HI Dario
Following up grads has many benefits. This includes finding out job and placement information and where they are working. Their employers can be great sources of information. Grads can be great referrals too. And grads may very well enroll in your continuing ed courses. Or they may decide to advance themselves and take other training programs you offer. Grads can give you good input about changes to make. Keeping in touch with grads frequently also helps to ensure that you will have their current address information.
Best wishes
Susan
Hi Ayala
Our philosophy is that the placement department should have a constant presence in the lives of the students. The placement department should be a resource and some offerings the student should be required to take. We belive in a lot of hand holding. There are other school owners and directors who believe the students should be taking responsibility. The only right answer is what is right for your school and student population. Just keep measuring results and compare against what you are doing. And make changes as needed.
Best wishes
Susan
Typically I follow them every two months before they get their license and every month after that.
Ayala
We follow our students every two months no matter how long they have been out of the program. It makes them feel like family and keeps them up to date on any new programs.
Dario
Hi Maria
Well said. At least students are coming to your office to ask for assistance. That's good. What about the ones you don't see and who don't get jobs? So far it seems that the handholding is necessary to meet objectives. Ideally the students will use the skills you have taught sometime in the future.
Best wishes
Susan
Hi Susan:
In our school the admissions department is very clear indicating that the school offers "assistance" with job placement, but does not warrantee the job.
The objectives of the placement department are discussed with students during the admission process, and are re-discussed during the orientation day.
Also, during their time in school my department offers Employability skills Workshops. Unfortunately, nothing is enough to prepare the student on this matter. After all these efforts, students continue coming to my office to get help with their resumes. Most of the time I have to make it for them.
Hi Maria
There seems to be a running theme about how much responsiblity the student is to assume and how much the school is responsible for in job placement. We're thinking that maybe everyone should check what admissions is telling applicants. Perhaps the admissions reps indicate that the school will get the job for the student. It may seem like a selling point. So it is reasonable for the student to expect the service. If placement discussions starts early on, eventually students will see that they are responsible for getting a job just like they are responsible for doing their homework. But we still feel a lot of handholding is necessary. Everyone is measured on whether the student is employed.
Best wishes
Susan
I agree with you. In my case, this work is even harder because the student services department is the same Placement department. This means that sometimes students think we have an employment agency in the school. In my personal experience I have played the role of "spoon feeding". I say this because students think I have obligation of finding jobs for them, which is negative because the school offers assistance on this matter but is not responssible for this, but for the education and professional preparation.
Usually I help students on a One on One basis, also, I do their resumes, reference letters, assist them with application, spend hours in front of the Internet looking for new job openings.
That is why I agree with you, the school offers assistance and tools, but the student should be responssible for their job search.
Hi Candace
Sounds like you are doing the appropriate amount of handholding and at the same time encouraging grads to take responsibility for getting a job. We think the assumption of responsibility comes later. So the skills have to be taught before. Do you keep a database of all employers students bring to you? You could build a database of current and prospective employers and contact them on a regular basis.
Best wishes
Susan
Our Placement Office does all of those things including faxing,mailing, and emailing of resumes, but we also make it a hands on process for the graduate. We let them know that we can't assist them without their assistance. When they come into the office after they type their resume and cover letter we show them step by step how to post their resume on internet sites such as Monster and Career Builder. We show them how to attach their resume to emails and online applications by letting them do all the work while we sit and direct them through the sites. We challenge them to bring us leads they are interested in sending their resume to and show them how and where to look for those leads. We ask them to keep a record of the leads they find and follow up on and bring them to our office to compare what they have done and what our office has done. I always tell the graduates sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring is not the way to job search.
Hi Chris
Interesting situation. Students come to school to learn and get a job. So that says that the placement department is critical and should provide employment skills training and a bank of jobs. These services look good to the prospective students and are necessary for grads. Then motivate everyone to use the services. But don't enable them to be lazy.
Best wishes
Susan
