Candice Shaver

The response sequence information was very valuable.  Having the guidelines is helpful for constructing emails/responses so the student feels connected and like they matter.  

Lack of motivation is a big problem for some students, and I have found it harder to coach students who have no motivation.  The techniques to hep students and address motivation will be extremely helpful.  Helping these students draw from past successes is a great technique; Having them recall past solutions to their problems also gives coaches the ability to tailor affirmations to the student; for example "It is really amazing how you handled working so many extra shifts and still managed to study hard for that Biology test.  Is there anything specific from that time you could use to… >>>

The mirroring technique being used as an intentional technique to build trust, connection, and understanding with the student.  This is not something I knew about before but will take it into my advising technique.  Also, all of the models like OPUS and GROW are very helpful to help outline a plan. 

Overall, genuine connection with the student is going to help them most.  Put your own biases aside and don't be judgmental. 

It is a great suggestion to offer in-person and online survey's to collect after event data; these survey's need to be sent to students, employers, volunteers, e.g. to measure the success of the event.  This will help determine how to make future events better.

Preparing students ahead of the event is important.  Hold workshops of varying hours to accommodate scheduling conflicts.  Hit on topics like resumes and tailoring it to be industry specific.  Prep them for having a strong elevator speech so they stand out. Remind students to dress professionally even for a virtual event.  Most importantly, I learned that strong, effective communication and reminders about the event effects campus buy-in and the overall success of the job/career fair.

Start planning 3-6 months in advance to have enough time to prepare.  Use a spreadsheet to create and stick to a budget.  Try and get multi-departments involved, as well as the community.  Check campus calendars when you plan to avoid multi events on the same day.  "Staff" shirts can be helpful, but allocate the price in your budget.  Create a strong marketing campaign, with an emphasis on digital marketing, since most college students use at least one social media platform; creating a hashtag can help streamline social media accounts used.

Organizational wide inclusion is important for a successful event like a career/job fair.  Teachers, staff, advisors, etc. all need to work together to create this success.  It can be difficult getting faculty on board  since they are tied down to their duties, so communication needs to be clear and persuasive.  Job fairs have the potential to help retain students since having a job may lessen the financial burden while attending college.  The higher education facility I work for recently held a job fair at one of our small campuses, but the community (sponsors and businesses for example) pulled together to… >>>

It is valuable for job seekers to know how to handle difficult questions, such as greatest challenges or weaknesses.  Mock interviews are especially helpful in learning how to adequately answer.

I never really thought about the importance of calming the mind and body in the days leading up to an interview, but it makes complete sense.  Nerves and higher anxiety are normally experienced in leading up to the interview, so taking certain measures like reducing caffeine, eating healthy, getting plenty of rest, and relaxing are all important to getting you in the right mindset.