Robert Pearl Starks

Robert Pearl Starks

Location: phoenix, arizona

About me

As Vice President of Product Development, I lead cross-functional teams of designers, developers, QA testers and product stakeholders to develop, launch, and improve products customers need and love. 

Previously, I've worked in a variety of leadership roles in education / learning & professional development. Through my experience, I've become accustomed to working across departmental silos and with various stakeholders (executives, end-users, faculty, staff, students / learners, alumni, parents, regulatory agencies, partners and employers) to facilitate collaboration and advance common goals. In my previous roles, I've advocated for student needs and driven organizational change that helped educators do their best work, students thrive in their careers, and employers connect with quality talent.

Despite different contexts, a common theme in my career journey has been to do work that contributes to a mission which improves people's lives. It's also always been important for me to work with an organization whose values align with my own. I'm a listener, empathizer, customer advocate, servant leader, and lifelong learner. I'm never satisfied with status quo, I constantly strive for "better," and I'm driven by genuine curiosity to solve complex problems.

“Work to become; not to acquire.” -Elbert Hubbard

Interests

social media, career development, training, higher education, web 2.0/3.0, career services, leadership, marketing

Skills

social media, marketing, training, consulting, management, strategic planning

Activity

This is an article written and published in the Career Education Review on harnessing Alumni Communitiew with Social Media.  Career colleges that recognize the value of managing relationships from prospect to graduate and become early adopters of social media technologies,will position themselves to sustain a competitive advantage in the future.

 

 

Robert - you did it right - people need to scheduled an appointment with themselves to dedicate time to their own development.  No doubt, your approach and focus contributed to you having a good experience.  Office door closed, coffee in hand - you're making me want to participate in some training with that picture in my head!  So glad you had a good experience!

Take care!

Hello Samantha,

 

You may be interested in the following blogs in The Lounge:

  • Top 100 Tools for Learning 2012: http://lwire.us/?l=5Q6Q 
  • A Beginner's Guide to Social Media for the Job Seeker: http://lwire.us/?l=16NB

 

Discussion Comment

Amy, This question is important both for those who are already using social media and for those who are researching how they want to use it within the online social community they are building and/or joining. Part of the research that is helpful to conduct is to learn how the people you are trying to reach use social media and what types of things engage them. This can be done through observation (Researching students on social media), informal focus groups, surveys, or even a demographic profile which you can research with the Social Technographics profile tool included in the "Getting… >>>

This reseearch paper examines the institutional costs of student attrition.  It states that one-third of students who enter postsecondary education expecting to earn a degree leave without one. It outlines the scope of the issue, defines attrition, provides a taxonomy of attrition, and provides a state-level and institutional-level cost analysis.  

ManPower provides many research reports that offer insight on important employment related trends on a regional, national, and global level.  This bookmark is a great resource for conducting research on trends related to staffing and employment.

Amy, Things like how to open a Twitter account are not covered in this course since this course is focused on developing a strategy. However, it is quite easy to open any social media account you want. Twiter, just like all other platforms, walks you through registering a new account when you simply visit the site. Part of developing a strategy does require you to first become familiar with the tools so you gain a better understanding of the culture of the communities behind the tools. Don't forget, these aren't just tools, there are people behind these tools so we… >>>

Hello Amy, Your struggle of whether or not to accept invitations to connect is normal. Without institution policies, I advise people to use their personal judgement since the institution has not provided guidance. I personally look at the following variables when connecting: Do I truly know the person? If I don't know the person, are they transparent with why they want to connect? Is it clear from their profile that we have commonalities? Does the person requesting a connection have a complete profile (lack of a complete profile means unwillingness to disclose and I don't accept)? With students, again, it… >>>

I think it depends on how people view "sales."  The word tends to have a negative connotation, thus, if one has a negative view of what "sales" means, they may not like this idea.  I believe that the reality is we all "sell" something, even ideas.  Instructors must get buy-in from students so that students see the value in what instructors teach.  For instance, a student may think their English class is a waste of time simply because they don't see the relevance to their career training.  Outstanding Instructors "sell" the relevance by making the connection between the topic and… >>>

Tabatha, What were the reasons for choosing Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook? What Career Center goals will you want to accomplish with your social media strategy? Consider these questions as you take the course and think about what you'll measure and how you'll measure to see a correlation between your social media strategy and your goal(s). This is important before identifying what platforms you'll use and what your tactics will be. Robert Starks Jr.

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