Surveys...
What surveys can you easily create and implement now to measure placement success?
Leah,
A short survey is a great start for any initiative and to check how you are doing. You might want to consider setting up an Alumni Community, It is a great way to assist your grads, It also provides a way to talk to employers about improving training to meet employment needs and tell you about job openings and whether they can host externship sites. Alumni are valuable resources and can provide extra hands especially in employment skills training, MaxK offers a course on how to set up Alumni Communities, benefits, and ROI. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
Leah,
There are many services that provide skip tracing. There is an increased number of services that help to locate grads and find out where they are working and salary. Staying in touch with Alumni is one way to do this. MaxK offers a course on how to set up and develop an Alumni Community. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
I think a short survey for grads asking about their interests in the future and how we can improve would get us the most feedback and open the dialogue door. I think asking employers to share what we could do to improve the training of their now-employed grads would be great and easy as well.
I am wondering how do you get students to keep sharing when they advance with you? Especially with the students who want nothing to do with you after graduation. Or share salary info which can be really personal for some.
I would love to hear what skip trace efforts you do as well!
Stephanie,
We are starting to see that online surveys don't provide a lot of response. That's why we are now looking at the benefits of a comprehensive Community Outreach initiative. That means visits and phone calls to employers. We think there is more information to be gained than from a survey. Your thoughts? Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
A phone survey that is followed up by a spreadsheet is not a bad idea however in the past my school has created a survey to be mailed and returned. Which may not be a good idea because we receive less that 2% back. I mail 300 student and 150 employer surveys per quarter and may get 4 back from each. Ideas on how to conduct survey would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Cristelyn
Sounds like you are doing a great job so don't get discouraged if you are not getting the results you want right away. It takes patience, persistence, and change. Re graduate survey - you might hold an exit and even pre-exit interview. At that time you can ask the grad to complete the survey or if needed ask them the questions and you write the answers. Following up with calls by well scripted callers is a good idea. It takes checking the results and the script and the time of day calls are made. As to asking employers for job openings - why not frame it so they are getting the benefit and you are doing them the favor? Also, keep in touch with employers in a variety of ways via email and inviting them to see your school. And when they hire your grad, follow up to be sure your grad was work ready. Thanks, Susan
I have just sent my first graduate survey but the result was really sad. So, I utilized a call blast along with an incentive to win something in a random drawing and I hope I will get more feedback.
I do talk to most graduates already and I definitely contact the employers in a monthly basis. But, WHAT IS THE BESTAND TACTFUL WAY OF ASKING FOR JOB OPENINGS?
HI Jenny, Interesting thinking about students adding their names to the surveys. You might want to try anonymous and choice to include name and measure results. It will be interesting to learn more about students' employment plans. That will help you in guiding them and the employment skills training you provide. Glad you have enjoyed the course. I do too! Always things to learn. Thanks, Susan
The students have the option of including their name on the survey, but it is not required. As I understand, it was felt that the response rate would be higher if they are not required to put their name on it. We do collect their contact information from them before they graduate. The survey covers many areas of their educational experience, but we have been asking minimal information in regards to their employment plans. I hope to expand on this and to begin following up with the students to gather more information on their employment successes. The ideas in the class and forum have been very helpful and provided many suggestions that we can use to improve our process.
Hi Jenny
Really great ideas. Just wondering why the survey is anonymous. Why not give students the option of including their names. This way you can get updated emails and other contact information too. Do you include questions that ask when grads plan to start work such as - as soon as possible, after passing the test, after moving, etc? There might be other information to gather if you also leave the question open ended. The follow up survey after graduation is essential. In fact, we recommend contact each month for a while or ideally send a really great newsletter every month to stay in touch and keep grad contact info current. On line surveys are a great idea. We find that if you include how long it will take to complete the survey that increases responses. A 5 minute survey is usually do-able. A 15 minute survey often turns people off. Grads are a valuable resource to every school. They can refer students, job openngs, and give great feedback. Also they can sign up for advanced programs. Thanks for the input, Susan
We have been conducting an anonymous Graduation Survey about a week before students graduate and asking about their employment plans. The response rate is high this way, however,some students at our college cannot begin work in their field immediately because they have to wait to take Board Tests, so follow up is very important. Others plan to relocate and may want to settle in before they begin employment, and others plan to open their own practice. I now plan to implement a follow up survey to find out the progress made after graduation. I am thinking about a follow up email with a link to an online survey, and I'm wondering what kind of results other schools have had with this? How do you incorporate these survey results to come up with an actual Placement Percentage Rate???
HI Claudia - Always essential to measure all outcomes. Surveys are one way to do that. Really important is to ask students how things are going for them each time you meet. Ask what additional assistance they need. Hold an exit interview and find out the grad's thoughts on every aspect of your school. Then make changes based on this valuable feedback. Thanks, Susan
We give all of our soon to graduate students to fill out a survey based on their exp with the school and staff of the school.
In we also like for them to comment on what they implement for us to change.
WE also keep in touch with them and send surveys to their employment.
Make life easy for yourself, Kerrie. Focus on a system for today and tomorrow. Keep it simple. Assemble the data as soon as you get the completed surveys and write up a summary. Email it out to interested people, or assign them, or create a committee. Ask for feedback within 2 days. Compile the feedback and resend. Ask what changes should be made as a result of this info. Go from there. You'll have a good system in place. Good luck, Susan
I will admit that this is the area that our department seems to falter on the most! We do tally all of the information and provide the Program Directors with the results, but it has seemed to slack over the past term or so. I was out of the office for about 3 1/2 months, which is a challenge to return and see what is where. This department has also gone through a few different Directors over the years, which is one of the greatest challenges to determine what surveys were sent to who and when. Some of the documentation from previous years is still being sought out.
Hi Kerrie, Sounds very thorough. What do you do with the information you collect from the surveys? How is the information analyzed and distributed to others for feedback. Are there other ways to measure placement success? What about job retention, advancement, etc. Good job, Susan
We offer satisfaction surveys which is completed at graduate seminar. We send graduate surveys 30 days after they graduate. Employer surveys 60 days after they are plaed. We send graduate update forms also. Placement success is measured by graduate placement numbers.
Hi Ronald
Your described a great way to use surveys. There is lots of information that can be gathered and also used to make changes and keep people up to date. So many schools put the surveys in a drawer! Surveys are also a way to gain comments and testimonials. Also a way to start networking with employers and grads for other opportunities. Best wishes, Susan
