Motivating the student
We have found that the students have become complacent and would like for us (the Placement Dept.) to do all the work in find the student their job. They almost act like we should just hand it to them as they complete their course. Of course we want them to be working, and if we have any leads that we are aware of we give them to the students or fax their resume for them. How do you motivate the student to look for the jobs as well as accept our assistance?
I think this is a two part process. First of all, to increase confidence in your students that successful employment is highly attainable in their field, you (the placement dept.)need to be overflowing with career opportunities. If possible, create a nice packet of info about your school's program(s) and go into the field 1-2 days per week to distribute this information. If you do not have the opportunity to see the hiring manager, then follow up with a call 3-5 days after. Before you know it, your relationships with these companies will make both of your lives easier because they will call you whenever they have a job opening.
Secondly, prepare your students with resume writing, dressing for success, and interviewing seminars; but let them know that landing the job is up to them. Constantly drill in their heads that once the resume is faxed, the ball is in their court. At this point, they should follow up and call to get an interview if they are not called. After landing an interview, they should follow up with a thank you note or thank you call. If they haven't heard anything back a week to ten days after that, they should follow up to see if they are still in the running. Let them know that in many cases, the candidate who wants the job the most gets the job NOT the one who's career placement director wants it most.
Good Luck!!!
HI Teri
You have the secret to placement success, Teri. Spending time in the community is a perfect way to locate job openings and create communication with employers. In addition to job openings, employers might send their employees to train at your school. Employers can be resources for program feedback and sit on advisory boards, too.
You're right about getting students to take control of their lives and job seeking plans. It takes a while for them to realize that they are in charge of their own lives.
Best wishes
Susan
I agre 100% with Teri! I set aside one day a week where everyone knows I am out and about taking information to the community about our school; then I spend another day following up - eith er by phone, email or visiting again. I tell the students they have to market themselves the same way. One thing I do to help jump-start them, is provide them with a list of my contacts and require them to contact 2 of them each week until they find a job.
HI Amy
Great to spend an entire day in the community. Can you give us more details about who you visit, what your objectives are, any surprises, opportunities? Great idea to provide your students with the list of contacts. Do you survey them for results?
Thanks
Susan
more details: I visit any employer who is a member of the Chamber of Commerce first and who would have an interest in employing in the fields we train - to find this out I do lots or research. When I visit I take resume with me, examples of the work they can do (like CAD drawings) and TONS of business cards and catalogs. So, throughout the week I'm doing the research and finding out who I want to visit. The opportunities that arise are finding potential PAC members (Program Advisor Council), potential for business-to-business training sales and lunch-buddies :) yes, we survey the students by having them fill out a form telling us which 2 employers they submitted resumes to or visited that week. They have to contact 2 employers per week until they find employment.
Wow Amy
Sounds great. You have demonstrated that it takes time and work to connect with the community. But the results are worth it.
Thanks
Susan
I communicate with my students from the beginning that I (the placement department) will do everything BUT get the students a job. The job comes from their own success. We can provide leads, help with resumes, cover letters, and interviewing skills. We will even make a recommondation. BUT the student is the only person that can get rewarded the job and after my work is done it is time for the student to do their work in the interview and to follow-up. You will always have one student that believes the Placement Department should hand them a job.
Hi Hildie
Well said. The goal is to empower the student to take ownership of their responsibility to get a job. It takes a lot of encouragement, information, skills, and weaning.
You've pointed out an interesting challenge.
Best wishes
Susan
We have a job log form that the students get when they start looking for jobs and/or when they graduate and do their exit interviews. They are supposed to bring that in whent they meet with our Placement department to show their activities. I am working on strengthing the Placement Department to follow up better with this.
One problem I have ran into recently is we have at least one company that comes in to do mass job interviews and wants to hire 10 to 20 students/grads at a time. Great right! Well we have one or two students that currently work there and are expressing their feelings about the company to current students which in turn has had a bad turn out for the interviews and students are also flaking on them. We have talked to at least one of those students and the company. Most of the comments are not true just personal feelings. Any other suggestions on how to handle that.
I agree also. We are trying to get our Placment person at their more often. We also talk often with our PAC memebers to find new employers to contact.
Hi Krista
Getting your placement staff out in the community on a regular basis is a great way to get jobs, employer support, and even students who may already be working and need addtional training.
Best wishes
Susan
Hi Krista
That's a challenge. You might want to speak with the grads who work at the company and ask them to be specific about the problems. Ask them how the problems can be resolved. If you have good rapport with the company then speak with a representative there. Dissatisfacton could point to many things. Perhaps your training didn't cover certain areas and your grads don't feel competent about performing that part of their job. Anyway, turn the situation into an opportunity. Any one else have some solutions?
Best wishs
Susan
I like to go out into the community as well as get people to come visit my school. Sometimes people really do not understand your school until they take a tour and they see your studetns in action.
Hi Hildie
How true and very well said. Sometimes the best schools are also the best kept secret in the community. That's the reason to go out into the community and bring people in to see first hand. They make the best referrals.
Best wishes
Susan
I have found that having them sign a job search assistance pledge can help some. This pledge tells them what's expected of them and what's expected of me. They sign this pledge and if at any time they breach the agreement between us, I have the right to spend my time offering assistance to other graduates who are pulling their weight. It doesn't always work, it's hard to motivate those who aren't interested in motivation but if they know that if they don't hold up their end of the deal I won't help them anymore, they tend to do a little more for themselves.
Hi Brandy
This is one way of motivating. Problem is most regulatory bodies require the school to offer placement assistance. So you might be careful to work within the guidelines. And to look for what will truly motivate students to use your employment skills and placement services.
It's a challenge.
Best wishes
Susan
Our office provides the graduates with the faxing and mailing of their resumes but we encourage them to be a huge part of their job search by providing them with one on one assistance no matter how long it takes. A graduate will not tell you if they are not familiar with the internet or if they know how to email a resume, or even what to say on an interview so during their initial job search visit we let them type their resume (we edit it for them and offer suggestions)to give them a feeling of accomplishement, we also help them post their resume on Monster, Career Builder, etc. and have leads for them to post their resume to online as well as how to process an online application. We post job leads from employers as well as flyers regarding employment opportunites that they see as they walk in the door. We have a huge magazine rack full of documentation on temporary agencies, hospital contact information, professional dress, interviewing techniques, how to present negative information, etc. They take so much from what they learn and the fact that they did it on their own and they go home with the same confidence and continue the process themselves. You are always going to have a graduate who wants it done for them, that is the graduate I would call everyday to check on their job search, to assure them that you care about their job search and hopefully they will start to care about it as well.
Hi Candace
Sounds like you have a formula for success. We agree that students need a lot of hand holding. No one knows what they know and don't know or what they will admit to. And you never know what tools they will continue to use after they have left your school. Are you measuring results? Best wishes, Susan
Our challenge is making the students apply for the jobs. I agree, we sometimes feel like we have to do it for them. I think the idea of keeping track of who they contact is great! I will also see how the pledge can work for us. It can be helpfull in communicating to the students that they in the end have to get the job.
