Communication

Knowledge Group Updates - SoACE Updates

Slack: Your SoACE and KG Connection

October 23, 2018 by 0 Comments

by Alicia Smyth, Director, Communications & Marketing, SoACE Board

It’s no secret that one of the greatest benefits that SoACE has to offer are the Knowledge Groups. There are eight in all: Administration, Assessment & Data Analytics, Career Advising/Counseling, Employers, Employer Relations, Experiential Education, Small Colleges & Universities, and Technology. There is a KG for pretty much everyone (be sure to read Erica Lake’s post from last week to learn about the KGs and how to join, if you don’t already know)!

For years, SoACE used MemberClicks’ Circles as a means for KG leaders to communicate with members. The Circles offered a lot of nice features but because members had to go to the SoACE website and log in to access them and there was no mobile app, very few people used them. Last year, a task force (Charlie Wilder, Alex Anderson, Corinne Earle, Ashley Motley, and Mark Colvenbach) set out to explore alternate options that would make it easier for members to communicate with one another in order to to ask questions, engage in conversations, and collaborate. Their solution? Slack.

If you’ve never used Slack, it can be a little intimidating at first because the terminology isn’t completely familiar (e.g., hashtags are channels and channels are groups). But the more you play with it, the more you will love it. Especially the sheer convenience of it. There is an app for your phone and a desktop version as well. You can opt to get notifications or not. It helps reduce the number of emails going back and forth between people while keeping them informed. Personally, what I love most about Slack is that it is bringing members together in ways that don’t usually happen outside of the conference. It allows people to get to know other members before they ever meet them in person so that by the time the conference does come around, they feel like old friends.

I have seen it used for quick questions, to share resources and best practices, to ask and receive favors (thank you for the Handshake sticker, Sara Johnson!), to stay in the loop, to brainstorm, and to get and give help, among other things. SoACE members can belong to one KG channel or all the KG channels, though it really is best to stick with those that are the most interesting and/or relevant to you so you are more likely to use Slack.

But what is Slack?. Slack is a “cloud-based application that connects teams of workers, allowing them to collaborate in real-time on projects and share documents, images, videos, and other data necessary to do their job.” It is most certainly all that, but there is also an element of fun to it, especially if you decide to join the #random channel (hint: animated gifs).

Kristin Walker, Chair of the Assessment & Data Analytics KG, uses Slack frequently to communicate with members. When asked why she has taken to using Slack, Kristin responded, “Slack is a great way to ‘ask your colleagues.’ When you’re sitting in a meeting or alone at your desk and thought ‘I wonder what others are doing?,’ Slack is a great way to ask the question and get quick answers, ideas, and feedback. For example – someone in the Assessment & Data Analytics group asked, ‘What technologies are people using to measure student learning outcomes in real time?’ Folks were able to respond and get a brief dialogue going. It’s like your own consulting group or listserv without adding emails to your inbox because someone replied to the WHOLE listserv. It’s also great for sharing upcoming professional development opportunities within SoACE and outside of SoACE. Easy to give folks a link to learn more if they are interested.”

Charlie Wilder added, “I am so glad that the KGs are now on Slack, because, just as Kristin says, it’s like having instant access to so many experts across the region. Something I can add: since implementing Slack with SoACE, we’ve started using it in my office. It’s been so helpful for streamlining communication, reducing emails (especially those times when you wonder if you should reply with a quick “thanks”). We’ve started a meeting agenda channel where we can all suggest items for the coming week’s agenda while making everyone aware of them at the same time. We are getting more accomplished with less effort!”

Ashley Motley also uses Slack for both work and SoACE. She shared, “My favorite way to use Slack is during an event. On a smaller scale, the Experiential Education KG has Slacked our channel for feedback on a webinar immediately after it happened. Specifically, we asked if participants could share something they learned. On a larger scale, during our All-University Career Fair we use Slack to ask event questions among our staff. Specifically, our IT crew provides updates on the number of students we’ve checked in so far, staff at the fair location can communicate with staff in our office if employer questions about next day interviews, and we can provide quick customer service to employers calling the office with questions about the fair because our office reception staff communicates those questions on Slack. This year, because of that level of communication, I was able to seamlessly add in three employers that would have otherwise been frustrated to miss the fair. It’s a really effective tool that allows you to communicate in real time.”

Check out these articles regarding the benefits of Slack and some of the super cool things it can do to enhance your SoACE experience (not to mention your productivity):

If you haven’t received an invite to join SoACE’s Slack workspace yet, make sure that you are a member of a Knowledge Group: https://www.soace.org/about-kgs. Once you join at least one KG, you will receive an invite and from there, can get in on the conversations (and fun). If you have any questions about using Slack, feel free to reach out to me.

We look forward to seeing you on Slack!

Advising KG - Best Practices

Using Insta-Language to Connect with Students

February 13, 2018 by 0 Comments

By Andrew Kohls, Assistant Director, Kansas State University Career Center

As an aging millennial, the drive to conquer all available social media apps is real! This is especially true with student affairs professionals, as we see our students effortlessly switch back and forth between platforms. For me, the big push came when I realized more and more students were dropping Facebook or not creating an account at all. I wanted to get away from Facebook and place my efforts on beefing up my Instagram account, where I could better connect with the “younger” world!

