They’re Hired! Proven Placement Programs and Practical Tools

to Increase Graduate Employment

Proudly presented by:

Ann CrossRegional Career Services DirectorInstitute of Business and Medical Careersacross@ibmc.edu

Martha LanaghenPresidentThe Sparrow Groupmartha@sparrowgroup.biz

• Introduction• Getting the whole campus involved!– Case Study – Career Services Starter Kit

• What employers want– CareerBuilder Research

– Case Study – 7 Habits

• Best Practices – 10 ideas in 10 minutes!• Open Discussion

Agenda

Tell us about your company:

1 2 3 4 5

20% 20% 20%20%20%1. One Campus2. 2-10 Campuses3. >10 Campuses4. Consultant or

Vendor5. Other

Enter any of the campus departments that you believe should be MORE involved in placement than they are today.

17% 17% 17%17%17%17%1. Administration /

Campus Leadership2. Education 3. Admissions4. Student Services5. Career Services6. “Corporate”

Tell us about You…

1 2 3 4 5 6

17% 17% 17%17%17%17%1. Campus Administration2. Career Services3. Education4. Admissions5. Student Services6. Vendor/consultant

• Admissions– Career Agreement in Admissions Process– Compensation Planning for Admissions tied to

placement outcomes– Meetings to provide insight• Upcoming graduate class strengths and weaknesses• Reconnect with prior term grads• Acknowledge and recognize great admits• Calculate employment rates by admissions rep

Placement Best Practices

• Education– In-class reinforcement of “employment” behaviors– Rewards and recognition to students that

demonstrate great employment behaviors– Setting expectations with “seniors” about job hunt– Include guest speakers in class – have them

discuss what they look for in new hires– Meet regularly to discuss employment rates by

program

Placement Best Practices

• Student Services– Assist with on-campus events that are oriented

towards placement outcomes and job preparedness

– Reinforce career language– Meet on regular basis to provide updates

Placement Best Practices

• The Career Services Campus-Wide “Retreat”– All campus leadership attend– Specific agenda oriented towards ACTION planning

around placement results• Current and prior year results• Areas of opportunity• “What can Career Services do to help you?”• “What can you do to help improve placement rates?”• Identify action items and prioritize, create timelines

Reinforce accountabilities for delivering on action items!

Create a Career Culture

• The Tools– Career Services Dashboard– Career Services Progress Board– Term-based Meetings / Updates– Compensation programs• Ongoing – performance appraisals and base comp• Incentive compensation• Short-term awards programs

– Job Descriptions, documentation

– Level of importance must come from the top!

Create a Career Culture

Case Study:Career Services Starter Kit

Please select all the points in the student lifecycle when you are having formal career services meetings with

students (group or 1/1).

Before th

ey st..

.

Durin

g their f

...

Mid-p

oint thro

...

About a m

onth ...

A week befo

re ...

After grad

uati...

17% 17% 17%17%17%17%

1. Before they start school2. During their first term3. Mid-point through their

program4. About a month before

graduation/externship5. A week before

graduation/externship6. After graduation

Select all that apply

Thinking about the “soft skills” -- how well prepared do you feel your graduates are, on average, for

interviewing and securing a job?

Fewer t

han 25%...

About 50% have...

More

than 75% ...

33% 33%33%A. Fewer than 25% of my graduates have the necessary soft skills to succeed in an interview

B. About 50% have the necessary soft skills

C. More than 75% have the necessary soft skills

• Career Services- Guest Lectures• Student Services - Assemblies, Events• Retention- Advising Meetings• Faculty- In the Classroom• Admissions – Career Contract

“It Takes a Village”

(Insert Nugget Icon)TIMS- Time In Motion Study• Analyze: Activity versus Productivity• Build your program around effective time

management• Have the right people doing the right jobs• Start with one area you can improve right

away and measure it

First Step

Professionalism- Skills for the Workplace

A Roadmap for SuccessWeek 1

Getting the most from Career Services

Initial Advising

Career Services Starter Kit-Lifecycle

Taught in each ClassUtilized throughout the students tenureFocused on Soft-Skill improvementIntegrated into the current curriculum

