Yes, we do have a facebook page for our business. However, I'm not fimilar with a lot of the social media avaiable. I look forward to learning more!
yes, it is helpful to track the students progress, heads up on red flags and a great way to communitate up coming events.
Tabatha,
What were the reasons for choosing Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook? What Career Center goals will you want to accomplish with your social media strategy? Consider these questions as you take the course and think about what you'll measure and how you'll measure to see a correlation between your social media strategy and your goal(s). This is important before identifying what platforms you'll use and what your tactics will be.
Robert Starks Jr.
As of yet, we have not been using social media. We are currently developing a strategy to launch a Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook network for our alumni.
We will be using these tools to engage with students and to teach them how to engage meaningfully with each other and others in their field. We plan to use these social media platforms to keep students informed about events and updates in our school and industry, facilitate discussion, and grow a network where students can assist each other. Networking is increasingly essential in a new graduate's job search and social networking is doubly so!
Hello Amy,
Some of my responses to other learners have been unique to their individual circumstances such as a response to an individual at an allied health school indicating top medical social networks. However, I suggest that you review the resources section of the course where I have provided a tremendous amount of information to use beyond the point of completing this course. After reviewing, please let me know if you have specific questions, resource needs, etc. and I would be happy to expand upon what has been provided if you do not find what you are seeking. If you have any questions, please feel free to engage with me and know that I am also available even when you complete the course in The Lounge (www.careercollegelounge.com) which is the place for learners to continue engaging and sharing information, resources, insights and best practices.
Robert Starks Jr.
Hello Robert,
I'm new to the course and to this forum. I'm wondering if the links that you have included in some of your posts/replies are accessible anywhere in a resource section of sorts. Again, I'm new and haven't done too much investigating of the course just yet. Any help is appreciated! Thank you!
Amy
Robert,
Of all the lines you could have selected from the content, I find it so insightful that you have chosen to discuss this because it is dead on! That single concept alone which can be so seemingly simple isn't and it is the perspective required to truly understand the value of a social media strategy. The other reason it is so insightful is because it will guide realistic expectations when pursuing a strategy because just as relationships are long-term, so to is a social media strategy for the department and results are somewhat like a snowball - they are very small and over time, as you build a strong community and network of deep relationships, the benefits grow exponentially as you find ways to leverage relationships through collaboration which enhances your ability to accomplish multiple objectives. I am so glad you pointed this out!
Robert Starks Jr.
I like your suggestion to not use Facebook as a job board, but as a toold to build affinity with the school. That is a great perspective. Thank you- That is not how I would view the tool previously.
Hello Mary,
Many schools have a Facebook Page because it is used for Lead Generation for Marketing. However, there are many schools who are still discovering that social media tools can be used to enhance student retention and career development/career services participation among many other purposes. Thus, what you describe in about your school having a FB page but Career Services not having one, is normal. Your reluctance is also normal. One thing, among many, this course will emphasize is the mindset and expectations you will have to have if you decide to leverage a social media strategy for your department. This means transparency and authenticity are critical which also means control is given up because you do open it up for students/alumni to post their opinions which may be negative. This is a reality but it isn't necessarily "bad."
Rather than viewing this as something to fear, what about viewing it as an opportunity to publicly demonstrate your high-quality customer service? One thing is for sure, once you go social, it will keep you on your toes! How to make things work for you will first require you to have a focus on what objective(s) you have for your department and how social media will play a role as merely one component of the multiple things your department already does to accomplish your department objectives. You will see examples discussed in forums and you will also see examples of strategy plans in the "Resources" section. This course is essentially, a marketing course that will help you understand how a strategy can be developed, how it can be used, and finally, what tools can help you execute as well as measure. I look forward to our future interactions and encourage you to maximize your learning by asking questions and engaging in dialogue. I am hear to help facilitate this journey with you.
Take care.
Robert Starks Jr.
Ok I have to admit this is where I am behind the times. While our school has a FB page and does network with current students this way, the Career Services Dept. has yet to utilize social media in networking with graduates. I suppose I have been very reluctant to do so because their are some people I would not want to post responses to our page(disgruntle type of individuals).
I am taking this course in order to develop and enhance our social networking, so I hope I get some really good information and success tips from others on how to make this process work for us.
Hello Kathy,
I think the struggle you describe is a small portion of the struggle most people have in adapting to this new medium for human interaction and shared human experience. I imagine the conversations were similar with every other technological advancement in the past. Did people say the telephone was impersonal to face-to-face conversation? What do you think was said about email? Yet, today, organizations conduct business via email. People break up with eachoter via text messages! People are getting married having met eachother playing online games! This is the story of history and we are living through the next evolution in how human beings connect, communicate, and share human experience. The struggle you describe is the same struggle society has always experienced as we adapt and make sense of things as we live through it.
Now that everyone has the power to publish, you naturally will get trivial information. However, Career Advisors must train themselves to be able to recognize when seemingly meaningless information can actually be golden.
The example in the module regarding strategic engagement points this out. Some graduate tweeting about their love for music for instance can be viewed as useless information unless you train yourself to consider how social media allows us to be flies on the wall to make observations of peoples' activity, their interests, their motives for behaviors, what's going on in their lives, who their influencers are in their network, etc. We must ask ourselves how this data which we have never had the opportunity to collect before can be used to transform our insight about people into strategic engagement to build rapport and to ultimately, improve collaboration to accomplish our objectives.