Looking back, I think I was forced to create an Instagram account to connect to a website or another app; I honestly can’t remember. I knew it was there, but I rarely touched it. (Kind of like some of our students and their LinkedIn accounts!) Like every “big” decision in my life, I wanted to seek input from experts who were familiar with the topics I was not. For my Insta-overhaul, I consulted only the best: my high school cousins and one of my faithful student workers! ☺

As I was looking through other Instagram accounts, I noticed that most people had a little blurb about them underneath their profile name. To be consistent, I realized that I also needed something! I texted my experts right away and said,

“Hey! I need a catchy, cool blurb for my Instagram! Can you help?”

Their responses…

“What does that even mean?”
“Like the part that goes under your name?”
“You mean, a bio?”

Obviously I needed a lesson on Insta-language! Once the experts finally understood what I was talking about, the A-HA moment happened!

They responded…
“What do you want viewers to know about you?”
“What do you want it to encompass?”

MIND.BLOWN! Suddenly, I felt as if I were the student and they were the professionals (which in this case, they were!). As a career advisor, my mind immediately went to cover letter and resume development. The questions these students had just asked me are the same questions I ask my students daily! I’m always looking for parallels between my students’ worlds and how they can apply their skills to university careers, and THIS.WAS.IT!

Since my breakthrough, I’ve started using Insta-language with all of my students, particularly my first-year students. Of course, I still use the Instagram “bio” (not blurb!) example to discuss tailoring documents to their intended audiences, but I’ve also started using “Finstas” to discuss personal branding and specific content that may not be appropriate for employers to see. (P.S. “Finstas” are Instagram accounts that students set up, in addition to their regular Instagram accounts, to post certain content they may not want everyone to see!) I’ve also used Instagram “followers” to discuss networking, which enables students to look at their own accounts, explain why they follow certain people, and how they can apply that same concept with networking for their careers.

Overall, my students have reacted very positively to my use of “ Insta-language connections.” The key is to keep the convos light. Be mindful that some students DO NOT want you to know anything about their social media presence, and that’s ok. But above all, stay positive, make clear connections, and HAVE FUN!

This article was originally published by the author at https://studentaffairscollective.org/insta-language-connect-students-sasome.

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Andrew Kohls received a B.S. in Psychology from Kansas Wesleyan University and an M.S. in Academic Advising from Kansas State University. He is currently an Assistant Director in the Career Center at Kansas State University, working with the College of Architecture, Planning, and Design, as well as graduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences. Kohls also serves as an instructor, working with first-year students every fall as part of the K-State First Program. He has been working in higher education since 2010, having previous experience in immigration advising, orientation programming, and admissions. Connect with him at: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewkohls Instagram: @andkoh52

 

Best Practices

The Importance of Saying Thank You

December 15, 2015 by 0 Comments

Contributed by Claire Childress, Senior Assistant Director at Virginia Tech Career Services

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Thank you. Two words we all like to hear but sometimes don’t hear enough. In the past week, I’ve heard those words from three different students; each time I received their emails, it made my day. My mother was such a stickler for writing thank you notes that five of my lifelong friends read thank you notes to my Mom at her memorial service. Saying thank you was definitely pounded into me, but not everyone can say that. When is a note of thanks called for?

Thanks for your time—a meeting, interview, maybe even a phone call. Recently when I was making a class presentation about interviewing, one student questioned me about writing a thank you note because he thought he would come off as a “brownnoser” (his words). I assured him that rather than be viewed as this, the recipient would consider him a polished professional who knows the proper way to show appreciation for the gift of time out of a busy day meeting with him.

Thanks for the meal. If someone takes you out for a meal, it’s appropriate to send a note of thanks to your host.

Thanks for the gift. I’ve heard of some parents who make their children write thank you notes before they are allowed to play with presents they received. Although my mother wasn’t that strict (and neither am I as a parent), writing thank you’s was a routine during the winter holidays and after other special occasions involving gifts during both my and my two children’s young lives.

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Thanks for the training or professional development opportunity. In my almost 20 years of career services work at a state university, I’ve experienced budget cuts more than once. As our office budgets were slashed, our Director, Donna Ratcliffe, never cut our professional development budgets; meanwhile, my SoACE and VACE friends at other colleges were unable to attend conferences, training programs and more as their budgets were reduced. If you really value professional development like I do, then show your appreciation to your supervisor and/or Director by sending a note of thanks after returning from the conference or training program, sharing what you learned—a nice touch that few professionals take the time to write.

Thanks for the raise. When you receive a raise or promotion, thanking your supervisor for supporting this increase is a smart move.

Thanks for being a reference. This is another one that we advocate to students as we talk about references for job searches and graduate school applications. Upon completing the process, thanking those who made recommendations on your behalf is a key action to take. You want to treat your references well, so they will serve in that role in the future.

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Thanks. In what form? If possible, putting in the extra effort to write a handwritten note makes the most impact. We all get lots of emails—a hard copy thank you will often stand out. A few years ago I interviewed six students for an HR Intern position to assist me with a career advisor search I chaired. All six candidates were equally strong for varied reasons. How would I ever pick one? One candidate dropped by a typed thank you note. Guess which student I hired? The thank you note made the difference.

A final word of thanks to you for reading this post.

 

Claire Childress, Senior Assistant Director, Career Services Auxiliary

Claire Childress, Virginia Tech Career Services Senior Assistant Director for Job Search and Graduate School Preparation advises students and leads a team of advisors and a portfolio of services and programs. Prior to over 19 years at Virginia Tech, she worked in distance education and as an adjunct faculty member at New River Community College, as a healthcare marketer and as a banker. A former President of the Virginia Association of Colleges and Employers, Claire currently serves as SoACE Director of Professional Development. She writes regularly for her career advising blog, CareerChasse. Connect with Clair at childrec@vt.edu or on LinkedIn.