Interventions
What examples do you have of successfully implemented interventions to address your career center's challenges?
Many students are not utilizing the sites, are not responsive and many do not take advantage of our services well.
We have 2 campuses and offer 11 programs combined in both campuses. We stress the importance of creating a good resume that will land them an interview. All students undergo a mock interview with an employer in their field of study to receive constructive criticism. The employer will fill out an evaluation based on the interview on different categories like eye contact, handshake, completeness of answers and so on. The student will be able to review the comments after the interview is complete. We also hold annual career fairs to allow our student and alumni an opportunity to network and build on their social skills.
Aliza,
I think this is a personal decision and our job as Career Professionals is to simply educate students on the pros and cons of disclosing and sharing information on social platforms. As with anything, there are pros and cons and I think students must be able to make informed decisions about how they disclose, share, protect (to the extent possible) and manage what they choose to disclose and publish on social media platforms. This entire process is part of the skill of building and managing one's personal brand. This is how I respond because, ultimately, it is a personal choice. How have you responded?
Robert Starks Jr.
On another note: When I was conducting this LinkedIn workshop, I had a lot of questions about privacy/security of information.
Many people seemed to have concerns with not putting too much information on facebook, because in the online world, there are many hackers and hidden authorization that your pictures are Facebooks property. People were saying how they do not put information like where they live, there contact information, etc for these reasons.
But on LinkedIn, you are encouraged to put down where you work, thus explaining your exact whereabouts for half the day.
Any thoughts on this?
How would you respond to this?
Other workshops I do that relate to this is Professionalism in person and online, and I do an Effective Networking workshop as well, where we touch on using all different types of social media as one way of networking.
These workshops, coupled with having social media accounts that we keep up with (or at least try to), are our main ways of promoting social media.
Aliza,
Thanks for sharing this approach. I think proactively getting in front of students, explaining the benefits of social media usage and then providing step-by-step guidance is an excellent strategy to get students started. Do you do other workshops to continue educating students on how to build and manage an online personal brand, how to display proper "netiquette" or how to strategically network? What strategies do you have in place to address other "social media" topics?
Robert Starks Jr.
At our school I found that we had a low number of students/graduates joining our social media/networking sites.
I conduct workshops at all six of our campuses on different topics (about once a month), that I feel might benefit students once they have graduated. Earlier this year, I presented a workshop on LinkedIn. I discussed the benefits of LinkedIn, gave some stats on its effectiveness, and handed out printed materials on "How to sign up" in a step by step format. They then had some time at the end to sign up if they wished, with my assistance, and at that point they added me right away. I found this to be extremely successful.
Amber,
Such an amazing example of how data mined from social profiles was strategically used to develop rapport quickly to achieve the end-goal. Isn't it amazing how such a subtle, yet highly strategic use of social media can make all the difference? This is a very good example! Thanks for sharing!
Robert Starks Jr.
When one of my new Career Advisors started she had a nasty run in with a graduate of our program. She was performing a routine follow-up call and the graduate was very upset and annoyed at her (though this was one of our first contacts as a team with this graduate.)
A few weeks later, and after some data mining I contacted the graduate. On her facebook, and linkedin I had found that we had a common interest as musicians. Furthermore, we actually had some friends in common who we had played with in the past.
When I called, I introduced myself as Career Services, and immediately I received some resistance. But I continued to speak with her and brought up our common interest and friends- she immediately opened up to me and we began talking. She gladly at that point informed that she was working and gave me everything I needed to perform a verification. It was a nice feeling to be able to relate to her and to get that placement in the end.
Thank you for this suggestion, Robert. I completely agree! I would love to be available to current students through social media. I will take this up with my supervisor.
Tara,
I ask these questions because often, when I have seen "Fraternization" policies, they typically apply to one using their own personal account to "friend" students but may not prevent your department from establishing a Career Services Fan Page or a group to which students/alumni could join. Perhaps develop your strategy first and outline how social media tools play a role in your strategy to accomplish career center goals. This way, you'll be prepared to clearly articulate the purpose of your request to use social media, the missed opportunity for not using social media, and the potential benefits - perhaps you will be able to get buy-in if approached this way. Good luck!
