In this issue:

Articles:

• EACE and Diversity: What Does It Really Mean?
• LGB Issues in Career Counseling
• Staying on the Radar: College Recruiting in a Down Economy
• Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability and Our Students: Responding to Global Challenges of Today by Mentoring the Leaders of Tomorrow
• Career Coaching Liberal Arts Students
• Book Review of How to Land a Top-Paying Federal Job by Lily Whiteman
• What Employers and Career Centers Should Know About Social Networking Websites
• Lessons from Katrina

EACE Member Updates:

• Achievements, Accolades & Announcements
• Welcome New Members

EACE and Diversity: What Does It Really Mean?
By Victoria Crispo

The EACE Diversity Advancement Committee has been reflecting on the word “diversity” and what it means for our association. As the committee serves to monitor diversity issues as they relate to EACE and support the recruitment of underrepresented members into the organization, we first need a clear, unified vision of what “diversity” means.

With “diversity” being such a buzzword in recent years, naturally how we define it has changed over time. We first surveyed our committee to reflect on how each of us currently defines the term.  Most of our responses had similar themes and viewpoints:
- Diversity requires recognition of the uniqueness of each individual.
- Diversity is all the unique qualities an individual possesses in relation to ethnicity, race, culture, gender, religion/spiritual beliefs, orientation, and life experiences.
- Diversity encompasses everything that makes an individual unique.
- Diversity is the heterogeneous nature of a society, resulting from the unique attributes and experiences of the individuals within that society.
- Diversity is difference among a population of individuals.

One point to keep in mind when reviewing these is our focus on the individual; each one of us mentioned that diversity requires all the aspects of an individual that makes him or her unique. Yet, diversity exists not within the individual, but within the group. Diversity cannot really exist if only one individual is present. There must be a group dynamic in order to truly have a diverse representation.

The committee’s comments about prior definitions of diversity reflected a lack of an “all-encompassing” sentiment. Many felt that in the past, diversity referred simply to race, then gender was added to the description. More recently, we are noting the definition of diversity expanding to encompass other aspects. It also was mentioned that with the emergence of the global economy, there is greater appreciation for cultural differences now compared to the past.  These issues have been incorporated into organizations as a topic that warrants attention.

From our reflection, it seems as though there are a number of topics at work regarding “diversity”, including:

• Having an appreciation of and respect for the differences and uniqueness of an individual in any given group.
• Approaching individuals with whom we associate in a way that embraces cultural sensitivity.
• Ensuring that groups reflect the diversity of the population through their individual members.

The last item is probably one we can all recognize. How are members of a group recruited in order to ensure that the group is diverse? Is EACE a diverse association?

Our committee agreed that we could look at some of the following: male/female ratio, race, ethnicity, spiritual beliefs and sexual orientation to decipher how diverse EACE is. Given our definition, however, there are aspects of diversity that have been left out of the equation. Some of the information needed in order to determine how “diverse” the association is would actually be quite difficult to decipher.  If “diversity” in its simplest terms means that there is variety among any given group, how do we determine whether an organization is diverse? Would having a member who is a paratrooper contribute to the association’s diversity? The general public certainly does not come into contact with paratroopers on a regular basis. Would having one as a member satisfy our desire for diverse representation?

When we consider ethnicity in regards to diversity, what comes to mind? Do we mainly look at race? Do we define ethnicity in broad terms, such as Hispanic, Asian, and Caucasian? Would individuals of Yugoslavian or Maltese heritage be considered contributors to the “diverse” makeup of an association? Would individuals of other underrepresented (but not “minority”) groups be considered individuals that make an organization diverse?

While we may have a solid, all-encompassing definition of diversity, what do we see actually happen in practice? Do we truly look at all the subtle nuances of a person that make him or her a multifaceted, diverse individual? Or do we still mainly consider the aspects that can be checked off in a box on a census form?
In order to determine how EACE is doing in terms of diversity, we felt it best to ask its members directly. So we want to know:

• What is your definition of “diversity”?
• How can we cultivate diversity within the association?
• What aspects of diversity are most important to you?

Send your comments to eacediversity@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

Victoria Crispo is a member of the Center for Academic and Career Development at Wagner College.