Guest LectureIntroduction to the Career Services StaffDiscuss employable behaviorsImage Management Networking

Student Service Advisor Introduction to “College Central Network™”Building a portfolioBest practices for interacting with Career Services

Building an Attention Grabbing Resume

Mid-Program

Job Searching & Interviews

Career Marketing

Externship-What to Expect

20 Weeks Prior

Student Success Coordinator Portfolio reviewStudent work history packetResume creation

Guest LectureCompleting an online applicationConducting informational interviewsDo’s & Don’t of interviewingMock interviewing

Student Service Advisor Process of securing an externship siteExternship timelineProfessionalism in the workplaceReady, Set, GO!

Career Services Starter Kit- Lifecycle

Must Have Essentials• Our responsibility to you• Your responsibility to yourself• What to expect• How To-Easy to understand steps• Frequently asked questions• Action plan

Career Services Starter Kit

• Are students better prepared for job placement?– Usable resume

– Successful mock interviews

– Lowered student anxiety

– Demonstrable employable behaviors

• Higher retention rates

• Increased productivity in Career Services

• Higher attendance for career services events

• Fewer employer complaints or MORE positive employer feedback

• Higher employment rates

Measuring the Effectiveness

What Employers Want

7 Habits of Highly Employable Grads

CareerBuilder Stats

Survey Reinforces Importance of Soft-Skill Training and Interview Preparation

Experie

nce

Interview

Degree Le

vel

General Fi

t

Professi

onalism

Technica

l skills

Oral Comm

Work

ethic

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90% 81% 80%

68% 64% 59%50% 50% 46%

From the report: “Opportunities in Education: Strategies for Private Sector Colleges 2011,” Presented by CareerBuilder

• Social Networking– Twitter – Facebook– LinkedIn

• Checking references before granting interviews

• KLOUT and similar social evaluations

Candidate Screening Trends

• Networking is more important than ever– students don’t know what that means– TEACH them to network

• Incorporate it into class assignments• Teach them LinkedIn• Competitions or Rewards for networking evidence

• Technology is changing – make sure your department is up to speed– text messaging– use social networking

Job Search Info

Case Study:7 Habits of

Highly Employable Grads

(Insert Nugget Icon)Energize your next Advisory Board • Solicit Employer participation• Create a plan to integrate• Solicit Faculty feedback/input• Start small and build on it

First Steps

The Behaviors Employers Want

Focus on one habit at a time

Day 1 of the new sessionDiscuss what the habit

means to the studentDiscuss how the habit

manifests itself into identifiable behavior

Market to the studentCreate TOMA

Integrating the Habits

Have Fun!Have the students create You Tube VideosUtilize FacebookGive them stuff

Integrating the Habits

Invite Employers to get involvedGuest lecture about the habitTalk about it often with EmployersCapture hiring employers talking about the habit on videoGet Employer testimonials

Reward Students!• “Caught in the act” coupons• Base assembly awards on employable behaviors• Habit pins for lanyards• “Habit Certification”

Growing the Habits

• Increased “Direct Leads”• Professionalism Scorecard• Better response rate for Employer Survey• Better response rate for Grad Survey• Improved externship evaluations• Increased Placement Rates

Measuring Results

All of these are important – what are your top two priorities for improving student

preparedness?

1 2 3 4 5 6

17% 17% 17%17%17%17%1. Getting other departments involved

2. Increasing career services resources (talent) on campus

3. Starting sooner with students

4. Improving students’ soft-skills

5. Improving social networking skills

6. Other

10 Ideas in 10 Minutes

Take a minute to write down two or three ideas that are easy to implement and that have made a difference in

your placement results

* 45 seconds or less to share the idea

Ann CrossRegional Career Services DirectorInstitute of Business and Medical Careersacross@ibmc.edu

Martha LanaghenPresidentThe Sparrow Groupmartha@sparrowgroup.biz

Thank you!

Please feel free to contact us with additional questions.