I'm in the same boat, mostly. I've been in the "placement" position since January as well and have had issues with grads returning calls or emails. I've been doing pretty much the same thing you have. The only thing that has really helped is getting them an actual job. I'm hoping to have a better success rate, but that seems to do the trick.
HI Matt - Being new in any job has some great opportunities. YOu can create it anyway you like as long as you produce results. Persistence is a way to get people to call you back. What about texting? Or using social internet networks? Getting placement success starts with getting your grads ready for the interview. It's a multi step process. Good idea to get some tools. Try www.jist.com. They are a great resource. Good luck, Susan
Thanks for the help. I'm finding that social networking sites are coming into play more and more. I have a number of graduates that might not contact me by phone, or email, but via MySpace, or Facebook...go figure.
Great verification Matt. There are the well known social networking sites and also a lot of others that developing popularity. It's important to keep up with all the Internet opportunities for reaching out to your students, grads, and potential students. And keep in mind that placement has a huge impact on enrollments! I'm thinking it might pay to hire a teen-ager to be sure to stay informed. LOL. Best wishes, Susan
Lani we have a very similar meeting with our newer students. On our campus we call it a Career Commitment Agreement meeting. They fill out a questionairre and schedule a time to go over it, their resume, and allow us to get to them better. This helps us to narrow down where they are interested in working after licensure, how many days/hours a week they can work, what special certifications they may be interested in persuing, etc. This is a very important meeting that starts to build the rapport we have with our students and graduates. We are able to keep them on track with their goals and get them where they want to be with their new careers.
Amy,
This is sooo great. A Career Commitment Agreement. That really tells the new student that going to school is about learning skills to get a job. And that it is their responsibility to commit to doing their part. The questionnaire helps them see all the tasks that are their responsibility and what they can expect from the school. What a great way to develop rapport and build relationships. Keeping track is always a challenge. It sounds like the questionnaire can be a way to generate task lists with timelines and deadlines to commit to. We hope every school adapts this idea. Thanks, Susan
Dr. Susan Schulz
