Surveys Gone Wild or Career Services and Benchmarking

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Surveys Gone Wild or Career Services and
Benchmarking

• Russ Coughenour University of Tennessee

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SEACnet Benchmark Project

• Collaboration between SEC and ACC schools
• Huge assist from Student Voice (Kim Vanderlinden)
• www.studentvoice.com
• Met in Atlanta in January 2007
• Pilot Study done in Spring 2007 (ClemsonUGAUTK)
• Modifications done summer 2007
• Launch Fall 2007
• Total of 19 Colleges and Universities have opted
  in

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Demographics

• UTK
• 452 respondents
• 56 Male
• 84 Caucasian
• Peer 1
• 329 respondents
• 44 Male
• 80 Caucasian
• Peer 2
• 829 respondents
• 38 Male
• 86 Caucasian

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Demographics Cont.

• Class Standing ( graduating within one year)
• UTK 64 (Fall 2007)
• Peer 1 55 (Fall 2007)
• Peer 2 79 (Spring 2008)

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What is Benchmarking?

• To measure (a rival's product) according to
  specified standards in order to compare it with
  and improve one's own product.
• A standard by which something can be measured or
  judged . . .dictionary.com

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Why Benchmark?

• Information about performance
• Generate ideas
• Assist with budget requests
• Marketing purposes
• Strengths / weaknesses
• Gauge attitudes across campuses
• Monitor trends

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Who Do I Benchmark With?

• Peer Schools (make sure you know who these are)
• THEC
• Conference affiliates
• Reach Schools
• Top Programs
• In State
• Regional

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What Was the SEACnet Group Interested In?

• Student Satisfaction
• Services
• Products (online job system)
• Student Usage
• Junior to Senior Level
• Student Expectations
• From Career Services
• From Employers
• From Careers in General
• Trends
• Facebook
• Whats important to student now?
• Behaviors
• Ethics
• Learning Outcomes The Dreaded!

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Influences?

• The Group wanted to determine who Had the Most
  Influence in helping students prepare for a
  career and Who The Students would Rely On the
  most in the future for job opportunities.
• And More Importantly, Where Did Career Services
  Rank?

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Who has been the most influential in helping you
prepare for a career?
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Who has been the most influential in helping you
prepare for a career? (UTK)

• Professional Connections Through Internships 19
• Parents and/or other Family members 19
• Faculty 15
• Career Services 14

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Who did students say will be the most influential
in assisting them with finding a job after
graduation?

• Connections through Internships
• Parents
• Faculty members
• Career Services Staff
• The bartender at their local drinking
  establishment

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Answer . . .

• Professional Connections Through Internships!!

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Where Did Career Services Rank?
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Usage?

• We wanted to determine how often students used
  career services and or career services website?

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How Often Do You Use Career Services Per Semester?
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Usage By College More Than Four Visits Per
Semester

• Business Engineering AS

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What Career Service are You Most Likely to Use to
Find Employment?
19
How Satisfied are You with Your Online Job,
Resume and Interview system?

• Specific Name Used Was (HIRE-A-VOL)
• Very Satisfied and Somewhat Satisfied

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Usage Cont.

• We also wanted to know why students didnt elect
  to use career services?

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1 Reason for Not Using Career Services

• I Didnt Know About It
• My Friends had a bad experience
• Their website sucks
• Too Busy
• Its only for Business majors

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1 Reason for Not Using Career Services Answer
. . .

• Too Busy 44

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Parental Influence?
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Parental Influence?

• Student indicated that they relied on their
  parents for help in preparing (tied for first
  place) but they were not as likely to rely on
  them in the future.
• UTK 8.87
• Peer 1 13.14
• Peer 2 8.41

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Data Break 1

• Which one of the following was NOT said about how
  parents would help with finding jobs?
• Both of my parents work in the same field I am
  going into.
• My mom has a friend that is trying to get me on
  somewhere. It is not looking great though. It has
  been like a month and a half.
• My parents know people.
• My moms dream said I would be the next American
  Idol

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First Destination?

• We wanted to know what was important when
  students considered accepting employment.

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Whats Important to Todays Students as They
Consider Their First Job? (7)

• Access to Benefits?
• Working for a Green Company?
• Job/Duties Consistent with their Major?
• Company is a Leader in their Field?
• Position is Close to Family and Friends?
• Access to Career Opportunities?
• Salary Higher than my Peers?

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Whats Important to Todays Students Concerning
Their First Job?
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What of students said they would be somewhat to
very uncomfortable with an employer looking at
their FACEBOOK profile?

• Very or Somewhat Uncomfortable

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Which of the following did students determine
would have the greatest negative impact when
interviewing on-campus? (6)

• Visible Tatoos or Piercings
• Prior arrest for a misdemeanor
• Dressed Inappropriately
• Missing classes / poor classroom attendance
• Poor references
• No front teeth (no not really!)

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Which of the following did students determine
would have the greatest negative impact when
interviewing on-campus?
32
Data Break 2Which Comment was not said about
on-campus interviews? (5)

• As long as your professors aren't your
  references, missing class should not be
  important
• Attendance is dumb and shouldn't be considered
  in a performance grade
• Do you have to report misdemeanors? They are
  definitely not good on a record, but I'm not sure
  employers would look at that.
• When I get stuck on a question I just use a
  quote from Napoleon Dynamite
• I agree with the Career Service's "one strike"
  policy.

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What Percentage of Students said They Would be
Very Uncomfortable if an Employer required a Drug
Test?

• 10
• 15.3
• 5.9
• 3.5
• 21

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Students said they most wanted to learn about
Career Services events through which type of
media?

• EMAIL!

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How comfortable are you with an employer
performing a credit check?
36
Reneging on Offers?

• We all felt that reneging on offers was becoming
  an issue. Was it?

37
Six Months Before Graduation You Accept an Offer
and then One Month Before You Graduate You Are
Offered a Better Position . . .What Do You Do?

• Keep 1st Job 28
• Take 2nd Job 70
• Dont Know 2

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Which of the following was not said in response
to which job offer student would take?

• Talk to the first position and let them know my
  situation. For my own personal reasons i'll
  probably go to the highest paying job, but try
  and stay in good graces with the other job incase
  i wanted to come back...
• After seeking prayer/advice, probably take the
  new position.
• I would consider the offer, but gracefully
  decline and stick to my word as I have already
  accepted a position.
• I would seek the advice of the career services
  staff in this situation, because I have never
  been one like it. So, I would not hesitate to
  seek advice from the staff because they would
  know what to do.
• Job? J-O-B? Are you kidding Im going to grad
  school to become a career counselor!