Robert Pearl Starks

Hi Victoria , Thanks for sharing both a challenge and some intervention strategies you have used. This is a tough challenge to overcome since there is only so much one can do and insufficient financial support can cause a lot of stress for students only making the problem worse. Since you raised this important challenge that I'm certain others face, I'll share some other strategies to consider: 1. Develop a carpool program matching students who need a ride with students who have vehicles and are willing to help out. We kept a "Carpool" board in the student lounge so people… >>>

Helen , I believe that the ultimate reason we have "MIAs," is because, first, we haven't developed a strong enough relationship/partnership with the student/graduate. When an individual isn't concerned enough to simply communicate with us, return phone calls, respond to emails, etc., there lacks a feeling of responsibility to the partnership because a partnership hasn't been established. There is no feeling of responsibility to show simple courtesy to call someone back if the individual has no connection with the person trying to reach them. In the long-term, I'd suggest evaluating the processes that are in place that allows your department… >>>

Helen, I couldn't help but notice that there is no mention of the use of any social platforms for the long-term strategies of student/alumni engagement, employer outreach and engagement, or building one's network in niche fields. When you say you are using LinkedIn for "job orders," in what way? How is your social media use differentiated from other tools used in the career center? The course emphasizes relationship-building and building affinity with constituents, transforming students to advocates of the department and using social tools to improve student participation. Can you speak to specific ways in which any of this is… >>>

Helen, People search engines such as Pipl.com and KGBpeople.com came in handy many times for me when trying to skip trace MIA graduates. When using people search engines, it's best to use multiple tools since each scans different social networks for data. They simply are tools to help you optimize your researching skills by leveraging the data on social media platforms. Make sure to explore all the tools in the resources section related to people search. I have found that many career services professionals are not using these tools to help themselves be better "private investigators." If they can help… >>>