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LGB Issues in Career Counseling
By Annette Parisi

All students with whom we meet have different needs.  As counselors, we try our hardest to meet students where they are and work with them in a manner comfortable to them to help them reach their goals.  Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) students, while each unique, can have certain characteristics and issues in common with other LGB students.  Keeping some of the issues relevant to LGB students in mind when working with them can only help to better serve them.

The coming out process is different for everyone.  However, college is a common time when students begin to make tentative steps out of the closet, or begin to question their sexuality.  The psychic energy that is utilized to do this can take away from the energy some students would put towards their career discernment process.  It is not uncommon for LGB students to sometimes be delayed in the career development process because of their focus on their identity, any potential areas of tension with family or friends related to the student identifying as LGB, etc.

If you would like to be known as an ally to LGB students, you somehow have to find a way to communicate this.  There are a number of ways to do this.  We all know students pay attention to the items in our offices, so how about adding some books specifically related to LGB populations to your collection?  A rainbow flag or sticker is another way to show support.  Participating in events geared towards the LGB campus community also another good way to become a more visible supporter of this population.

When working with students who identify themselves as LGB, it is important to understand their desire (or lack of desire) to be “out” at work.  How important is it to this student to be known as an LGB professional?  Do they wish to disclose this on their resume (via affiliation with an LGB campus group, for example)?  Or would they prefer to be closeted, at least initially?  Or perhaps somewhere in between?  Career counselors may have their own opinions on what is right or wrong with respect to this choice, but it is important to accept the student’s decision as the right one for him or her.  In talking with students though, it is important to talk with them about the possible ramifications of their decision.

When assisting students with a graduate school or job search, regardless of their desire to be “out” or not, research on the organization/institution will go a long way towards helping the student feel more comfortable.  For example, more than 200 institutions of higher learning in the U.S. have policies that discriminate against LGB students.  An LGB student who is not “out” may still fear for his or her safety at such institutions, and the fear of being discovered can very well impact their classwork.  LGB discrimination is still legal in many states in the U.S., so companies are free to fire people based on their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.  Knowing both the law as well as each company’s specific policies on discrimination/harassment can help students make more informed choices about where to work.

Another area for LGB students to consider when selecting a graduate school or place of work includes the question of benefits for same-sex partners.  Is health insurance offered to same-sex partners of employees of the company/ institution?  What about other benefits such as tuition reimbursement?  Are there LGB employee groups?  It is also important to take the time to find out what “acceptance” really means at a specific organization.  For example, many companies have LGB employee groups, but that does not necessarily mean that the organization offers domestic partner benefits.

So how can LGB students learn about which graduate schools or employers are accepting, friendly, and/or tolerant?  Simple online research via Google, Yahoo, etc. is a quick and easy way to get some information (remembering of course to take the information with a grain of salt).  The Princeton Review ranks colleges/universities by their “Gay Community Acceptance.”  Numerous organizations rank workplaces based on their LGB inclusiveness as well: the Human Rights Coalition (www.hrc.org) publishes the [free] “Corporate Equality Index,” which ranks a large number of U.S.-based organizations on their inclusiveness of LGBT employees.  Diversity Inc. also publishes an annual report (free with a .edu e-mail address) of the “Top 50 Companies for Diversity,” and LGB inclusiveness is one of the criteria.  The best way for students to really ascertain an organization’s LGB friendliness though, is to speak with individuals personally.  As a career counselor, if you know allies at a particular place, assist the student in connecting to your contact, if your contact is willing.  As with all networking, it may take some time to build connections at a given organization, so the student needs to allow plenty of time for this process.

The above are very simple, easy starting points for working with LGB students.  Many additional resources exist to better serve this population of students as well.  If you work with any transgender students (the ‘T’ in LGBT), you may notice that many of the issues above will be similar.  However, this population has an added level of complexity, including physical accommodations (such as bathrooms) and sometimes medical needs (such as hormone therapy, reassignment surgery, etc).  If you happen to work with any students who identify as transgender, definitely take the time to read about some of the workplace issues that affect this population.  (Again, www.hrc.org is a good resource.)

Annette Parisi is the Assistant Director for Employer Relations at Siena College’s Career Center.  She can be reached at (518) 783-2339 or via e-mail at aparisi@siena.edu.  Much of the information contained in this article was obtained from journal and other articles from a variety of sources, but the citations were not included above due to space limitations.  Please e-mail Annette if you would like the cited article as well as the reference list.

