Spotlight for Career Services Professionals

The NACE Community members share great, information-rich ideas with each other. Here are some recent ideas:

Etiquette Dinners
At dinners for high school students, one career practitioner discusses:

• How to hold a fork, cut food, use a napkin, and hold stemware;
• Ideas on what to order and what not to order; and
• How to introduce people to each other.

Another career services professional begins with the basics: She places plates, napkins, knives, forks, and spoons at the center of each table. Each person is asked to set up his or her own place setting before the presenter talks about where each piece of the place setting should go. Community leaders attending the meal offer additional tips on dinner etiquette and meal mishaps that they’ve experienced.

How to Track Student and Graduate Employment

• Send an announcement to faculty to encourage students to input their post-graduate employment.
• Students enter their information at a kiosk in the career center. A photographer takes the student’s picture to display at the staging area. Students receive a prize for participation.
• Email a follow-up survey to students.
• Call graduates to complete a phone survey.
• Connect with students at “Grad Fest” or other events to update their contact information and complete a follow-up survey.

What the Career Center’s Lobby Television Displays
The career center’s lobby television can offer content produced in a loop that is simple and short, and designed to attract students’ attention. This content often includes:

• Event information (job fairs, employer tables, workshops);
• Internship information (employer name, position, job details);
• Student employment data (where students are employed, salaries, how students use the career center); and
• Tips, quotes, and success stories.

Note: Putting together this content is a great project for student employees.

Working With Master’s Students
Connect early with incoming master’s students by:

• Sending a welcome email in June that introduces your office and describes how you can assist these students.
• Offering PowerPoints for them to watch in July that include tips on resume development and networking. For international students, provide information on working in the United States, including the OPT and the H1-B lottery process.
• Offering “boot camp” sessions when master’s students arrive on campus that include workshops covering soft skills and interviews.

Join the NACE Community and share your ideas and best practices with your colleagues.