Robert Starks Jr.
That, specifically, has not been addressed in the policy. I use my best discretion. If it's a student-run page or something I persoanly like outside of my field, then, no, I don't "Like" the page. I do my best to only subscribe to issues, topics, & businesses that I feel my audience of graduates will benefit from professionally.
By "liking" a graduates business page, it helps othergraduates network, also, which is vital in the profession I serve!
I love that idea of students grouping onto Career Services. I will definitely check with the powers that be. Maybe an addendum can be written for Career Services purposes. Thank you, Robert!
Tara,
Do your non fraternization policies also apply to Facebook Fan Pages (business pages) vs. personal Facebook profile accounts? Additionally, would they apply to a Facebook group that students might be able to join such as a "Career Services" group, "Career Club" or Alumni group?
Robert Starks Jr.
From the very first day of New Student Orientation, I interact with the students. We have a very small staff and on Orientation day we all wear many hats to welcome new students. In the process, I get to speak to everyone while offering refreshments, helping with paperwork, and introducing myself. I always highlight where my office is located, what our dept. does with them, and that they should expect multiple visits while a student here.
As far as social media, because of Non-Fraternization policies, I let current students know I'm always available via business email, phone, or dropping in my office to make appts.(which overlooks the main hallway... advantage!)
There is more flexibility with graduates. I use facebook and LinkedIn to keep in touch, not just professionally, but taking a genuine interest in other avenues of what "my peeps" are up to. Speaking to a person's interests really reigns them in to speak professionally, also.
Susan,
I do believe many share your same struggle. I don't believe you can motivate anyone - you can only remind them of what motivates themselves. This usually comes down to having honest conversations and getting to the bottom of why certain individuals may be displaying behaviors that demonstrate a lack of motivation. This is an example of why relationships with students are the first goal for any advisor and critical. We, as career professionals, must establish rapport and trust with those we serve. This allows for open and honest discussion with students, even when we must challenge them and address sensitive topics. Rather than presuming lack of motivation is the problem, I would always coach my advisors to focus on observable behaviors (Hasn't completed a resume, hasn't submitted any applications, reports low job search activity, etc.). For instance, if having a conversation with a student, one might share observations they've made and ask the student to explain the observed behavior leading the conversation toward co-developing an action plan for the desired behavior. A phone, fax machine, email, social media and any other tool isn't what would be attributed to addressing a challenge such as a lack of motivation - they are merely tools you have at your disposal to tackle a challenge. One idea might be to share success stories with students so they can see that their classmates are getting great jobs. Using myself as an example, I would have to get release forms signed by alumni allowing me to share their testimony (story about landing their job) and a photo release form if I were to use their photo. I would then publish their stories, print them, and hang them on the outside wall of our office. I'd also ask alumni to come back and give "pep" talks to students and tips about what they should be doing now, while in school, to increase success after. These could be recorded, shared on a YouTube channel, posted on Facebook, or any other social channel you prefer. In this instance, social media would allow you to amplify your communications and impact more students if your tactic were to boost motivation by sharing success stories.
What ideas do you have to address the challenge you have observed - lack of motivation? Think of all the tools you'd use and how social media would simply be one part of a set of tools and one part of an overall strategy.
Robert Starks Jr.
When I first came to the career services department 6 years ago, my predecessors had really only been using hard copy graduate surveys. My school is accredited, so we are held responsible for proving placement int the field for our grads.
I immediately started calling people directly on the phone, created a resource guide for questions that came up frequently in my conversations with graduates / students about navigating their way in this new profession.
Realizing that placement had not been strong prior to entering the position I started holding job fairs and individual employer recruitments on campus, as well as employer information evenings where the employer does a brief presentation about their company and what their philosophies, as well as what they are looking for in employees, then they would do a Q & A and it would feel like a reception with refreshments, etc...
