Emerging Marketing Collateral
Share your favorite forms of emerging career marketing collateral and the ones that your students have had the most challenges with.
In our graphic design program, we have them create a Linkedin profile, Facebook page and have a Behance Portfolio. Additionally we also have them create a "Leave Behind" marketing piece. This can be an abbreviated portfolio or something the shows their skill(s). This is presented at Portfolio Review but is really to be given to prospective employers or as an introduction piece at places they would like to be hired, after an interview or as a follow-up/reminder piece.
I can now see that some real concentration to be made for the linkedin profile and I will be changing my lecture and information to include some of the insights I have gained here.
Hi Viola,
In what specific ways do you think students have opportunity to improve how they use online tools? Are there any particular areas you'll be prioritizing to teach your students?
Robert Starks Jr.
I have been focusing on LinkedIn since that is the most straight forward site to work with for my students. However even those who create a LinkedIn profile, they are not necessary taking full advantage of all the useful tools. We are working on creating further training for student to optimize their internet use.
I'll be honest, I didn't know that a URL could be tracked on a personal level such as those you described until I took this course.
I can see how it would be a great advantage. Instead of just submitting resumes and other items into the vastness of the internet, tools like these will actually allow a follow-through and to also see what tools are working and what aren't.
But it's definitely something I will be sharing with my students.
Hi Vanessa,
As the course indicates, a marketing "trick" is that a URL can also be tracked providing feedback on whether or not your link is getting clicked. Have you discussed this tactic to students who may include links in their email signatures, digital resumes, and/or in post interview correspondence? Bitly is a great tool to get this type of feedback and I have found most job seekers in general don't use these types of marketing tactics. For instance, if one wanted to know if an employer got their email follow up thank you - they could include a trackable URL for some indicator of whether or not it was clicked and looked at. I have found that when I share tips like this, students get even more excited about how they can be strategic and some even find it fun to try these types of things out.
Robert Starks Jr.
My students aren't really using the emerging career marketing collateral right now, but I advise them to think about setting up a LinkedIn profile, for several reasons.
1. It will help them to build their professional network.
2. It allows them to go a bit more in depth with their skills than a traditional resume sometimes does.
3. It allows them to get references and endorsements from past employers and also others who have deal with them on a professional or academic level.
4. Now that LinkedIn allows people to upload samples of their work (in different formats) or even things like video resumes, it's a good place to have the broadest range of information without having to create a website.
5. LinkedIn is known in just about every business industry that one may think of, so having a LinkedIn URL on a resume is something that is immediately recognizable to a potential employer who might then follow that link and see more information about a student who is applying for a job.
My students have not used any of the emerging marketing collateral but I would like to look more into it and help my students and graduates create a more effective presence online.
