University of Connecticut
The Department Career Services
Jaclyn Calovine
Scott Connolly
Greg Fink
Elizabeth Rapoport
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Why Do We Need a
Social Media Plan?
• Pew Research Center report on Millennial students (ages 18-29)
– History’s first
“always connected” generation
– Three quarters have created a profile on a social networking site
– Believe that new technology makes life easier
(Pew Research Center, 2010)
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Why Do We Need a
Social Media Plan?
(cont’d)
• Students are accustomed to having more interactive engagement with information
• Social media is easy to use and not expensive
• Already fits in with the mission, philosophy, and goals of this Department
(Beja, 2009)
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Career Services’ mission is to assist students in gaining and applying knowledge and
skills to make well-informed career decisions by advising them through the process of identifying a major, exploring career interests, and securing post-graduate opportunities.
Calovine, University of Connecticut

The philosophy of Career Services has never been one driven by “placement” of the individual in a job or career. Career
Services embraces a philosophy that promotes the career development and
education of students. We believe that students are best served when they gain the skills that enable them to engage in life long career decision making.
Calovine, University of Connecticut

• Goal 1 Design and deliver responsive career development programs and services for students.
• Goal 2 Provide resources and information to educate students about Experiential Learning
Opportunities that enhance the undergraduate academic experience.
• Goal 3 Provide students with opportunities to build skills and identify resources to successfully transition to post graduate employment, education or other post-graduate opportunities.
Calovine, University of Connecticut

The objective is illustrate the
Department’s mission, philosophy, and goals through a comprehensive social media plan.
For the purposes of this proposal, emphasis will be placed on Goals 1 and 3.
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Advantages of Appropriate Social
Media Usage to Career Services
• Makes resources only a click away
• Provides easier access to a variety of materials
• Allows offices to be more relevant in the eyes of students
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Advantages of Appropriate Social
Media Usage to Career Services
• Extends “office hours” and increases accessibility
– Allows access to more student populations (branch campuses, alumni, nontraditional students)
• May get students into the office earlier
– Reaches out to first-year students (a major component of Goal 1 as stated in the Department’s goals for the
2010-2011 academic year)
– May be less intimidating than physically walking into the office as an underclassman student
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Advantages Connected to
Department Guiding Principles
Goal Specific
• Reach students early in their college careers
• Get them connected through programs and services
• Assist in the transition to post-graduate employment and graduate school
Overall
• The use of social media in a professional, presentable manner will ultimately match the culture of the office while also meeting the goals of the Department
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Meeting Goal 1: “Outreach Plans ”
• Utilize a multitude of social media outlets to reach different groups of students
• Promote pre-existing programs as well as
Career Services as a whole
• Host programs through social media
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Utilize a Multitude of
Social Media Outlets
• Social media exists past Twitter and
Facebook
• Need to think about how we can utilize other outlets to create a more comprehensive approach
– Foursquare
– Skype
– YouTube
– LinkedIn
– BlogSpot
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Meeting Goal 1: “Outreach Plans”
• Utilize a multitude of social media outlets to reach different groups of student
• Promote pre-existing programs as well as
Career Services as a whole
• Host programs through social media
Calovine, University of Connecticut

• Promotion of
Programs
– Facebook
• Send event invitations to spread the word
– Twitter
• Tweet the time and location of events from perspective of student workers
Calovine, University of Connecticut

• Promotion of the Department
– Foursquare
• Create a “Location” and host contests
• Example: The first ten students to check in for their first résumé critique receive a packet of résumé paper
– LinkedIn
• Feature individual counselors’ background and accomplishments
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Meeting Goal 1: “Outreach Plans”
• Utilize a multitude of social media outlets to reach different groups of student
• Promote pre-existing programs as well as
Career Services as a whole
• Host programs through social media
Calovine, University of Connecticut

• Skype
– Host practice interviews over Skype and provide direct feedback with the student through that medium
• Webcasts
– Send out webcast events instead of in-person presentations to reach a larger audience and nontraditional students
– Host question and answer sessions through chat features
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Hosting Events via Social Media
(cont’d)
• YouTube
– Stream and save past programs on the website
– Create new videos with quick tips
• Examples of video programs include:
– How to use social media personally and professionally
– Top 10 job search strategies
Calovine, University of Connecticut

• Allows the Department to design programs that will reach a broader audience including non-traditional students and alumni
• Encourages and incentivizes students to utilize current services and attend programs
• Puts a “face” to the Department of Career
Services
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Meeting Goal 3: “Internal Actions”
• Add a social media section to the existing
‘Media’ tab on the Career Services website to serve as a hub for all social media outreach efforts
• Simultaneously post all social media initiatives through Twitter and Facebook accounts in order to reach out to students
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Calovine, University of Connecticut

• Each day feature a new relevant piece of material (see next slide for weekly schedule)
• Add a “Tweet this” and “Post this” option next to each article to encourage students to share the resources with one another
• Adding current information keeps people coming back to the site to read new pieces
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Weekly Social Media
Content Schedule
• Monday:
Current
Events/Articles
• Tuesday:
Internship of the Week
• Wednesday:
UConn Alumni
Spotlight
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Weekly Social Media
Content Schedule
• Thursday: BlogSpot
– Examples: A first-year student’s career development journey and a senior’s job search process
• Friday: Highlight best practices of other institutions’
Career Services and
Development
Offices
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Meeting Goal 3: “Internal Actions”
• Add a social media section to the existing
‘Media’ tab on the Career Services website to serve as a hub for all social media outreach efforts
• Simultaneously post all social media initiatives through Twitter and Facebook accounts in order to reach out to students
Calovine, University of Connecticut

• While the Career Services ‘Media’ website will serve as a major hub to all social media initiatives, the Department will also post to the Facebook and Twitter accounts
• This will outreach directly to students while simultaneously increasingly the likelihood that students will visit the main website
Calovine, University of Connecticut

• Utilizes multiple social media outlets and connects them together through the website
• Promotes collaboration and the sharing of information/resources
• Creates a network with students as well as alumni and other Career Services across the country
• Illustrates best practices
• Gives students resources that they can comment on independently and Career Services’ staff members can respond to
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Actualizing Social Media
Into Career Services
• Social media already fits into the current goals
– Need to add and present in a formal setting to mesh into the current system
• Identify outcomes and system for assessment
– Establish purpose for enhanced social media use
– Provides direction for implementation to reach goals
• Start notifying students about Career Services social media through traditional methods
– Email, flyers, posters, and word of mouth
Calovine, University of Connecticut

• Buy-in from staff members who may not personally use social media
• Getting students to appropriately use social media in this context
• Allocating staff time to create and maintain social media
– Creating necessary training and expertise in media production
Calovine, University of Connecticut

Calovine, University of Connecticut

Beja, M. (2009, August 24). “How Students, Professors, and Colleges Are, and
Should Be, Using Social Media”. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Retrieved on February 22, 2011 from http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/how-studentsprofessorscolleges-areshould-be-using-social-media/7787
Pew Research Center. (February, 2010). Millennials: Confident. Connected.
Open to change. Retrieved on February 22, 2011 from http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1501/%20millennials-new-surveygenerational-personality-upbeat-open-new-ideas-technology-bound
Calovine, University of Connecticut