Amanda,
Great that you are looking at prospective students carefully to see if they qualify. Assessment are great. When students are qualified for your program they are more likely to complete. When they understand the jobs they are training for the more likely they will get placed. We agree that career services starts at the time of enrollment. Students must be constantly reminded they are in school to train for a job. There is work to be done, projects to complete and their confidence has to develop. It all takes time and work. Thanks Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
Our CS dept believes placement services start on day one of the students program.
We are most successful in placing students who are proactive in their preparation for employment. We also find that the better we know the student we can more easily find them a good job match for their personality and skill set.
I tell new students that their resume is a living document which will grow and change over the course of their program. By the time they get to their externship they will have developed a lot as a person and a potential employee. The externship could be their next job so we need to know who they are well before they graduate!
Viola,
Wow. You have a great Career Services department. My guess is your placement rate is great. It sounds like you do a lot of hand-holding, which we think is needed to help students be successful. They enroll because they need all the skills plus self confidence. Self confidence takes a long time. We also believe in the power of externships. It gives students on the job training, adds to their resumes, and provides an extended job interview to possible employers. Thanks
Dr. Susan Schulz
I strongly agree with your opinion if you start from the beginning the results will be amazing
Agree because the students get ready from the beginning
Beatriz,
We see that placement is great in schools that start placement early and require that placement training be completed by everyone. Employment skills need to be a part of everyday
At school.... in the classroom, labs, and clinics. It's a mindset. Thanks, susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
Lazaro,
Career services can start at the time of enrollment. That's the time to talk about the job the individual will train for. It is a good time to determine how much the person understands about the job and if there is a good fit and chance for success.
Dr. Susan Schulz
Students can come in for help and advice from the day the start school and for the rest of their life time. It's creates a great bond between the school and the students/graduates.
Placement service starts as soon as the students have attendants in school,because most students need employment while attending school.
I agree! I say that career service professionals should meet with the students "early and often" during their time in school. It takes time to build a relationship with the students, and they need to trust that we care about their best interests and are here to support them.
In addition, many students have never had to look for a job before, so resume writing, mock interviews and polishing their soft skills are words and behaviors that are foreign or even intimidating to them. The more time we have to work with them before they graduate the better.
I work with my students from the day they enrolled. They are told about our resume review. If they are looking, i help them. If not, I let them know to come see me when they are ready.
Placement services are more effective when offered to a student toward the beginning of his/her program as opposed to near the end of coursework. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
I agree that Placement Services should be offered at the beginning of the student's program, this will encourage the student to set attainable goals, and to visualize and track progress. This will encourage the student to complete the program, it is more likely to deter the student from withdrawing and stay on the course towards completion.
I am a recently hired Allied Health Externship Coordinator, and my job/tasks are to set up future grads with training in their chosen careers. The externship is offered at the end of the program, after the student has been given the proper education of their career. During their program they will be required to successfully attend workshops that will assist with building their portfolio. The portfolio is designed to keep the student organized and to present on the interview to have evidence of achievements the student has concurred while in school, and why they stand out from the crowd.
I strongly agree with offering placement assistant at the beginning of a students coursework for 4 reasons.
One introducing the placement department will make a current student more likely to come in and start asking questions. If they don't know who you are they don't know who to ask.
Two it starts them thinking about what type of career path they want to take. Even though they choose a specific area of study, it can take them down multitude of paths. For example a student studying to be a cosmetologist. They can work in a salon open their own business, work at a resort spa or even work on a movie set. There is never just one road and having them start to think about this sooner than later will help them create a career path much sooner.
Three they take classes seriously. When really being enforced that day one of classes is really day one of their new career path, the students may take classes more seriously. Showing up on time and prepared and being more invested in the class.
And lastly, it get them prepare. Many students don't think about silly things like voice-mail and email but this is part of the process that makes them more marketable and ready for a career when they graduate. Doing this while they are in school will set them up for success upon graduation.
I agree that placement services needs to implemented from the first day of a students program. Placement services has the opportunity to mold and grow each student into a professional. There is no magic pill to make a student professional. It take guidance and support to build up confidence. Having an open door policy, helping with resumes, hosting work shops, walking the lobby and talking with student, setting up mock interviews, finding networking groups are all ways to help the students. From the very beginning the goal should be to build up the student in a way that shows them they can place themselves.
I know there are many different placement services available. I'm interested to hear about some unique services provided by other colleges. Any suggestions?
Placement services start at the beginning of the program. Sometimes the first lesson is how to present yourself in a classroom/professional setting. Now is the time to practice and start setting good habits for the interview and the workplace.
I am definitely of the notion that Career Services is more effective is there is a connection made at the beginning of a students’ program. I spent four years working in career services at a different school. When I started, we never spoke with students until the last 5 weeks of their programs. We had more missing graduates then we knew what to do with. Graduates made no effort to meet with us because they didn’t know us. About a year after I started working there, we started placement workshops at the beginning of each program. We connected with the students at least every other month. By the time they graduated, we had such a strong connection that it provided easier to work with them.
I Agree! Placement should start in the first semester. especially that they are in a career school and know what field of study they will be applying for.
I agree. One thing we do as well when we do workshops is ask which companies they'd most like to see on campus in the future. That way we can be proactive on that as well.
I believe that Placement Services should be offered from Day one. In orientation we do a short workshop called Introduction to the Career Center, we talk about the things we will do for them and how we can partner together to assist them with their goals. We also talk about all the workshops we will do with them so they know what to expect. The more we work with them and interact with them, the more successful we will be helping them with their career goals. You need to work with them early to keep them motivated so they don't lose track of why they enrolled to begin with.
I agree Dr. Schulz. This is a catch 22, we can help them get jobs and then sometimes they will leave school because they found a job. One of the things that we have been doing when we place a student prior to graduation, is we work with that employer and they are aware that they have not graduated and they tell the student that keeping your job is dependent upon you completing your education. This can work very well when you have the employer on board that values the education and works with the student on their hours. However, this is not always the case but working with the employer and having them understand the importance of education and laying down the rules sometimes helps with the retention.
