Placement Dept.
I am the Director of the Career Services Dept. Our department covers externship, placement and student services. I have a placement assistant and as soon as we grow a little more I will have an externship assistant. We have seminars once a month for the students who are getting ready to graduate or go to externship. We have a Career Services class in every program that we assist with. This includes resume writing, dressing for success and interview information. We make visits in the community to market our students and attend many job fairs. We still see some apathy on the students part in actively searching for a job. Any suggestions?
Hi Marlene
Apathy - a problem that many students enter school with. It may require a total attitude adjustment that takes time and can't be taught in one course or seminar. Or perhaps all instructors and staff can be taught how to deal with every day apathy so there is a team approach to this dis ease.
Sounds like you have a great placement department now and great future plans. Perhaps you should have more presence and early in the student's school experience. Rather than once a month perhaps hold seminars and programs one time a week. And offer them to all students rather than the seniors.
Best wishes
Susan
Thank you for your idea Susan. I will look into impementing it. Since we only have classes Mon-Thur. we could hold a seminar every Friday.
Best regards,
Marlene
Hi
You might want to see what results you get with once a week for everyone compared to once a month for only seniors.
Let us know.
Best wishes
Susan
I am the placement director for a vocational school that teaches massage therapy. When I get a lead on a job, I either fax or email the apropriate resumes to the company looking to hire. At that point, all communication between students and potential employers is up to them. I let my students know this and encourage them to call and follow up to see if the resume was received. They are also encouraged to continue the follow up once they have an interview. Most of my students are good about this. There will always be some who think that the placement department should do it all.
Hi Teri
Sounds good. We feel the role of the placement department is to do a lot of employment skills preparation. Offer several ways a student can prepare to enter the workforce. Or set up a practice of their own as massage therapists usually do.
Sometimes a lot of handholding, when needed, is a good thing. The more grads contact the workplace, the more people will learn about your school. And the more job openings.
Best wishes,
Susan
Apathy - I have found that students who are not personally engaged in their field of study respond with apathy when challenged with the task of finding employment in that field. Encouraging active participation from the community - inviting them to come speak to classes, encouraging students to follow through with internships, etc. helps the students get excited about their field and feel more prepared for employment.
Hi Amy
Apathy may also be the result of the admissions process and students not really understanding the major they have chosen. We feel that the goal of the admissions staff is to be sure that the student understands the field for whch they want to study. Prospective students need to understand what a person does on the job, what the work enviornment is like, the salary ranges, and what it is like to learn the skills needed. The goal of the career services department is to keep the student excited and motivated by bringing the feel of the job into the classroom.
Best wishes
Susan
I’m Director of Student Services and Career Development. I have 2 members of my staff and I will be hiring an additional one next month. Apathy may be due to all the media coverage of unemployment. Every where you turn you hear 10 million people are out of work. It very decouraging unless you are determind to find a job. A lot students are not digging deep and getting creative to look for work
Hi Tasha, Glad your department is doing so well. We feel that grads must be prepared to seek work and expect success regardless of the unemployment news. And the school must do everything to give grads the knowledge and skills in the career program as well as in the job search. It's about setting a can do, will get a job kind of attitude. We feel this can happen when your students are very very confident that their training is the best. And they have had the opportunity to practice all the skills they need for the real world of the job search. Thanks, Susan
