KG Spotlights – Page 2 – SoACE Connections

Spotlight on the Technology Knowledge Group

by Laura Kalb and Peter Thorsett, Technology KG Assistant Chair and Chair

The Technology Knowledge Group (Tech KG) is currently focused on helping SoACE members who have an interest in learning how to better use technology, marketing, and communications tools and resources. Many of our members balance technology and marketing in addition to their primary career services related functional area (such as career planning, employer relations, or experiential learning).

We typically host bi-monthly meetings via GoToMeeting so that members can get together and share ideas and explore these areas in a friendly environment. We also host webinars throughout the year on specific topics of interest to our membership. At the Annual Conference, you can find us at the KG introduction session, our annual membership meeting, and as hosts of special programming.

Over the past two years, we have offered all SoACE members the opportunity to participate in our Annual Summer Technology Boot Camp! The Boot Camp is a free, two-day event featuring multiple, live webinars on a variety of topics. The sessions provide members with a great educational program, without all of the expenses associated with an in-person conference. (As an added bonus, they are all recorded and posted on the SoACE website in the member section, so you can watch them on-demand at any time!)

Joining the Tech KG gives you a place to explore new technologies and marketing ideas, connect with other SoACE members who share these responsibilities, and become a part of a community to share information and resources. Joining the Tech KG also gives you an opportunity to give back to SoACE by becoming a member of the leadership team. Currently, we have a team that includes an Assistant Chair, a Chair, and a Past Chair, as well as Coordinators for our Boot Camp, Emerging Technologies & Research, and Professional Development.

As Chair, and someone who has day to day responsibilities for marketing and communications functions in our office, I know that becoming a member of the Tech KG has given me a professional home within the Association and a team of colleagues I can reach out to with questions about challenges I am facing or to get ideas for approaching an issue in a new (to me!) way. It has also given me a chance to gain a better appreciation for my adopted profession of career services. While I have worked in higher education for more than 20 years, this is my first role within career services. The members of the Tech KG have not only made me feel welcome and connected, but have also been there to help me gain a deeper and richer appreciation for the work we do!

As Assistant Chair, I have been able to explore a part of the career services world that was outside of the scope of my first position in the field. I am introduced to new technologies, best practices, and challenges that allow me to provide insights to my office team and other colleagues in my local San Antonio area. The KG has given me the opportunity to constantly learn and build confidence in this profession, in addition to an incredible group of colleagues that answer my endless questions with a smile and work to make our profession great each day! My involvement in the KG ignited my passion for technology in higher education and provided me with the opportunity to serve as both a connector and leader. I leveraged the knowledge and skills I gained through the KG to serve as the assistant project manager for our transition to Handshake and add responsibilities involving technology to my promotion to an assistant director position.

We hope that you will consider joining the Tech KG and look forward to “seeing” you at one of our events in the near future! If we can answer any questions for you, please do not hesitate to contact either one of us directly.

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Laura Kalb
Assistant Chair, SoACE Tech KG
Assistant Director, Office of Career Services
Center for Experiential Learning and Career Success
Trinity University

Peter Thorsett
Chair, SoACE Tech KG
Director, Strategic Initiatives, Communications, & Research
Division of Community Engagement & Career Readiness
University of South Florida

Spotlight on the Employer Knowledge Group

by Wayne Hampton, Employer KG Chair

The Employer Knowledge Group consists of SoACE members working for employing organizations/businesses who are involved in college relations and recruitment. The Employer KG is a great opportunity not only for employers to network with other employers, but for career services professionals, especially those in employer relations, to also network with employers (and with each other!). Earlier this fall, we hosted a conference call discussion on each employer’s recruitment plans for the fall. If you’d like to hear more, click on the link below for an audio recording of our call: https://bluejeans.com/s/QaacD/

We are excited to continue this discussion at the annual conference when our KG will be hosting a breakout session entitled The Future of Career Fairs: Employer and University Perspectives. We’ll have two separate panels – a group of employers, representing different utilizations of Career Fairs; and a group of career services professionals, representing a variety of types of institutions. We invite you not only to join us, but to submit your questions for either panel, even if you can’t join! To submit a question, you can send it directly to wayne.hampton@disney.com, and we’ll include it in our list.

Even though our KG is geared towards employers, we have a number of career services professionals who join our calls as well. So by joining our KG, you’ll get to hear both perspectives on a given topic, and be able to brainstorm with others recruiters or other career services professionals. We definitely encourage ALL of our employer members in particular to not only join our KG, but to join our quarterly calls as well!

At the end of the year, I will be rolling off as the KG Chair and my fantastic Co-Chair, Rod Hooker from GM Financial, will be taking over as the KG Chair. That means we’ll be looking for someone to step in as Co-Chair. Let me know if you are interested!

In my job at Disney, I work remotely and over half of my team works remotely as well, so I’m already used to meeting virtually. But leading this KG has helped me learn more about working with virtual groups. It is certainly a challenge for virtual groups to stay connected, but as our students enter the workforce and more of them want flexible work arrangements, I think working in virtual groups will become a required skill.

Thanks to all of our amazing Employer KG members for a great fall, and we invite more of our SoACE members to join us! Simply click here to fill out the online membership form (must be logged in).

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