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Staying on the Radar: College Recruiting in a Down Economy
By Anna Miner

As hiring has slowed down across the nation, creative employer engagements have become a necessity in order to stay visible at recruiting schools.  The unique aspect of this economy is that almost all industries have been greatly impacted. This has resulted in less recruiting and employer participation in career fairs and campus events.  That being said, how do you stay visible on campus if you’re not hiring?

Creative employer engagements tend to be “wish list” items during good times when recruiters are traveling the country spending countless hours scouring for talent.  There’s always the thought that you could do more with partner institutions if you only had more time.  Now, many of us have the luxury of time and a business need to prove value. Here are some ideas for more creative employer engagements:

Host a college open house—Welcome local college students, faculty, and staff to your place of work.  Highlight your people and your work, giving students the opportunity to network with key employees and decision-makers.

Create a mentorship program—Engage high-potential future company leaders to dedicate two hours per month to mentor students at a local partnership/recruiting school.  This sends a great message about your company, promotes your work and gives individual contributors an opportunity to refine their leadership skills.  Oh, did I mention the students might get something out of it too!?

Go to job fairs—Colleges and universities have educated their students well regarding these trying economic times. Students are encouraged to leverage job fairs as networking opportunities with employers. This allows employers to focus on promoting their brand as well as familiarizing students with corporate culture and future opportunities.

Offer externships or job shadow days—Invite students to “job-shadow” your employees or attend internal trainings for an unpaid yet, professionally rewarding experience. Buy them lunch and the PR goes for miles!

Share your expertise—Offer to do resume critiques or mock interviews on campus through your partner school career services office.  Students consider recruiters to be experts and appreciate your advice.

Be a subject matter expert—If you have expertise in your industry, get into the classrooms and talk to captive audiences who will remember you in better times.

Show your philanthropic side—Invite local students to participate in the community service work your company does.  You’ll get more volunteers and you’ll give students the opportunity to network with members of your company.

While the economy is starting to look brighter, many companies still may not be hiring actively until next year.  These ideas may help maintain and create great employer relations which will not easily be forgotten.  Finally, you have the time to do some great things and breathe new life into your day-to-day role! What could be better?

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Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability and Our Students: Responding to Global Challenges of Today by Mentoring the Leaders of Tomorrow
By Jason Whitney

To say that we are living in interesting times is an understatement.  When I spoke at the EACE Annual Conference last June, many of the economic challenges we are now dealing with had not yet emerged.  To solve today’s challenges, we can’t use the old “business as usual” approach.  We need to consider new options – alternatives that we can sustain for today and beyond.   By collaborating with employers and offices on our campuses we can create new ideas to solve these challenges.  At the University of New Hampshire, we are fortunate to be working with individuals in our campus community and businesses throughout our state who understand this and see these challenges as opportunities.

Since many of us are doing more with less, there is more interest than ever in corporate social responsibility and sustainability.  As defined by New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility, sustainability is “the deliberate consideration and implementation of business practices that support profitability while protecting the environment and enhancing the quality of life for this generation and future generations.”  More employers are realizing they can meet their bottom line while still doing the right thing for their communities and the environment.

Our students also have been showing increased interest in and asking more questions about sustainability and “green” industries, and are actively seeking out opportunities to learn more.  As career services professionals, we are in a unique position to help our students and employers.

During my conference presentation, the focus was on the benefits of working with employers already implementing corporate social responsibility and sustainability into their business practices.  I spoke briefly about the UNH Sustainability Internship Program (SIP),  which was an idea in development at the time.  Working with Dr. Tom Kelly, the UNH University Office of Sustainability’s director and also UNH’s chief sustainability officer, and Sara Cleaves, associate director,  the pilot program has been a success and will be expanded with more employers and students participating next fall.  The 10 to 12 week internships just wrapped up in early May and the initial student and employer feedback has been positive.

So what makes this program unique from other internships?  The UNH Sustainability Internship Program works to connect talented students with organizations advancing sustainability throughout New Hampshire and beyond.  Today’s students can be the next great generation of leaders if they have opportunities to apply what they are learning in the classroom to real world issues.  They want to make a difference and can help organizations meet their challenges and achieve their goals for a more sustainable organization.

