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Incorporating Social
Media into Career
ServicesUniversity of Central Arkansas
Kyle Anderson, Evan Boldt, Cassidy Carpenter
& Sarah Wiley
Why Career Services?Career services works to prepare students for life post graduation. In today’s technological society, the use of social media is present in every facet of the working world. In working to prepare students, the implementation of social media needs to be fully understood as to what capabilities it possesses. Learning to harness the power of social media will enable students to have a working advantage in their career search.
University of Central Arkansas Career Services Center Mission
“The mission of the Career Services Center is to assist student in maximizing their educational experience by preparing them for life after graduation. Student preparation is encouraged through specialized, career based guidance and resources, thereby giving student knowledge and insight into the career development and employment process. Our staff assists all students and alumni in discovering their career potential and how that potential relates to their educational plans and accomplishments. The mission of the Career Services Center is achieved by providing students with access to individual and group career planning and advising, career based programs and presentations, and comprehensive information on employment and internship opportunities.”
Why Social Media?
What is social media?
Social media, as defined by the group for purposes of this case study, is the use of online networking websites in order to create a fluid exchange of multi-media communication.
With the growing Millennial generation, the use of technology is growing at a rapid rate. Social media moguls such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are where students are spending a majority of their time devoted to the use of social media.
Why Social Media…con’t
How will social media help accomplish the goals of the Career Services Center?
Teaching students how to maximize their knowledge in social media and teaching them how to use it in a professional manner
By making more services available online, the resources that are offered by the Career Services Center can be utilized to their full potential
How will Career Services use Social Media?
www.facebook.com
www.twitter.com
www.linkedin.com
YouTube
www.youtube.com
Skype & Oovoo
www.skype.com
www.oovoo.com
Instant Messaging
www.aim.com
Blogging
Tumblr
www.tmblr.com
Social Media PlanFacebook
The goal of using Facebook will be to create an online group for the Career Services Center that students can go online and join. This group will serve as the central social media hub for all of the other social media links that will be utilized by the department. Pending availability to resources, the Career Services Center could offer incentives for students and alumni who join the group
The implementation of Twitter will allow the Career Services Center to post current announcements, daily career advice and reminders for upcoming events. Not only will the use of social media engage students in their developing knowledge of social media, but it will also cut down on tangible materials used in the advertising and marketing processes of the department
Social Media Plan…con’t
LinkedIn is commonly referred to as the “professional Facebook”. This tool will allow current students and alumni to be able to communicate about their career experiences and possibly assist current students with internships and job opportunities.
Tumblr
Blogging is one of the fastest growing social media moguls on the web, however its concept, journaling, has been around for centuries. Our recommendation for utilizing Tumblr to its full potential would be to have the Director of CSC, one or two alumni and two or three current students blog about their experiences. The Alumni can post about their job search experience and about their current positions. The current students can post about their experiences either working for an internship or beginning and completing their job search experience.
Social Media Plan…con’t
Skype
Face to face communication has a higher value in the work place rather than email or phone calls, therefore, the introduction of social medial tools such as Skype and Oovoo have provided the ability for employers to conduct interviews with potential employees via video conferencing. The services, at the basic level, are free. The difference between the two systems is that Oovoo can have video conferencing where up to five other computers can join in the conference. Currently in a Skype conversation, there can only be two computers, however, this could change in the near future
By having this kind of software available, the Career Services Center can assist students in practicing their interviewing via video conferencing as well as provide that access to student who may not have personal access
Social Media Plan…con’t
YouTube
The use of YouTube will allow the Career Services Center to upload videos that students can view that will help them visually convey professional development concepts, such as dressing for success and how to utilize behavioral interviewing techniques.
iPhone App
Currently, The University of Central Arkansas has an iPhone app for students, staff and faculty to easily access the University’s key student server, Blackboard. Our group recommends that the Career Center has a link on the app where students can receive updated material about current events and announcements for the Career Services Center
Social Media Plan…con’t
Instant Messaging
In a nation where instant gratification is heavily valued, our recommendation is to have an instant message window available for students, parents, alumni and faculty and staff to be able to go to the Career Services Center home page on the uca.edu website, and be able to ask question. This instant messaging service would be answered by anyone working the front reception desk at the Career Services Center. There will be posted times of when someone will be available to answer questions
What are the goals of implementation?
For social networking to be better utilized in the Career Services Department
Make the Career Services Department more user-friendly and multi-dimensional
Provide a better service to online and non-traditional students
To have students and faculty bridge a generational differences gap
Possible challenges…
Resistance to change
Current members of the Career Services Center would be resistant to changing some of their current practices and trusting them to persons outside the department, such as current undergraduate students and alumni
Certain members of the Career Services Center could not be as up to date on the social media sites that are being recommended and they could become easily overwhelmed and resistant to the learning process
Limited resources
While the majority of the software recommendations are free, to fully utilize some of the software recommendations, they require funding
The staffing that is required to fully utilize all the recommended software protocols is quite intensive. While one person could cover one or two different areas of social media, the delegation of tasks while determining who is responsible for the overall completion of all projects on a daily basis will have to be determined by the department
Lack of buy-in
Lack of interest from students, alumni, faculty and staff
Final Thoughts
Social media is going to continue to expand and become more prominent in the work place. If, as educators and student development professionals, our goal is to prepare students for life after higher education, then we need to be prepared to look down the road at what is coming and be ready to deliver what our students are looking for. Social media is here to stay, so looking for better ways to implement it within the professional setting will help to prepare students for their next move
“Find us on Facebook!”
THE END
