Social Media Plan University of Connecticut The Department Career Services

1. Social Media PlanUniversity of Connecticut The Department Career Services Jaclyn Calovine Scott Connolly Greg Fink Elizabeth Rapoport Calovine, University of Connecticut

2. 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

3. 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

4. Mission of the Department 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

5. Department Philosophy 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

6. Department Goals • 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

7. Objective 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. Advantages Connected toDepartment 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

11. 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

12. Utilize a Multitude ofSocial 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

13. 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

14. Promotion of Programs • 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

15. Promotion of the Department • 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

16. 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

17. Hosting Events via Social Media • 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 non-traditional students • Host question and answer sessions through chat features Calovine, University of Connecticut

18. 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

19. Benefits • 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

20. 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

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22. Website Updates • 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

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

24. Weekly Social MediaContent 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

25. 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

26. Posting to Twitter and Facebook • 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

27. Benefits • 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

28. Actualizing Social MediaInto 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

29. Potential Difficulties • 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

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31. References 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-students-professorscolleges-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-survey-generational-personality-upbeat-open-new-ideas-technology-bound Calovine, University of Connecticut