I was able to weedle my way into the classroom for professional development and now I present something for each cohort every term.
I have implemented bringing employers into the classroom for mock interviews, panel discussions, I bring in grads for panel discussions as well.
I recruited all of the employers on our Advisory committee.
I started using Facebook in 2009 and started texting grads in 2010 when I realized I would get an immediate answer via text, and the email of voice mail would go ignored.
In the interest of helping grads find interesting jobs I started sending a weekly job email to grads I know had received the proper credentialing and were ready to move forward.
While much of this has been working for a number of years,
I feel as though our grads are getting younger and more apathetic / disinterested in putting in the effort it takes to find the job they want.
Even with the facebook pages, facebook groups, multiple postings per week on each, weekly job emails, phone calls, texts, etc... I find that a growing percentage of graduates aren't putting in the time to research potential employers.
I struggle to find the tools - online or otherwise - to help them feel successful and empowered to run a successful job search.
I understand that I began using these tools and platforms without a strategy in place. I wonder if others share this same struggle.
Thanks!
Melissa,
Opening up about yourself is a technique for gaining trust and focusing on connecting through shared experiences. Continue practicing this when trying to connect with students. There are many different approaches you can take when trying to reach those that don't want anything to do with Career Services. One thing I would do was to discover who was in the individual's network of influence that I had a strong relationship with or could reach out to for help. For instance, this might be me calling mom and developing a close relationship with mom to have her help me get her son/daughter to partner with me. This sometimes was a teacher who the student loved - I would have the teacher help me or a friend/classmate, etc. If you can't get through to the student because of a wall that is up, perhaps you can sneak in with help from someone they respect, trust, and/or admire who is vouching for you and strongly suggesting they give you a shot.
Another tactic, particularly for individuals new to their role, is to reach out and simply say that you are calling because you are new to your role and you simply want feedback/opinions on ways Career Services could improve moving forward with your new leadership. Let them know you'd like dedicated time to listen to their suggestions and their past experiences. Sometimes offering to listen will reach some students.
Another suggestion for local graduates/students is to hold an event that you know they'd really love to attend. This may be a guest speaker from a company they'd love to work for as an example. You could send "VIP" invites where you host a "private" alumni party after the event as another way to make the event sound extra "special" and exclusive. Anything you can think of that might draw them in. For example, I used to help students in the Graphic Design industry so I had a Designer from a well-known studio come in to speak to students and had a "reception" afterwards. It definitely got some of the students/graduates' I wanted to come to show up and opened up channels for communication.
Other tactics I've used include:
- Having mom, dad, or teacher call on three-way to schedule appointment
- Use calling cards to call so your number doesn't show up on caller ID which may make it more likely they pick up the phone
- When you've been successful in helping a graduate (especially if the difficult graduate knows this person), make sure you advertise and promote that via as many channels as you can (email, social, pictures in the office, etc.). Send a congratulations via Facebook with a picture of the graduate on the new job (request one or go take one) and Tweet about it. This helps you build the reputation of your department.
- Have the President of the school reach out to "difficult" graduates saying they simply want to get their opinions and feedback about their experience with Career Services. Sometimes a call from the President or Campus Director makes the student/graduate feel like they have a special opportunity to provide feedback to the "top."
- For those you help and who become advocates of the Career center, ask them to leave a recommendation on Facebook for others to come to you for help. Use their word-of-mouth to influence others to partner with you
These are merely a handful of ideas. No one idea works with every student and some students will not connect with you no matter what you try. I hope these give you some practical ideas.
Robert Starks Jr.
Due to the fact that I'm pretty new here I am still in the process of trying different techniques to see what works and what doesn't.
One thing I have notice is that they are more responsive when I share with them that I was once in their situation. I let them that I can relate to all the emotions and feeling they are going through as new students and grads. I went through all the same challenges during school and all the emotions once I graduated.
