Schedule
Wednesday, July 21
Session 1: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EST/9:00 AM - 10:00 AM CST
Presenter(s): Danielle Pearles & Monique Sample, Virginia Commonwealth University
Title: Shifting the Mindset: Using technology to engage students and employers through the pandemic and beyond
Description: Until March 2020, employer development & engagement at VCU focused on in-person methodologies. With traditional methods no longer an option due to COVID, the VCU Career Services Employer & Experiential Development (E&ED) team quickly identified resources already in place they could leverage to keep employer partners engaged with students, sought out ideas for alternative programming, and assessed each initiative as it was implemented in order to iterate and improve offerings through lessons learned. Join members of the E&ED team through the journey of shifting the mindset for their team, students and employer partners using data informed practices and a slate of tech tools including Zoom, Brazen, Handshake, AirTable, Kaltura, and Hootsuite.
Session 2: 11:15am - 11:45am ET / 10:15am - 10:45am CST
Presenter(s): Patrick Roberts, East Carolina University
Title: Innovating Resume Drop Programs
Description: During the spring of 2020, the entire world was forced to hit pause and challenge current operating strategies. The field of Career Services was no exception. In the weeks that followed the initial shutdowns caused by COVID-19, ECU Career Services created a program called “Senior Resume Drop” to assist graduating seniors that were left with an uncertain job market. This program successfully reached almost 500 students who received digital resume reviews and 1-on-1 assistance by Career Services staff. In fall 2020, we took this program further by managing a call campaign to each senior and collecting first destination data.**Coffee Chat session
Lunch break: 12:00pm-1:00pmET/11:00am-12:00pm CST
Session 3: 1:00pm - 2:00pm ET / 12:00pm - 1:00pm CST
Title: Enhance your Digital Storytelling Strategy using Instagram Takeovers
Presenter(s): Destiny Izaguirre & Ethan Fesperman, Vanderbilt University
Description: Digital Storytelling should be a foundational engagement strategy for 21st Century Career Centers, but creating and implementing this approach can be intimidating for many career professionals. Join a Career Coach and Employer Relations Specialist from Vanderbilt University as they detail how they leveraged the power of Instagram to create simple, yet potent storytelling campaigns to connect with students and employers. The presenters will distill a year’s worth of research and trial/ error into actionable steps you can take to create short, sharp, strong Instagram Takeovers for your campus.
Session 4: 2:15pm - 3:15pm ET/ 1:15pm - 2:15pm CST
Title: The Career Marketing Toolbox: A Primer on New and Updated Resources Students Can Leverage in Today's Job Search
Presenter(s): Myles Lofland, Hardin-Simmons University
Description: Curious about what new resources are out there to help your students and alumni set themselves apart from their competitors? This is a meeting you won't want to miss! In The Career Marketing Toolbox you'll hear about a few new tricks that may just give your students the leverage they need to push their candidacy over the top.
Thursday, July 22
Session 1: 10:00am - 11:00am ET / 9:00am - 10:00am CST
Title: Fighting Zoom Fatigue with Employer Coffee Conversations
Presenter(s): Lindsay Schiller, Florida State University
Description: To lessen the never-ending roster of virtual events that a student needed to attend live, I developed a new method of engaging Employers and students, called "Coffee Break Conversations." This one-on-one informational interview series was recorded over Zoom and posted on YouTube starting in February of 2021. The goal of each video was to gather information on career paths that were available to any major but might be overlooked. By providing an asynchronous option to distribute Employer information, students can learn more about potential career paths on their own time without engaging in a live event. In light of "Zoom fatigue," providing more asynchronous options may be the future of Employer recruitment.
Session 2: 11:30am - 12:30pm ET / 10:30am - 11:30am CST
Title: Slido Into Success - Taking online student engagement to new heights during the COVID-19 pandemic
Presenter(s): Dr. Raylea Rideau & Michelle Passo, Rice University
Description: Like many institutions, the Center for Career Development (CCD) team at Rice University pivoted to provide effective virtual services to students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two notable programs included a new take on their Focus 2 Assessment workshop and the creation of the online career course, ProfessionOwl Program (POP). Both programs embedded principles of synchronous and asynchronous learning through new tools like Slido, Zoom, Jamboard, FlipGrid, Canva, online quizzes - even Buzzfeed. Dr. Raylea Rideau and Michelle Passo will discuss the creation, implementation, and execution of these programs. Participants can expect to engage in fun, interactive exercises to learn and apply these tools to their own context.
Lunch break: 12:30pm-1:30pmET/11:30am-12:30pm CST
Session 3: 1:30pm - 2:00pm ET/ 12:30pm -1:00pm CST
Title: Innovating the job search experience for international students
Presenter(s): Nitin Agrawal, Interstride
Description: Join Nitin Agrawal, Interstride who will delve into the challenges faced by international students and how universities and colleges can address these challenges via technology. Nitin will provide an overview of the technology response to these complex career challenges faced by international students. **Coffee Chat session
Session 4: 2:30pm - 3:30pm ET/ 1:30pm - 2:30pm CST
Title: Leveraging Technology to Build Community Through Virtual Career Development Programs
Presenters: Jenna Lostritto-Simmons, Alex Edwards, & Courtney Frost, Louisiana State University
Description: Do you feel like students are searching for something more than an individual appointment? Do you wish that students could hear from their peers to normalize their career challenges? In this session, we’ll discuss two models from the LSU Olinde Career Center where cohorts of students progress through the job search and personal statement development together in a virtual environment. You’ll be inspired to consider the needs of your students and how in-depth programming mixed with technology can dive deeper and scale services. We’ll share snapshots of what we did, learned, and how this can translate to in-person settings.
