Placement Office Utilization
What specific methods work to encourage student participation with the placement office on a one to one basis after graduation?
Hi Cherly
Intersting point - how to keep in touch with alumni. What are your goals? For most schools staying in touch with alumni is good business and of course a benefit to the graduate. You could offer free placement and employment skills services to all grads. You could also offer free membership in an alumni organization and figure out what services would be helpful to them. This might be free seminars on how to retain a job, salary renegotiation, how to get a raise, etc.
Good thinking.
Best wishes
Susan
We have alumni night, This gets the grads to return to campus to speak with the current students, and do some serious networking.
Hi Margaret
Keeping alumni involved is so great. They can be a resource to the entire school and become great mentors to students. Alumni are a source of job openings, feedback about your curriculum, and can enroll in more of your programs.
Great job.
Susan
I like to follow-up on my graduates, by contacting the student and the employer to see how they are doing. I also like to invite the graduates when we have special events for the students, so that they still feel involved in the school.
Hi Hildie
Great idea to follow employers. You might want to formally survey them to determine how well your school prepares students for the workplace. Grads are the best spokespeople for your school. There is nothing greater for retention than for a student to speak to a grad and hear about their success. Keep grads involved by sending them regular emailings and mailngs too.
Best wishes
Susan
What do you do at your Alumni Night? I was thinking about having an Alumni Breakfast - for some reason morning meetings seem to be popular around here, but I'm curious how you advertise it to your alumni and what you offer as incentive for them to come.
HI Amy
You might automatially make all grads members of your Alumni Association. Keep sending them updates about your school plus invites to speak, attend functions, etc. If you keep contacting them you have a good chance of keeping up to date with any address changes and will have their attention when you invite them to events.
Best wishes
Susan
I like the Alumni night theme, how hard is to get the students to participate? Do you extend the offer to their employer as well?
Hi Sheila
I think contacting alumni is an on-going activity. This is a way you can be sure they will be ready to participate. Creating a culture where students are expected to participate in placement events takes time. Just start little by little. Extending invites to employers is a way to tell employers that successful staffing is a joint effort . As with everything, it takes time to build a culture of participating. Slow and steady is the rule. Good luck, Susan
Hi Cheryl
We call or e-mail our graduates weekly just to check the status of their job search. They are always interested in the recent job orders placed with the placement office. We will also fax or e-mail their resumes to employers if they call to give us the information.
This works for us!
Hi Shirley and Cheryl
We also believe that constant contacting of grads is important. You can learn so much by what they do and how they use the information and employment skills training you provide. This can enable you to make changes in your offerings and how you do things. The goal is a job, a career, job retention, and enhancement for all grads.
Best wishes
Susan
I have just recently been placed as the career placement coordinator, and when I stepped into this position I found that the way to get to the students was to work very close with the faculty. They stop by my office with students, they refer students to me and invite me to come introduce myself in the classrooms. It was also a big help to be a part of the new student orientations that we have.
Hi Lindsey
All great ideas. Everyone at the school should know about the placement department resources. Help each person be creative about how they can use your skills and knowledge in their departments. Be sure everyone knows what you offer including current and past students, staff, employers, and more. Participate in all events. Can you imagine announcing great placement stats at graduation as well as during orientation?
Great idea. Susan
We do an alumni newsletter to keep them up to date with what is happening at the school. We also offer lifetime placement assistance, where at any time a past grad can contact career services to assist them with finding another job. We also do graduate surveys to constantly try and better our programs and departments.
Hi Lani
You have a great plan in place to stay in touch with grads. Super. Grads are an incredible resource. They can enroll in more programs, introduce you to employers, and talk to students on a variety of topics from admissions to the school experience to what it's like at the workplace. It is sooo easy to build up referrals by staying in contact with alumni.
Thanks
Susan
Like Lindsey, I have been introducing myself to the students during their orientations. However, some of the older students (who are graduating now) do not know me nor are they aware of the free services that the placement department provides for them. One thing I have been doing now to prevent losing touch with recent graduates is participate in the exit counseling that the financial aid department holds for the students before they graduate. Here is where I introduce the placement policies, what services we provide and that it is important to utilize and keep in touch with the placement office even after they find employment. ( I also have them set up their first one on one meeting with me) For those who have not found employment and are still struggling, have no problems keeping in touch with me, however, the students who slip out the door without meeting me and have alredy graduated I am having a hard time getting a hold of. I have tried hounding phone calls, letters mailed home and left messages/emails trying to get them to come in and meet with me so that I can help them in finding employment. Any suggestions on how to get these "unreachable" graduates to come in to see me?
Hi Lea, Really great ideas. If you miss students during orientation, perhaps you can visit classrooms on a regular basis. Or hold required workshops. Even if students are made aware of your services from the start, it doesn't mean that they will remember. Great idea to be part of the Exit Interview. In fact, why not hold a series of exit interviews of your own? For those grads who slip out the door, why not send them an email upon completion. Your IT person can probably set up an automatic notification that alerts you to the graduate's completion and also reminds them to set an appointment with you. The more visible you are in school and the more value you demonstrate, then the more likely fewer wll slip away. Also plan an alumni association and activities that are so great grads will want to stay in touch. Thanks, Susan