Another thing, I always respond to them. Rather it's returning a phone call or replying to an email. I never ignore their questions or concerns. If I don't have an answer I let them know that I will find out and get back to them. I have had a few of them thank me for always responding so quickly.
Do you have any suggestions on how I can reach those that don't want anything to do with Career Services?
Helllo Amy,
Every institution has different policies regarding social media usage. Some institutions still have not yet developed policies. I can tell you that in some instances, institutions consider communicating with students through personal pages such as yours, "Fraternization," and only allow direct communication and "friending" once they are in graduate status. Thus, one would be required to have a fan page set up in the name of the Career Services department under these circumstances. Some institutions require that campuses make formal requests to a corporate office such as compliance with a needs statement arguing the purpose of the page and what goals will be accomplished to first gain permission to establish a separate Career Services presence on Facebook. I would first say make sure you follow your company policies. Whereas this is likely obvious to you, I only say this because any advice I may have still must be taken with a grain of salt as I do not know your institution's policies and procedures and every institution handles these things differently, making it more complex.
With that being said, I think the best structure is for you to create a new Facebook Account that isn't tied to your personal account. If you want to use the "direct message" feature only available via a personal profile (vs. a fan Page or a Group), I suggest you create an entirely new Facebook profile under your Career Services department name (assuming this follows company policies). Then, create a Fan Page for your Career Services office as well. If you are allowed to "Friend" students and/or graduates, you can do this with your Career Services profile page. Once someone is a "friend," you have the ability to direct message them. When I was a Career Services Director, we had a Career Services profile and a Fan Page. The profile allowed us to "friend" graduates only since "friending" students was considered fraternization and against policy. The Fan Page, however, allowed us to improve affinity with students and was our vehicle for reaching our "pipeline" of future graduates. We had to request permission to initiate these strategies and had to make an argument for why they would help. Thus, whereas it is not important for everyone to measure, we also measured results of our efforts after collecting baseline measurements. For instance, did event participation increase after our Facebook strategy was initiated? By how much? Did we get more office visits as a result of our Facebook initiatives? If so, by how much? Did student impressions of career services improve via survey data? Did we see in increase in student awareness of services offered through the Career Center after our Facebook strategy? If so, what was the improvement? These are examples of how Facebook can merely be one additional tool to help you accomplish your stated objectives. It is difficult to measure the impact directly but a correlation between when you start your strategies and when you see improvements will likely attribute the results to your new strategies. If you can, I suggest you measure so you can speak to your results. Start simple and only measure one thing. As you feel more comfortable using social media and get a handle of things or perhaps get additional human resources, consider what else you may want to measure to see if what you are doing is working.
As far as "what" you should post, I recommend getting feedback from students (surveys, focus groups, informal conversations) to let them know that your office would like to establish a Facebook account to stay connected with them and to help them via this channel and ask them the types of things they would find helpful if shared via Facebook. What would they like to see and in what ways would they get involved if your office had a Facebook presence? Would they like to help promote it or be someone who helps their fellow students by participating in a job post day? If you can identify your "influencers" (discussed in the course), you'll also know who you should recruit to help you with your initiative and in what ways you can have them help.
This will give you insight on what your "Posts" should be focused on to engage users. However, also keep in mind your Career Center goals. For instance, if you would like to use Facebook as one component of your Career Services marketing strategy to increase one-on-one, face-to-face visits, how might you use Facebook to do this? Might you run contests designed to get students in your office? Do you want to use Facebook as a means to have students help students find jobs by encouraging that users post job openings to help fellow students? This might be accomplished by establishing a Facebook "ritual" such as "Job Post" Wednesdays where Facebook community members post jobs they have found on the Career Services Facebook page to let other community members know of opportunities. This might make perfect sense for someone like you who has a one-man show and could leverage the community to help in your efforts in some way.
Does this answer your question? Please let me know if you have any other questions and I hope these comments get you thinking as you continue through the course.
Robert Starks Jr.
