and helping students master the art of job search?

Following up with a student is great method to keep records of the student. ALso, perhaps you can gain some information in the job and use it for our future students trying to get a job. If they hire someone who worked out for them from our school then they will again. Good reviews are a good method. Surveys, feedback from employers are all great standards.

I don't know about others, but to me having a "hobbie" entry doesn't look professional, what do you think?

Are they really important for a College. What kind of speaker do you encourage to have at a college when their are so many different Majors?

As a Career Developer, I like to implement new strategies for my students. I like them to feel secured and confident when they go out there to fetch a job. I like to give assessment test for their own personal use. Sometimes, they are unsure of where they want to work. I think giving these types of test motivates them and gives a more confident feeling in striking that job they want. Once they learn about themselves, then they know where to apply and gain experience and hopefully grow with the company as an entry-level candidate. If not, then they may tend to get a job they did not know they would not enjoy and make it more difficult for their confidence in getting that great job. What other suggestions do you have for this type of source? "Google" the assessment tests, if you would like to give it to your students. I strongly suggest it. Google it under search CAREER+ASSESMENT+FREE+ONLINE

Are there any websites, or do you have any forms and/or templates that work well for tracking all of the students information and progress regarding placement? We are a small school and have very few students that are not corporately sponsored that request placement, but I have found the tracking aspect of their progress very difficult. Any help with creating a tracking process/form would be greatly appreciated.

I recently came into the position of Placement Director of a medium-sized trade school. Prior to my arrival, the Placement Dept. was not kept up with very well. Now there are 10 years worth of alumni, many with employment history, many without employment history, many without employment history tracked in our database, etc. It seems like too large of a task to try and contact EVERY employer of graduates, especially if I don't even know that they are current positions. I have been sending out surveys to graduates to try to update as much info as possible, and of the 600 surveys I've sent, only 70 have come back. Does anyone have any suggestions for where to begin? Thanks, Josh

I plan on having an in-house career fair at our school to host interviews for upcoming grads, graduates and alumni. Do you have any ideas or thoughts that can maximize success for all involved?

Does any one have any knowledge of non-profit organizations whose primary objective is to assist disabled individuals find and secure career placement?

What measures can we take to employ students with a more than favorable background?

Hello- One of my challenges is that 90% of the students which I need to place have NO on-the-job training or work experience. They are green with only educational training and experience through school. Naturally, there are job orders which demand experience. However, many of the job orders I secure are "Borderline" as far as required "work experience". Any suggestions on how Placement can persuade an employer to invest in training candidates without experience if they are not budgeted for this or have been burned previously? Thanks for the input! Michele

The problem that most of my students are having is putting together a resume with a unique objective. The suggestion I make is to scope out the company and find what it is that they are looking for in an employee, cross reference it to their list that they made about themselves and see if there are any similarities. If so, incorporate those qualities in their objective. I have my students make a general resume most times unless there is a specific place they want employment. I have a page or two on creative words/skills that the students can pick through but I like to wait and see what they come up with. I heard that there are programs out there that practically create the resume for you including objective. I don't know how unique that would be. Any thoughts?

We have a few representatives coming to our school to host interviews for upcoming grads, graduates and alumni. I am nervous as to how this will pan out because I haven't had the opportunity to meet with each individual. (I am new to the Career along with the students) As with any job posting/opportunity you want to make sure your sending them who they are looking for and not just another one in the bunch. You want the employers to want to come back to you in the future. I do different workshops to get to know the students. I also have asked the teachers for there input on the students/grads and if they would be suitable for the job. So the concern is how do I know if I am sending the right candidate for the job? Do you have any other ideas/tools I can use for this concern?

Our entire school system has taken on the task of building student self-confidence and self-worth through a series of workshops. In addition to the direct benefit, there is the added benefit of the inclusion of otherwise missed skills and accomplishments in student resumes. Workshop attendees don't need the level of "extraction" by CS staff to find marketable skills and accomplishments. We find this a definite plus.