Dr. Susan Schulz

Discussion Comment

Hi John Really great ideas. Yes, students should be taught to investigate their prospective employer. What is the work culture, advancement potential, organizational structure,products and services? During an interview grads will really sound informed and interested in their prospective employer. We also support the idea of joining professional organizations. Many schools offer student membership in relevant organizations and encourage students to get involved. Thanks for the ideas, Susan

Dr. Susan Schulz

Discussion Comment

The Employer "Short" List

Hi Amy Great that you have employers who look to your school for their employees. Sounds like many opportunities. You can ask them for testimonials that you can use on your website and in promotion materials. And share with your admissions department. You can ask employers to give you feedback about how work ready the grads are. ARe any additional skills and knowledge needed? Then you can share with your department of education. And as you have discovered you can ask employers to assist in employment skills development. You might use the same strategies with employers who do not yet… >>>

Dr. Susan Schulz

Discussion Comment

Bringing Placement Services to the Classroom

This is fantastic, Sally. This exercise presents the information, encourages students to think of other tasks that have to be completed, lets them know that every one has the same concerns, helps them pre live the interview preparation process, gets them to buy into it, and gets them thinking that every task takes thought and preparation. Really excellent. Would be interested in the other scenarios you present. Thanks, Susan

Dr. Susan Schulz

Discussion Comment

The Impact of Placement Services

Hi Sally - You totally get it. Now you need to be sure that your school directors also understand the role of career services so you get the funding and support you need. As a member of the career services department it is also your job to put comprehensive services in place for students and to be sure that everyone on staff knows about them. Ideally students will be required to complete career services assignments. Employers will only know about your great grads and your placement department offerings if you contact them on a regular basis. Find out what they… >>>

Dr. Susan Schulz

Discussion Comment

The Impact of Placement Services

HI Danielle, You have quite a challenge being in the placement department for just a week. Very good that you decided to take this course. Hopefully you'll see that setting up a career services department with lots of policies and procedures and offerings will take work. But will pay off in the long run. The department can sometimes run itself, with some clerical help, leaving you the time to connect with employers, network, be creative, and evaluate progress and publicize accomplishments. Be sure to use all the resources available to you. There are lots of great publishers - www.jist.com, for… >>>

Dr. Susan Schulz

Discussion Comment

The Impact of Placement Services

Yes, Miguel - we agree that the Placement Department is very important to the school and for student success and satisfaction. With the right offerings it is possible to build student confidence and overcome all the fears a student has about going to school and then seeking a job. Sometimes graduation is the scariest part of going to school if the student hasn't been prepared for the job search process. That's why we feel that career services should be offered and even required through the students school experience. Thanks, Susan

Dr. Susan Schulz

Discussion Comment

The Employer "Short" List

Yes, Luis. The internet is definitely the way to stay in touch with prospective students all the way to alumni. And there are so many ways - emails, social websites like Facebook, Linked In, etc. The key is to send and post interesting information so people will look forward to reading it. And to keep in touch with everyone so you don't lose track of them and can always find out about their progress. Real mail is also a nice change. People are getting back to enjoying the receipt of a letter or post card. Thanks, Susan

Dr. Susan Schulz

Discussion Comment

Your School’s Publicity and Public Relations

Hi Steve, Looks like you gave us your PR strategy and how to improve it! Thanks. Basically you have created an extern experience so your students can practice their skills. You're also teaching them how to be alert for business if they work on their own. As to timing and geographical issues - it will be interesting to find solutions. Location shouldn't be a big problem. You can work on cases long distance through the internet. Maybe you'll miss some clues by not being there. But there may be ways to compensate for that. You made another important point -… >>>

Dr. Susan Schulz

Discussion Comment

Your School’s Publicity and Public Relations

Hi Pete You've made some good points that are useful for all schools. It is very important to join community organizations, such as Chambers of Commerce. It's so easy to host a meeting at your school and let them know how you serve the community. Advertise in their newsletters and ask your information to be emailed to other members. The other point you made is that apparently you measured results from bus ads. It is critical to measure and evaluate all marketing strategies to figure out the best. Thanks, Susan

Dr. Susan Schulz

Discussion Comment

Your School’s Publicity and Public Relations

Steve - What a wonderful story all around! We all don't have as clear and dramatic stories, but our thought is that every student has a great story. We just have to ask them the right questions. That's a good exercise - to have student services or placement create a series of questions to get the human story side of the student. Then create case studies or success stories and use them in admissions, placement, publicity, and more. Thanks, Susan