Robert Pearl Starks

Hi Amber, You hit the nail on the head. Over time, through consistency in communication and content published, students develop a brand. For instance, imagine a Twitter profile for a massage graduate who constantly posts about massage, wellness, and perhaps their own blog about the topic to demonstrate their knowledge and passion. An entire profile can either bolster one's brand or not - it depends on whether or not an individual decides to use the tool strategically for career-related benefits. The tools are never to be blamed for hurting or helping the individual - it's how they are used by… >>>

Hi Amber, Thanks for sharing this excellent feedback directly from the field. You're right, the content we publish on open sites like Facebook is indexed by Google, permanent, and searchable. Employers can use that data in decision-making for hiring decisions. Today's employers want to hire individuals whose personal brands align with the brand of the company because their employees represent them. Content from students published on social media sites that suggests an individual has values, behaviors, or qualities that do not align with company expectations help employers to make the decision not to hire them. Students need to be thoroughly… >>>

Hi Amber, Thanks for sharing. I love that you incorporate a portfolio in the education process. Because I'm not aware of what precisely is on your evaluation forms, I'm not sure if this would make sense but if anything were quantified such as ratings from evaluations in which a Likert scale was used, that data could actually be used to generate a line graph in Excel to visually show improvement but also demonstrate other qualities skills possessed by the graduate. I've interviewed people before for staff positions and one young lady impressed me so much, I still remember her. She… >>>

Hi Amber, In my own experience, stressing to students the need to focus on communicating how they add value (in specific terms) to an employer rarely worked. I found that I needed to provide a writing model to help them communicate effectively. The model presented in the course is the one I used with success. If I may provide feedback on the objective statement example you provide, I'd argue that it is too vague and from an employer's perspective, communicates little value. What specific education? What specific skills and experience? For example, what about specifying the education, skills and experience… >>>