Relationship-building Strategies
One additional strategy that our instition uses to improve our relations with employers and alumni is having our Career Services Coordinators and students set up Linkedin accounts. This allows the student to network using a professional social media site and employers have an opportunity to consider our students for possible employment opportunities.
Identify additional strategies that your institution already uses to improve relations with students, employers, alumni, or the community.
Hi Maria Rosario,
How do staff members who conduct these career-focused workshops ensure they remain current in regards to career marketing, job search strategies, interview strategies, etc. Things have changed so dramatically and quickly over the past few years, how does your institution ensure staff are current so that what they teach is current?
Robert Starks Jr.
Co-teaches (conducted by Career Services staff) are in place in every block. Topics are mostly career-focused and instructors are engaged and able to expound on career paths, industry expectations, goal setting, etc. This is a great resource for students who are not savvy in keeping up with industry trends.
Simply maintaining relationships with students post-graduation has helped tremendously, especially with placement. I am permitted to see details on my students' lives that they may not have disclosed to me over the phone. So, when I am able to speak to them, I can call out something positive in their lives that may lead to a placement for the school. Or just to be there to motivate them is good.
I've seen/shared several job/internship opportunities from Facebook and LinkedIn that are not advertised anywhere else. I find that some employers are very small and don't have the resources to pay job search sites to post their openings, so they utilize social media to those who follow them closely. I also share any legitimate events in which students/graduates are able to attend and use as a networking opportunity, which of course, could lead to a job.
My main goal is to show students that they can use their social media as a platform for their career, and not just somewhere to post cat videos.
Hi Kim,
I'm excited to hear you use social media for "relationship building" vs. "communicating." I think there is a distinct difference and this is seen in one's strategy which you touched upon. Do you have any success stories of how you've been able to expand/strengthen relationships using social media that led to some sort of result (i.e. new employer hiring, gaining advisory board member, finding unadvertised job/internship opportunities, etc.)?
Robert Starks Jr.
We utilize several social media outlets (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) to keep in touch with employers, and students/alumni.
I stress to the students before they graduate to use social media as a platform to promote their work/skills, leaning away from more 'personal' information.
For employers and community partners, I promote them to our students, and therefore expand their audience. Offering them a bit of 'free marketing', in turn, makes them aware of our school and the students' work.
Hi Paulette,
It's great you have such wonderful alumni engagement and that you have involved alumni in your career services programming. Some schools struggle getting alumni involved and keeping in touch with alumni. What do you think are some of the things your school does well that results in your alumni's continued participation?
Thanks.
Robert Starks Jr.
When we have an event on campus; New Student Orientation or Open House, we have student/graduate Ambassadors who come to help out. They volunteer their time to help us set up the event, arrange chairs, snacks, books, or whatever needs to be taken care of logistically. They also assist in greeting our guests and showing them around campus and answering questions. They remember what it was like when they first stepped through our doors and want these new students or prospective students to feel welcome and to have a wonderful experience. We will also have a recent graduate who is employed in the field come in to speak to them about their experiences since graduating. This is also well received.
~ Our graduates love to come back and see all of our instructors, under classmates and share their experiences with those who are just starting their education.
Kenneth,
Great! Thank you for sharing your experience.
Ann Cross
The response is positive because it is comfortable. It's a relaxed environment. And there is a Q&A session afterwards.
The grads like speaking because they believe that they are making a positive contribution (plus they remember when they were new students). And the new students enjoy it because they can tell that the graduate speaker is sincere and that they are only sharing their story because they care.
And when new students hear stories from people who were in similar situations to their own, they have the tendency to become confident that they can do it too.
Kenneth,
What is the response from the students?
Ann Cross
We invite graduates to attend our new student Orientation and participate as guest speakers. They focus not only on what helped make them a graduate but they speak on their new job in their career.
This allows incoming students not only to hear from their peers but it helps validate the quality of the education they can receive.
Jennifer,
Sounds very comprehensive. Is there one approach that you've found that has a better return on your efforts than another?
Ann Cross
Some of the different strategies we currently use include: attending job fairs, attending Chamber events and networking events, we recently started with the NRL (National Robotics League) to get more high school students involved in manufacturing, the Career Services ladies have LinkedIn accounts, as well as the school has a Facebook account updated regularly by the Social Media Administrator, and our newsletter. The newsletter highlights the current students graduating, any graduates with perfect attendance, as well as a list of recent graduates who've been hired along side their new company name. we do have an articulation agreement with a local community college and will also take part in trade shows or manufacturing competitions.
Antonia,
I would love to get a copy of one to show my consulting clients as a "best practice". Would this be acceptable to you? Do you find that it has greater impact with students, alumni or employers? Can you speak to who is responsible for creating the newspaper and what their background is?
Ann Cross
To assist in maintaining a good relationship with students and alumni we have a campus newspaper. In the paper we feature our senior students with their encouraging departing words to current students. It also highlights a star senior from each program. We have every students name listed who achieved perfect attendance, Dean's list or on the President's list. If we participated in a community event that mod or graduation, pinning ceremony, etc. we have the pictures included with a feature story. The paper includes employed alumni of the mod. Their picture and success story is featured. We've had our advisory board members featured in our paper as well as faculty and staff acknowledgements! It has been a great tool for me to take out on my marketing visits. The students are excited to see their names and pictures in the paper. It has been additional encouragement for students to push a little harder towards excellence in pursuing their career goals.
Sami ,
A very smart approach to keeping your employers engaged in the outcomes of your graduates!
Ann Cross
We have several school events to celebrate and appreciate our students. We encourage voluntary work for both our staff and students and we do bring back our alumni as class guest speakers.
Helga M.,
Is this their sole responsibility and what kind of job description and metrics do you use for the position?
Ann Cross
