4 tips to social media career advising: Why my students call me #boss

I co-authored this article with Joshua Waldman
It was originally posted on his blog:
http://careerenlightenment.com

4 Secrets to Social Media Career Advising: Why My Students Call Me '#Boss'

By A Gen X Career Advisor (with Joshua Waldman)

My duty as a career advisor is to provide students with enough guidance and resources to properly land a job before they graduate.

Some take the bait, some don’t.

And those that do, they call me “#Boss” and I love it.

How did I earn this nickname? It’s simple. I interact with students at their level. I don’t act like a boss at all, I act like their coach.

I’ve earned their respect (even though we’re “Friends” on Facebook).

And the technique I use isn’t rocket science. College students nowadays don’t know a world without the internet, social media, and mobile devices... so that’s where I connect with them.

My Baby Boomer Colleagues Disagree With Me

I’m always swapping strategies with my colleagues, especially the Baby Boomers. They’ve been in the business longer than me so I always enjoy learning from the lessons they’ve learned.

But when they tell me to be careful using social media (Facebook in particular) with my students, I simply smile and nod my head.

I don’t agree with them. Not one bit.

Some of my Baby Boomer colleagues think students will classify me only as a “friend” and not take my advice seriously or they feel some privacy god will strike them down where they sit. Well, that hasn’t been the case with the students I’ve worked with. They’re smart enough to understand they need to listen to my career counseling no matter how they categorize our relationship.

Students are responsive to my coaching practice because I tell them what they need to hear, not what they want to hear. People are naturally drawn to the uncommon so that’s how I stick out.

They know my goal is to help them find a job faster than on their own and I believe they appreciate my efforts to get on their level using social media.
It’s Not About the “What If”. It’s About the “What Now”

“I don’t know what I want to do after college.” (Average College Student)

I hear the above question every day on the job. It’s expected. As sure as the sun’s going to rise tomorrow, a student will ask that question.

My response?

“It’s okay to be clueless. You’re not alone. Just don’t be paralyzed lazy.”

What can they do NOW helps them have "little wins" that we can focus and build on.

Most college students are frustrated and overpowered with the thought of picking a single career path. (I know I was.) I always make sure I carefully explain it’s not their fault. There’s no blueprint for picking a career and it’s probable whatever you choose now is going to change down the line.

It’s a vital decision, but it’s not permanent.

Even seasoned and skilled professionals can’t seem to find their way. Why should a twenty something?

Heck, I finally found my career passion by helping others find theirs. Funny how things work out, huh?

They key is to take little steps and only focus on the present. The biggest mistake is procrastination. This isn’t a good time to overthink. You need to stay motivated.

That’s where I come in. It helps to have someone watching your back.

4 Ways I Use Social Media to Help My Students Find Career-Happiness

1. Facebook

The number one social media network is Facebook so it’s an obvious place to interact with students. They’re always logged in via their laptop or mobile device so you can be pretty certain they’re seeing your messages.

Many advisors stick to only e-mail. Not me. I use a nice balance. My initial outreach is usually via Facebook and I’ll switch to e-mail when the communication becomes more in-depth.

Example FacebookMessage: “Hey John! I found a job posting you may be interested in. Swing by my office and be sure to bring Susie and George. I have some information for them too.”

(Students feel more comfortable with their peers in tow so I typically encourage group sessions in the beginning.)

[Editors note: the author actually has two Facebook profiles, one just for students. On it, she not only leaves off personal information, but is just as careful to include just enough personal information so that she still appears human. For instance, on her student facing profile, there are no pictures of her drinking beer on her last camping trip, but there are pictures of her with her daughter.]

2. LinkedIn

Most student LinkedIn profiles are lacking since they don’t have much real-world experience to date. Since I’m on campus, I know what they’re up to in terms of extracurricular activities. If a student has organized an event, or is part of a group leadership team, I can vouch for them.

Coupled with the casual conversations I typically have throughout the semester, I’m allowed to witness a student’s strengths firsthand. I will help verify these attributes to others by endorsing students for Skills and by providing Recommendations.

Being a relationship hub is the new generation of career advising! The better I build my brand as a source of student talent, the more my network grows to connect students with opportunity.

I network like a champion, keeping track of who is looking for what kind of talent and I use linkedIn to share a student profile with a talent scout about once/week.