SIP students gain valuable work experience where they learn from dedicated mentors how to incorporate sustainability into their professional and personal lives.  Students not only apply what they learn in the classroom, but also participate in outside-the-classroom learning about sustainability through peer meetings to discuss selected readings and films, participating in field trips to see sustainability in action, and blogging about their internship.  Students also are encouraged to work with their internship supervisors to develop reports, posters, and other research materials they can share as part of UNH’s annual Undergraduate Research Conference.   Students benefit as well by networking with professionals in diverse industries throughout New England who share their interests in sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

The internship program is open to all students in any academic discipline.  Internships are accessed through our online internship database.  We deliberately marketed the program to encourage students from liberal arts and other disciplines to help them move beyond  preconceived notions about sustainability and “green industries” being only for students in environmental science and natural resources.  The University Office of Sustainability explains sustainability as “seeing things whole and acting accordingly” – sustaining quality of life generation after generation across biodiversity, climate, food and culture. We recruited SIP employers to span this holistic conception of sustainability, allowing us to involve more students than just those interested in natural resources.

The Sustainability Internship Program is a true collaboration and this is the main reason why the pilot program has been successful.  In addition to the UNH Office of Sustainability, New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility (NHBSR) has played an important role.  Guided by the vision of Executive Director Molly Hodgson-Smith, NHBSR has more than 150 member organizations that are committed to implementing corporate social responsibility principles through their business practices.  Four employers participating in the internship program are NHBSR members.

Employers who were invited to participate in the pilot program agreed to provide documentation to support their work in sustainability,  helping to ensure that students were going to get the specific experience they want in these areas.  These employers provide one or more students with an internship focused on researching, implementing, or enhancing sustainability/social responsibility for their organization.  Internships range from students working for non-profit organizations that are helping municipalities reduce their energy use and carbon footprint, to a student learning about the growing field of eco-hospitality and its potential benefit to for-profit companies and the local economy, to another student who is conducting research for a sustainable investing firm.  By providing these hands-on internships and high quality, consistent supervision and mentoring, employers are making a sound investment in the future – helping to solve their challenges while giving students the experience they need to grow and develop into the leaders of tomorrow.

This summer we will be evaluating the pilot program and acting on the recommendations of the students and employers.  One student’s blog entry talked about how she wishes SIP was a requirement for all students.  We believe this program is one of the first of its kind and we expect to see it grow in the coming years, perhaps even making the student’s wish come true so future generations can look back and say we made the most of these interesting times.  

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Career Coaching Liberal Arts Students
By Dr. Katharine Brooks

Do you work with liberal arts students?  You have my sympathy and my respect—because I am one. I was one of those students who wandered around campus enjoying every minute of her education, but having no clue how to apply it in the “real world.”  I used my college’s career center, and even got a job through it (thank you, Gettysburg College), but I never felt like I knew how to get the most out of my education. Employment and education seemed completely disconnected.

At my first job in the management training program for a large department store, my initial assignment was in the china and crystal department. I remember struggling to create a display of “matching” china and crystal (people actually do that?), thinking, hmm… just two weeks ago I was taking a comprehensive exam on Durkheim and his theories of anomie and suicide.  This would relate how?

So when my winding career path took me back to where I started—a liberal arts college career services office, I vowed that, like Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye,  I would find a way to save the innocent liberal arts students from the same challenges I had faced.  I would make sure they knew how to tackle the job market, how to write the best resume, how to know “what to do with a major in…”

I came with a vocational rehabilitation and school psychology background so I was a firm believer in assessment instruments.  I immediately set up easy ways for students to take the Myers-Briggs, Strong-Campbell (as it was called then), and SIGI computerized career assessments.  And they were helpful.  To a point.

I also provided hours of career counseling and guidance relying on the many books out there which outlined neat systems for getting from point A to point B.  I dutifully explained the “10 Steps to Finding a Job” to my students.  And that was helpful also.  To a point.

But I was always left with a nagging notion that something just wasn’t quite right.  I had the feeling that somehow I was taking square pegs and forcing them into round holes.  I was taking students who were studying rather esoteric topics but treating them like they were accounting majors with a seamless transition to the workplace.  And I watched them struggle just the way I had, questioning the value of their education, and wondering how this whole “job thing” worked.

I knew I had to find a better system than the traditional vocational counseling I had been taught, something more action-oriented and less analytic. Enter coaching. Starting with Stephen Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, I researched the world of coaching and shifted my office to a coaching model.

