Challenges

Public

Discussion:

Kelly,

Thank you for sharing these challenges. They are challenges many face. I'd like to share some thoughts with you and I have some questions on which I'd be interested in hearing your own thoughts:
1. Have you considered hosting networking events vs. "career fairs" and "interview days" which focus on hiring practices vs. networking?
2. How might a "networking" event be differentiated from a traditional career fair or "interview day" and in what ways might you use social media to execute such an event? Who might be potential partners in offering such an event? (I think of local chambers, small business associations, or professional associations who may appreciate you offering your space or partnering in some way. Collaboration with other groups can help both parties accomplish mutual goals and I encourage you to think of how you can leverage social media to enhance these types of partnerships).
3. Have you considered transforming your "interview day" concept from a hiring interview to an informational interview? How might you use social media to scale such an idea and designate more frequent opportunities via technology to enhance your face-to-face events?
4. How might you educate students on how to leverage social media to obtain their own informational interviews through social channels? How could you use their success stories of having achieved an informational interview using social media channels to generate more buzz about this practice?
5. Consider the concepts behind social networks like www.meetup.com and www.letslunch.com that allow people to find others with similar interests and connect offline. Perhaps this will spur more creative ideas on what you can do to leverage social media in non-traditional ways to connect students/alumni with employers for networking purposes.

I hope these comments/questions spur some ideas and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Regards,

Robert Starks Jr.

Kelly, Thank you for sharing these challenges. They are challenges many face. I'd like to share some thoughts with you and I have some questions on which I'd be interested in hearing your own thoughts: 1. Have you considered hosting networking events vs. "career fairs" and "interview days" which focus on hiring practices vs. networking? 2. How might a "networking" event be differentiated from a traditional career fair or "interview day" and in what ways might you use social media to execute such an event? Who might be potential partners in offering such an event? (I think of local chambers, small business associations, or professional associations who may appreciate you offering your space or partnering in some way. Collaboration with other groups can help both parties accomplish mutual goals and I encourage you to think of how you can leverage social media to enhance these types of partnerships). 3. Have you considered transforming your "interview day" concept from a hiring interview to an informational interview? How might you use social media to scale such an idea and designate more frequent opportunities via technology to enhance your face-to-face events? 4. How might you educate students on how to leverage social media to obtain their own informational interviews through social channels? How could you use their success stories of having achieved an informational interview using social media channels to generate more buzz about this practice? 5. Consider the concepts behind social networks like www.meetup.com and www.letslunch.com that allow people to find others with similar interests and connect offline. Perhaps this will spur more creative ideas on what you can do to leverage social media in non-traditional ways to connect students/alumni with employers for networking purposes. I hope these comments/questions spur some ideas and I'd love to hear your thoughts. Regards, Robert Starks Jr.