Small office and limited staff
If you had to prioritize placement functions and only offer a few of the most important what would you choose, for your students? for your school?
Great Maureen, Exactly our belief - placement has to be part of the training program. Business Marketing is an interesting name for the course. Does it focus on job skills and the job search process or marketing in general? If grads tend to work on their own, this is a good course to help them set up and develop their business. In any case, sounds like you are integrating career building skills throughout the program. Great. Susan
Our school actually has a required "Business Marketing" course where students learn how to write cover letters, thank you letters, resumes, and in the end have mock interviews for a fictitious position.
So basicly in our case I would say that between this course and the internships offered, placement is actually part of the program itself.
Hi, We feel that a placement department doesn't have to be limited just because of limited space or staff. It takes time to set up systems and procedures. And to gather the best resources. But once done, and an operations manual is put in place, you can service a lot of students. And clerical type assistance can be effective if you have a great manual listing all the policies, procedures, and forms that are easy to follow by anyone. Always a challenge, Susan
HI Christine, Great that you conduct Exit Interviews. We feel that you should be in contact with students throughout their school experience and not just at the end. Getting to know them and their needs is important along the way. If you do this then you will have a lot of information in their files. The info in each student's files will vary. But you could create a checklist to be sure you have information that relates to your school such as intern or externship experience, grades, completion of certain employment training skills, copies of resumes, references, and more. With a checklist you can get some clerical assistance to help complete the files. Best wishes, Susan
Thank you for your suggestions. I will try to utilize some of your ideas because I have the same issues also in being part of a limited staff. I really try to help graduates with their resumes often, as well.
I also conduct Exit Interviews with the graduates at our school. It really helps me familiarize myself with the student's career goals and expectations. I really find that it helps me remember the graduate better for when I determine job placement. Do you have any suggestions as to any information to put in their files for better reference when deciding where to place them? Thanks, Christine
HI Asha, Inheriting a position is always a challenge. You have to decide what to keep of the old systems and what to put in that's new. Sometimes it pays to create something that's all new. It will take time upfront. But once you develop a policies and procedures manual and can even get some assistance, you'll be able to be creative and have fun. Good luck, Susan
Thanks for the tips Susan. I inherited a dept that was not given the appropriate attention in the past and I am in the process of cleaning up and organizing while trying to keep up with servicing our present students and graduates so prioritizing is definetly something I am paying attention too.
HI Asha, Great idea to develop ways to have ongoing interaction and build relationships with students from the beginning. Even at the time of admissions. It takes time up front to develop a program and calendar. But once done can be more or less automatic regardless of the number of people on staff. Not sure students want to be drilled on the tools. Perhaps better to show them the need for the tools and have them get motivated and interested. Also good to see what their concerns are and address them. Best wishes, Susan
Ongoing interaction and relationship building throughout the student's school life at the facility and even beyond would be my first priority- then making sure that at our Career Services workshops, we drill the students with the necessary tools that will help them to find a job in their respective career field. Building a relationship with the community will be next in line so as to create more opportunities for graduates. :)
Hi Gina
Looks like a grreat start. What you might do is to think of every week that the student is in school and what kind of employment skills training you can offer. There's a lot more than interview practice and resume writing. See if can ask for 10 minutes in class time for a presentation. Plan workshops and events. You'll be surprised how much the efforts impact on retention, student satisfaction, and of course placement. Best wishes, Susan
I am currently starting a placement department from the ground up at a school that just opened. Due to the fact that I am the only person in my department (for now) here is what I chose.
Resume Writing Skills (I block time every day just for students to come in my office)
Mock interviews, dos and don'ts
Externship education for students (What we expected of them and what they can expect)
At this campus Placement is the Extern Coordinator as well so it is a BUSY job….
I hope that helps a little.
Gina C.
HI Rayyan
Limited staff is always an issue, particularly for small schools. Great idea to use volunteers and also employers to assist. Also it is important to take the time to set up a well organized placement department with a very comprehensive policies and procedures manual and copies of all related materials. In this way one person can handle placement working only a few hours a day until there is a budget to pay for more staff. Also information and updates can be sent to students and grads via email. Employment skills can also be offered online. Again, it takes time for planning and set up.
Best wishes
Susan
Utilizing para-professionals and student/alum volunteers is a quick way to reduce budgetary needs. And as individuals have already stated, don't forget to establish key relationships with employers who have a stake in helping to sustain career placement offices. Ultimately, employers will benefit with future staffing needs from the graduating pool of students at any given college.
HI Michele
We like exit surveys and have seen that they are very effective when held a few months prior to actual graduation. It helps motivate students for the final push to graduation and starts to identify their areas of concern as they are about to leave the safety of their school environment. Best, Susan
I feel that doing Graduate Exit Interviews is an effective tool in placing students because the student's specific goals are noted which focuses the job search and enables me to more closely match the student to a possible career.
Right you are Sara. But don't expect students to become experts in getting a job after your first session with them. It takes reviewing with them what went well and where improvement is needed after each interview. Think of your assistance as a course that requires time to gain the skills and knowledge. Best wishes, Susan
I feel one of the most important things that I do in the placement office is inform my students of interviewing skills, job search techniques, and resume writing. Giving the students the skills to write a resume and interview well is something that they will always have.
Hi Kimberly
All great points. You are establishing employer relationships with many goals in mind - externship placement, job placement, new enrollments from their current staff, feedback re programs, participation in career events, etc. So everyone has to look good and be good. Takes a while to set up the systems and methods for evaluation. Thanks for sharing. Susan