Your question regarding filtering. There are many ways to filter but no way will be perfect. For instance, even with email, we want to filter spam but will you be able to fully stop spam? You'd have to stop using email all-together if you wanted it to completely stop. These are things that come with the territory. The idea of the PLN is one solution to filtering. If you use Twitter for instance and want to reduce the noise, that is primarily determined by who you follow and how you organize your streams of information using lists. If people on Facebook are sending you app requests and you don't want app requests, shut them off. Here's how - http://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=202866049749634. Each platform has different features that allow you to filter - it's just a matter of learning the tools.
Thanks for your questions and thoughts - you have added to the learning for the group.
Robert Starks Jr.
I totally agree that our goal is to build the relationships with the grads or students as it may be. My struggle lies in that I'm old fashion and resistent to this seemingly impersonal and public way of interacting. I relate to the part in the module that talks about how much of the postings are so trivial and tell me things that I don't really need to know. It takes so much time to just read through postings to find the one bit of info I can seize and follow up on.
Is there a way to filter out all the nonsensical stuff like wanting me to play games and like them on other links etc.?
We have a school Facebook page and I have one for my position at the school. I can locate and interact with our graduates to answer career questions, give advice or just catch up on their professional status.
We have used social media as a skip tracing method. Grads love to talk about what they are doing on a day to day sometimes moment to moment basis. It's a great way to get information about those hard to reach grads.
We advertise alumni events, when employers will be conducting on site interviews and any information that would allow the viewer to see us as a resource.
Christine,
Hello Christine,
I'm curious, how would you describe how one can use social media to modify their strategic engagement strategies with graduates with whom are difficult to contact to perhaps elicit response? What are your thoughts?
Robert Starks Jr.
After completing the first section of this course, I feel that our career services department can learn more about using social media effectively. We use it currently by locating graduates that are difficult to contact by phone or email and also to communicate to those who live further away from the school to see what they have been up to since graduation. It is also a good way to reach a lot of people quickly, for example, telling grads that there is an upcoming career workshop that they can sign up for. I look forward to building more strategies to use this helpful tool.
Stacey,
I shared these 10 tips in forum 3 but since you mentioned LinkedIn, I thought I'd share them with you in case any of them might be helpful to you when discussing some basics on optimizing a LinkedIn profile:
1. Build a 100% complete profile and create a vanity URL for your profile. To create a vanity URL, instructions are in my blog post: http://bit.ly/u7iH0k
2. Use a professional-looking head shot photo consistent across all social media platforms you use (This is brand consistency)
3. Optimize key words in your profile that align with target industry/job since profiles become searchable by recruiters. Optimized key words lead to increased likelihood of being found by your target audience.
4. Use the three listed URLs LinkedIn allows to link to other online collateral that can persuade an employer to be interested. This may be your personal blog, an online portfolio, an online infographic resume, your VisualCV profile, etc.
5. Request meaningful endorsements for past positions - At least 2 endorsements for each past position is a good goal for students.
6. Use the LinkedIn Apps to differentiate and optimize your profile - Many people ignore the apps LinkedIn offers which can be found in the top navigation bar under the tab "More." Specifically, the WordPress app is great to insert a personal WordPress blog into one's profile and Slide Share is a great app to incorporate a relevant PowerPoint or video presentation (or even a video resume) but video is only allowed for premium accounts. Box.net is great for including files in your profile that might be samples of work to share as a LinkedIn portfolio or even a PDF version of one's resume.
7. Identify relevant targeted groups to join and engage in discussion
8. Etiquette rules - Always be professional, polite, helpful, courteous, and thoughtful. Show your expertise when appropriate in answering questions and providing your own insight and thank others for their contributions
9. Leverage LinkedIn Answers to take advantage of the expertise of others on LinkedIn by getting answers to your questions. Other professionals on LinkedIn offer their insight using this app. Moreover, answer questions to demonstrate your expertise in a topic and build connections.
10. Once you have a complete profile, include your LinkedIn Vanity URL on printed marketing collateral such as a business card and of course, the resume. Consider a QR Code on a business card that allows someone with a smart phone to go directly to your LinkedIn profile.
Some additional tips would be to ensure the profile is made public so they can be searched by recruiters and employers and the other is to consider including your email in your headline. The headline is the first visible part of a profile and shows up when other users hover over the profile picture of someone with their mouse. Unless you have a premium account, you are limited with inmail options on LInkedIn and unless you are connected to someone, they won't have access to your email so including it in the headline makes it easier for people to contact you which is important for a job seeker.
I hope those help.
Currently we are working on a Facebook page. I am able to use LinkedIn and have added a discussion about it to my resume workshop for our students. We highly promote networking and advise them to establish a LinkedIn account as soon as they start our program and network throughout the program and it has assisted our graduates in securing employment.
Angela,
When you describe using Facebook to interact with students, I am wondering what is meant by this. For instance, are you using Facebook as another communication tool or are you using it in some other way? Have you begun thinking about how you might use tools like Facebook or LinkedIn beyond the ways you currently use them? For instance, do you use Twitter or LinkedIn for your own professional development strategically building your own personal learning networks? Do you use LinkedIn not only for employer outreach, but for employer engagement? Have you thought about leveraging groups so that you can expand the Career Services team by essentially having the community (group) of alumni or students help each other? These are some ideas I'd encourage you to consider if you haven't already.
Thanks.
Robert Starks Jr.
We use Facebook and LinkedIn in our career center. Facebook allows us to interact with our students and LinkedIn introduces our students to employers and potential job opportunities.
