Student Assessment
What are some of the best tools used to assess a student so that he/she could fully understand their weakness and strengths in a positive way?
HI Moszetta
Sounds like you are referring to ways students can understand their skills and abilities in order to present themselves effectively when going out on a job interview? Actually this is covered in later modules. There are exercises for students to complete to understand what they like to do and what they are good at. The exercises help students think about what makes them unique and what experiences they can bring to a job even if they have never worked.
Best wishes, Susan
There are some assessment instruments available via the internet or that you may purchase. THese will help a student " sort out" their strengths and weaknesses. Likes and dislikes.
Guest speakers may also be a source to assist students
Hi Sundra
Yes, the Internet is a great source for interest and aptitude surveys. Can you share with us the ones you think are most useful? What do you think of using these assessments at the time the student enrolls? Many applicants really don't know much about the career program they want to enroll in. Or whether their interests and aptitudes fit?
Some schools create their own interst surveys. An applicant can take it and see how closely they fit to the people who are happy in the field.
Guest speakers are great resources to students. They can be employers, potential employers, or happy grads who are working in the field.
Thanks
Susan
I have found multiple web sites for career interest surveys. You must have a trained professional on hand to interpret, otherwise, the student may not understand the value of what the reports. I am currently testing the www.careercruising.com web site (I have a free one-month trial). Also the OOH has a web page has www.bls.gov/oco/ for career interest surveys and occupational outlook information.
Hi Deborah
It's great for a career services office to offer career interest surveys. You might want to coordinate with admissions on this. And you are right about having a professional available to interpret.
Ideally students who go through the admissions process know what they want to do prior to enrollment. But of course that doesn't always happen. Therefore perhaps an interest survey should be part of the admissions process. You can create one of your own by working with faculty, staff, students, and grads. Put together a list of an ideal worker in each field. What interests, abilities, capabilities, skills, etc. do they need to be happy as a medical assistant, for example. Then construct a questionnaire so the applicant can check how closely they match to someone who is satisfied as a medical assistant. This gives a lot of information to the admissions officer who can go over how closely the applicant matches, or the differences. If you really feel you want to offer career assessments, you might want to find someone in the community who already does it.
Best wishes
Susan
I have found that lead instructors completing surveys on the strengths and weaknesses of a student, as well as surveys completed by students listing preferences, is very helpful. It provides me with technical information/feedback useful in "selling" the graduate to an employer
Hi Sacey
Great point about the use of survey results. Many schools put the surveys away after a brief look. But there is so much information in them. With a little effort you can discover so much such as what students like about programs, dislike, what skills are relevant in the workplace, where grads are working, salary ranges, and more. There is a lot of statistical information that can be gathered. This can be used to back up any claims, such as about placement results, that you want to make.
Best wishes
Susan
Susan,
Each semester we hold a "Portfolio Review" for our upcoming Commercial Art and Photography graduates. Area professionals/employers are invited to critique and comment on our students' portfolios. This serves two purposes: (1)Our grads get useful criticism on their strengths and weaknesses--gaining a better idea of how to sell their talents in future interviews. (2) Potential employers meet our graduates and see the quality of our students' work. The employers then, sufficiently impressed, will consider contacting our our placement office for future hiring needs or will directly contact the graduates from whom they collected business cards and/or resumes.
Sharon
HI Sharon
This is a great idea. Just wondering how you prep your students so they know what questions to ask and also are prepared to take critiques. It's not easy. Also wondering how you stay in touch with employers. Can't always wait for them to contact your placement department with job offers. Follow up is always so important.
Really great technique for students and employers.
Best wishes
Susan
Susan
A week prior to the Portfolio Review, our Exec. Director, the Portfolio & Resume course instructor, and I meet with each student. This allows them make any necessary changes and to hear recommendations on how their portfolios should be presented--including advice on talking with the employers.
I stay in touch with employers by maintaining a list of contacts and by sending them our newsletters and advertising brochures which describe our graduates' skills. I also call occasionally to inquire about position availability and invite them each semester to a portfolio review. I've also joined some professional organizations and interact at the monthly meetings, explaining to new contacts our job placement service. I believe networking is important.
We are a small college that just started a full-time Placement Dept. a few months ago. I'm new to the position and am hoping to learn how I can better find positions for our students.
Thank you--
Sharon
Sharon
You are doing an excellent job. Looks like you are creating an ideal Placement Dept. Hope you are keeping track of how well you are doing - the number of employers you see, the results of your networking, the number of students that get placed, their salaries, how long they stay on the job, etc. All great information to have. Useful for admissions too.
Best wishes
Susan
Susan
I am having difficulty with keeping track of some of our students who are not yet placed. A few do not respond to my calls and/or messages... whether left on their phones, via e-mail, or with their parents. It appears they do not want job placement assistance.
What do you suggest I do that would help me keep track of them?
Sharon
Hi Sharon
Keeping track of graduates is definitely a problem for all schools. One way to deal with it is to get cell phone numbers. These numbers won't change as much when the student moves. Also keep in weekly contact with the student to be sure that contact information is current. If a student refuses to get a job you might ask them to sign a waiver saying they enrolled in the program with no employment goals. This could be a problem with financial aid, however. There is something to learn in this situation. Why did the student enroll and what were his/her goals? What made them change their minds? Maybe some barrier came up for them or a fear of the next step of working.
It might take a required exit interview to get this information. Just keep after it. No magic here.
Susan
We are having the same problems...What I do is docutment every time I call them and the response I get, So I can prove I have tried to get in contact with them.....MBJ
Hi Mary
Trying to stay in contact with students and grads is important. The trick is to figure out how to actually keep up with any changes in student contact information. Usually constant requests for changes works plus a sending a steady stream of mail, email, etc.
Best wishes
Susan
We have the same problem, and always have.
I am currenty trying to personally call each new graduate weekly, whether they have called in or not. The more recent and continuous the contact, the more communicative the student remains.
I also have the teachers who know the student best call, and find that the graduate may be more apt to respond to a "favorite instructor" than to the "placement office".
I incorporate feedback from instructors, but I also require students to question their classmates, co-workers and even their families to learn their personal strengths. It is amazing what they learn! From there, students create an answer to that interview question "Tell me about yourself".
Hi Nancy
What a great idea. We should all get feedback from people we know. We could discover a lot of good points we might tend to overlook.
Do you suggest any questions for student to use when they are asking others for feedback? The information is great for interviews. Students can speak more confidently about themselves with the information. Great idea.
Best wishes
Susan
Mosezetta,
We utilize the DiSc program with our students. THe students enjoy the program for several reasons. One, it leads them to a better understanding of themselves and their behavior. This understanding will increase their effectiveness in a range of people situations. Two, It provides insights into the behavior of others. Three, it also provides the student the ability to be able to talk about themselves in a very positive way.
We as an institute beleive it is important for the student to be aware of their weaknesses, However, it is more important to utilize their strengths. Unforunately when students realize their weeknesses, they become concerned with and worried about changing. It is better to realize what you have inside and make it better, then to try to put something inside you don't have! I hope this helps and makes sense!
