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

The Certified Higher Education Professional (CHEP) credential is awarded by the National Association of State Administrators and Supervisors of Private Schools (NASASPS).  The primary goal of this certification program is to enable institutions to develop high performing, compliant, and ethical employees to better serve students.  This video explains the challenge the nation faces in producing a skilled workforce to compete in the global economy now and in the future and the role of well-trained, highly skilled, and ethical career educators to faciliate that demand.  Join the hundreds of CHEPs already commited to excellence and shaping the future - the wall… >>>

Discussion Comment

Hi Jennifer, Lack of any previous work experience can be quite the challenge. This is a reminder of the importance of early intervention to discuss how to address this issue so that students can develop a plan to gain experience necessary to compete. I am a big advocate of volunteering to create your own experience using relevant skills. The site, www.volunteermatch.org is a great resource to look for opportunities that I have instructed students to use. However, students can target organizations and see if they can volunteer vs. looking for advertised opportunities. Apprenticeships, internships, service learning, and many other types… >>>

Hi Sheri, This sounds like a great, practical approach. Thanks for sharing! Robert Starks Jr.

Rey Junco, Associate Professor of Education at Iowa State University, discusses the benefits of using social media in the classroom. In his new book, "Engaging Students Through Social Media," Junco encourages educators to use social media to engage and connect with students.

Hi Chasminh, Do you find your students to be receptive to a strategic professional use of social media for career marketing? Do they "get it," avoid social media, tend to not be professional with their use, etc.? What has been your experience? Robert Starks Jr.
Hi Sheri! How did you determine which social media tools to spend time learning and what constitutes mastery? I ask because I have found many do not distinguish between using a tool (similar to using a phone) vs. developing a strategy or purpose incorporating new tools. Are you able to further explain for those who may wish to know more of your methods? Robert Starks Jr.
Hi Chasminh, When students use the objective statement, do you find that they tend to focus more on what they want vs. what they offer? What techniques do you use to ensure that even when writing an objective, they focus on communicating what they offer of value and relevance to the employer? Robert Starks Jr.
Hi Chasminh, Thank you for sharing your process. To clarify, have you found that going through this process, students begin to understand that resume development is truly part of a marketing strategy or do you you have students who already understand this prior to engaging in the process? I'm sure you may have both - what has been your experience? Robert Starks Jr.

Dr. Michelle R. Weise discusses why she and Clayton M. Christensen decided to focus on online competency-based education as the topic of their latest mini-book -- Hire Education: Mastery, Modularization, and the Workforce Revolution.

 

Hi Joyce, Thanks for sharing your strategy. In what ways do you instruct students to demonstrate "cultural fit" on the resume. This can be tricky so I'd like to hear your thoughts on how one does this in the resume. Regards, Robert Starks Jr.

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