Get Your Students Hired
Identify additional strategies that your institution already uses to improve relations with students, employers, alumni, or the community.
Amber,
Thanks for sharing your wonderful practices with us. Do you run into any challenges? Do students ever resist your assisantance? And if so, how do you handle it?
Sheri Leach
These responses are amazing!
We also incorporate many of the elements in our team.
But we cannot stress enough the constant interaction that leads to a built relationship.
Our advisors (Career Services) are assigned specific groups based on their start month, so they know exactly who they are working with from the day they start.
The first interaction Career Services has with the students is a New Start Meeting, during this time we discuss possibilities, the services career services offers, and of course the steps the student needs for success.
During the program we meet with them for resume building, we have live employers come in for mock interviews, and have multiple guest speakers on campus through out the year.
In addition, at the end of their program, we meet with them 3 months before they graduate to get their licensure process started, and then meeting with them 1:1 their last month of school to ensure they know goals, paths, and game plan towards licensure and employment.
But it doesn't stop there:
From that point they become our graduates, and we work with them directly. We perform biweekly/ weekly follow-up contacts that we track- whether its phone, text conversations, e-mail or other resources to check their status, coach and remind them they have our support.
This continues until they are in the field working!
We have PAC meetings throughout the year for employers - Our Student Clinic is open to the public/community - We have employers involved in our student mock interviews - host job fairs throughout the year for students/grads. We provide student involvement at a well known marathon.
One area of opportunity that we identified to improve relations with Student and Career Services at our campus involved a physical relocation of their office. Previously, the office was tucked into the hallway of an isolated and had limited foot traffic and student activity. We relocated the office to our lobby area so that Career and Student Services are among the first faces our students see when they enter and leave. The team also hosts monthly meet & greet events in the lobby which include snacks and fun activities such as naming a mannikin contest, etc. The improved relation and sense of school spirit has yielded positive results across multiple departments and our campus as a whole.
Amy,
I am inspired by all that you are doing for yr students, these are great relationship building strategies. Does everyone in your department do the same? Have you seen that they placement rates directly correlate to the attention?
Sheri Leach
Jennifer,
These are excellent ways to get onto the community and showcase your students. Can you share at least one best practice from your PAC meetings that you believe has helped you place your students?
Sheri Leach
We have PAC meetings semi-annually with local employers and therapists from the area and those seem very helpful.
We have also participated in a few local events such as manning a water station at a local marathon and having volunteer therapists giving massage at the end. We also had a booth at a family fun fair held at the local college. And offered free massages at one of the big college apartment complexes to get out into the community and interract more.
I leave a welcome note in all new students' mailboxes telling them about Career Services and then visit them during their second week of class to formally introduce myself, my mission for job placement support and how I can/will support them as a group and individually. I also share some new grad success stories with them to get them excited about what their new career can offer them.
I try to learn students' names and engage them when I see them in school, ask about them and their visions for their new careers, any hurdles they might be concerned about. If there are concerns, we try to address them early on so they will feel more assured as they near graduation. My goal is to keep empowering them toward success and excitement.
In their final term, I send Weekly Inspirations to keep my consistent connections with them so they know I'm there to support them every step of the way as they prepare for program completion and interviews.
In knowing about each student and their goals I can personalize job placement efforts so they feel more empowered, ready for their job search, and more clear about opportunities that could be of interest to them.
I'm very proactive about matching jobs to our students, which translates into many of them having jobs waiting for them post-graduation, and our school's high placement rates.
I create strong relationships with employers and promote our grads so it is easy for them to fill their open positions. "Our" employers appreciate our connection and support of their hiring needs and are therefore willing to come speak to students in class, to become members of our Advisory Committee, to interview our students, and to quickly return grad employment verification forms. It really becomes a win-win for our students, grads, employers, potential students and our school.
Kristine ,
Do most of your actively participate in these panel discussions? Can you share a best practice or 2 that you use to increase participation and ensure that the event goes smoothly?
Sheri Leach
We have a long standing relationship with employers that hire our graduates and are actively involved in our employer advisory group. We also conduct employer panels every term to speak to the students (preparing to graduate) to discuss what they look for in a new hiree and what a new job applicant can expect on an interview. It's a great opportunity for students to ask questions and network with employers.
Well some of the things done to keep the meeting from being ordinary is providing a luncheon or a dinner with guest speakers, and also raffling great prizes, like IPads or gift cards
Sherry,
You mentioned some great practices. Advisory boards are a necessary evil, but if hosted with some thought they can be very productive. Please share a thing or two that you/ your organization has done when organizing and conducting advisory boards that kept the meeting from being ordinary.
Sheri Leach
Our department makes an effort to meet with each class at least 3 times while they are in the program. Which meets the needs of currently enrolled students. As for alumni and employers we host an advisory board meeting twice a year where they can come and participate regarding changes we are making and what our students are learning etc. We like to invite alumni and employers to our campus when possible so that they can not only see how the campus and programs improve each year to meet needs but to also see the students interact on a daily basis and see whom they may want to employ.
Carol,
You mentioned some great best practices. An open door policy where students can visit the Career Services Department and feel welcome and respected is essential to the beginning of a sincere relationship. Also, the Career Services Wall is a great idea! To recognize graduates for their accomplishments makes them feel good about themselves and gives the other students much needed motivation. They don't even realize they are being motivated! Some campuses ring a bell each time someone gets placed, others are making announcements by the institutions' sanctioned social media outlet.
Sheri Leach
Some strategies that my institution used to improve the students community is we have an open door policy where the student can come in at anytime they are in need with anything. We also provide our externs and current students information for job fairs. For our alumni we have some speak during graduation and once they get placed their name goes up on our career services wall in the lunch area at school, this really motivates our current students.
Jennifer,
You described what I call "early and often" and is one of the best known ways to develop a relationship with students. Meeting with the students early in their program and then consistently though-out their lifecycle is key. When you or your employers visit the classrooms, do you require the students to participate (other than listening) in some way? When a student is directly engaged they will feel more valued and will remember the lesson or principle that is being taught. Have you experienced this?
Sheri Leach
We have an employer attend and speak at our Admissions Open Houses, so that the employer relationship is strengthened and the potential students getan idea of the types of positions available to them. We (Career Services) also go into the classes early on in the program to set goals with the students and get to know them better.