Four of my seniors this year got their jobs because I either pointed them to someone on LinkedIn or someone on LinkedIn asked me to point them to a student!

3. Instagram

My students and I created an “Instagram program [profile]” where they follow and tag each other to stay updated on each other’s success, and to acquire inspiration from one another.

An example of an Instagram-worthy scenario is attending a networking event or going on an site visit of a company. Pictures can express so much more of the value of these experiences and their friends “❤” everything that is cool and different from the norm.

4. Blogging

Back in my day we called this part “journaling.” It’s the same idea for my students but the information should be readable by others, including myself.

A personal blog provides a platform for frequent, detailed updates so students can properly track their progress. Students traditionally hate me when I encourage them to start a blog but in the end they’re able to comprehend the value (dare I say that they thank me later!).

Having a blog also allows me to serve up instant feedback during a student’s job search. I’ve also had students tell me they were better able to clarify their thoughts and feelings while blogging, which helped them solve their problems more efficiently.

And of course, owning a personal blog is a tremendous branding strategy. It’s a sure-fire way to stand out amongst a sea of social media savvy applicants. It tends to be the forgotten technique because it requires the most work. Typical, right?


Alright, so that’s why my students call me “Boss.” Now tell me, how do you get through to college students? Are you willing to use Facebook in a way you’ve never considered before?

_______________________

Our Author is a Gen X career advisor at a University on the west coast who has asked to remain anonymous for now. But she doesn’t mind adding students as Facebook friends because they know she’s the “Boss”.

Joshua Waldman is the author of Job Searching with Social Media For Dummies.

A Teacher's Manifesto

I work in higher education on a uniquely contemporary challenge that is evident in almost any institution of higher education- how to both add diversity the student experience AND improve the quality graduate it produces. It sounds easy enough of the surface, but for some reason its stumped the best of us.

For a school like Oregon, where our product is measured by the caliber of employable graduates, we are facing a new era of challenge. Our "buyers" are demanding a more diverse applicant pool and it has resulted in unprecedented recruitment of a more diverse student population. And we have never had to solve the unique needs a more diverse student population has- why? Because we have historically been serving white-middle class families that all had the same preparation and training to succeed in the competitive researched based environment.  Even though we are recruiting students that have never had access to Oregon before, the immense amount of opportunity that Oregon represents is being taken by some and is leaving others completely left behind.

It seems that never before have segments of our society been so integrated with each other and yet so segregated in their access to opportunity.

There has always been a distinction between "haves" and the "have nots" in US k-12 educational system. The problem today is that the challenges facing those systems is making the divide even... wider.


Students who typically are the first in their family to go to college or who come from lower income households happen to coincide greatly with minority identities. So the influx of minority recruits to previously white middle class schools has helped the campus community "look" more diverse but in actuality the campus is not prepared to serve these students. Upon arrival on campus, these students need to brought up to speed first with their peers and then can start developing their capacities to succeed.

 

Either way, they are behind the curve for most of their experience. Despite their potential its no wonder they get discouraged.

My work has focused on experiential learning to first teach students how to learn and be the masters of their own discipline because many of their prior educational systems have failed to do so. Next we expose these students to what opportunity looks like since many of them lack the social networks to job shadow or informational interview on their own. Then my classes and events show them how to navigate in a primarily "white" professional manner to ease their transition into the professional setting.

No one has tried to package all of these components before, at least not at Oregon.

At Oregon students needs were addressed in the silos of the student experience- academic development in an academic department, social development in residential life and professional development in student services. The fragmented experience makes it all the more challenging to "pull the pieces together."

What I have designed is a full package that reduces the time and stress of their transition to Oregon and increases their access and exposure to opportunity on campus and ultimately puts Oregon grads ahead of their peers when it comes time to compete on the after-college market. Ultimately reinforcing Oregon's reputation for producing high quality graduates and earning higher recognition amongst its competitor schools.

I have three years of tracking grades to show how our methods have changed student performance. I have student stories- observed, journaled, recorded all that testify to the rapid impact on their experience. I have feedback from professionals and recruiters that verify what we have experimented with works. It all started with someone having to level the playing field, and I decided it might as well start with me.

I am looking for as many ways to share this story and find people who want to work with me to take this to the next level. Please post comments and questions below or follow up with me at tayahbutler@gmail.com