Robert Pearl Starks

Jason, I encourage you to ask questions if you need clarification on anything discussed in the course and/or to address any of your specific interests not covered int he course. I even offer myself to schedule phone calls if anyone would like to discuss in further detail to better understand any of the concepts we cover in this online course. I also encourage you to take your time and not rush through the course. You will get a lot more out of the experience if you take your time and actively participate. I look forward to participating in this journey… >>>

Tara, Likes and shares provide feedback on how engaging your content is for your audience which correlates to building affinity with your group and engaging them to remain connected. This is definitely important and useful feedback that allows you to adapt and adjust what you share to engage your community. I'm sure you use other tools in your office such as the phone or the internet to do things like "Increase job leads, expand employer partnerships, increase student event participation, increase student career center usage, etc. Moreover, I'm sure you have some forms of measurement such as cold-calls made, job… >>>

Carolyn, I hear you. I thought perhaps there was data that would support ideas of more appropriate admissions criteria. For example, a program that has an abnormally high drop rate with a correlation discovered that particular classes relating to advanced mathematics are where the majority of drops occur within the program. This may lead one to believe that perhaps a math assessment should be implemented prior to enrollment as it has been determined that an appropriate admissions criteria would be a specific(measurable) mastery of math prior to admission in the program. This is just an example and though you might… >>>

Tara, If I were to restate your strategy, it seems you have chosen to use the Facebook platform (likely because of popular use from your grads) for the purpose of building/strengthening relationships which is essential to establishing a working alliance that increases the likelihood of collaboration in their job search as well as their willingness to disclose updates to you. This is a good start. Beyond contacting grads for updates, do you use the tool for building/strengthening rapport? If so, how do you do this and how do you use the information you can gather through social platforms to adjust… >>>

Amber, Well stated! Given that platforms have shown to fluctuate in popularity overtime, platforms are likely to come and go and there is no telling what will be here in the future and what will be replaced. I believe that it can be easy for people to think "social media" is a fad not realizing the difference between the broad nature of "social media" vs. a particular platform. That being said, how do you and your staff manage, not only learning to be skilled at using existing platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, but learning and constantly researching new tools… >>>

Kristine , More powerful than communication tools, social media has proven to be a means to develop meaningful connections with people and build a sense of community. This is powerful. Not only can you often reach them more quickly, you can learn more about them from their content and their profile information. What you learn can be used strategically in your interactions with them as you build and strengthen your relationships and adapt your communication strategies. As an example, consider a non-responsive graduate who doesn't want to interact with the Career Services department - how might you use social media… >>>

Amber, Thanks so much for sharing your excellent examples of how you use social media. "Build relationships, or to find common interest with the graduates to illicit conversations that often get past the 'wall'"...This is strategic use of social tools! The unique insight that can be gained from your audience with these tools and how you can transform that insight into actionable strategy is clearly demonstrated through your examples. Might you be able to share some practical real-world examples of how you have done this for others to learn what you mean by "finding common interests to illicit conversations" or… >>>

Myhisha, Can you provide a bit more background on your institution? Is it regionally accredited? If so, and not required to meet established graduate employment rates, what are the internal benchmarks established as goals? I only ask this question to gain a bit more background on your bottom-line goals (such as an established employment rate) or other metrics to which you are measured such as Net Promoter Scores (graduate/employer satisfaction), student satisfaction, etc. To clarify, can you explain how long your institution has been operating without a Career Services function, what prompted the development of this role (if never existed… >>>