But then I hit the next brick wall.  Action is key to coaching, and my students were more inclined to analysis than action. Even worse, the first step in coaching is “set a goal” and my students either didn’t have a career goal or they had 10.  Had I simply replaced one square hole for another?

Ultimately I learned that working with liberal arts students requires modifying virtually any career system, whether it’s coaching or counseling.  Liberal arts students seldom fit one mold. You may have a highly focused pre-law student in your office one minute; a clueless anthropology major the next, so your coaching system needs to be just as flexible.

Here are five elements to consider as you set up a coaching system for liberal arts students:

1. Let your students teach you how they find jobs. Get their success stories: not just what job they landed, but how they landed it.  My current favorite story involves an English major who landed a healthcare job while watching a roller derby.

2. Liberal arts students need additional preparation to become aware of and articulate their strengths. They tend to lead with their weaknesses (“although I’m not a business major…”) instead of their strengths (“as a history major I learned the value of detailed, careful research…”).   Go beyond the basic “skills” of a major.  What has the individual personally achieved?

3. Get to know the curriculum at your institution.  What classes are they taking and what are their favorites?   What are they learning?  What challenges have they overcome?  What theories do they like and how might they apply to their life or their job?

4. Set up a goal-setting system that helps the most-focused to the least-focused students move forward.  Not having a career goal is no excuse.  Instead, tell them they are on a fact-finding or information-gathering mission.  I developed a three-pronged goal-setting system for individuals who had probable goals, possible goals, or no goals -- just intentions.

5. Encourage them to conduct small experiments.  We all know that a bad internship can be the best thing that happens to them.  They will learn regardless of the situation. Many students are afraid of making a mistake, but if it’s just an “experiment,” then failure is expected occasionally.

Obviously, I can’t cover everything in a short article like this, so if you have questions or techniques you’d like to share, send me an email and I’ll compile them for a future article.

Dr. Katharine Brooks is the Director of Liberal Arts Career Services for the University of Texas at Austin. She is the author of a new book for college students called “You Majored in WHAT? Mapping Your Path from Chaos to Career” (Viking Press) and regularly blogs for Psychology Today online at http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/blog/career-transitions.  She can be reached at k.brooks@austin.utexas.edu

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Book Review of How to Land a Top-Paying Federal Job by Lily Whiteman
By Susannah Krenn

While strategizing with a senior concerning her job search, I asked if working for the federal government was something that she had considered, as her skills and interests seemed to align with many of these opportunities.  “Well, not really,” she replied.  When I probed for her reasons, she stated that she didn’t want to live in Washington, D.C. and also assumed that she wouldn’t be able to earn as much money in federal jobs as in private sector positions.

Had my student perused Lily Whiteman’s helpful manual, How to Land a Top-Paying Federal Job, prior to our meeting, she would have known that nearly 85% of government jobs are located outside of D.C.  She also would have learned that federal salaries “compare very favorably” to those in the private sector, not to mention that federal positions often provide excellent benefits and job security.

Addressing myths and stereotypes about government opportunities is part of Whiteman’s work as a federal career coach who uses her experience from six government agencies to help both recent grads and executives secure jobs and earn promotions.

 In the midst of the current economic recession, the first chapter of Whiteman’s piece is aptly titled “A Great Time to Go Federal.” Whiteman tells her readers that a staggering 200,000 new hires take on federal positions each year, and that during the next decade about 40% of federal employees are expected to retire.  With numbers like that, jobs and internships with the government are certainly worth a second look.

Most useful aspects of this book
The strength of Lily Whiteman’s manual lies in her ability to present information in an easy-to-digest format, complete with entertaining comics and sections like “Those !@#! Vacancy Announcements” (Chapter 5) that convey resources and strategies without sugar-coating or idealizing the job search process.  In addition, Whiteman does an admirable job of providing extensive “how-to” examples for her readers.  From sample ways to transform “boring” resume accomplishments into attention-grabbing statements to her many self-assessment worksheets, the author focuses on really showing, not just telling job-seekers how to be successful. 

Students of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and believers in multiple learning styles will appreciate Whiteman’s understanding of differences in the ways individuals absorb information.  Some may feel drawn to her numerous explanatory charts, like the big-picture comparison of congressional and agency jobs in Chapter 4.  Still others will gravitate toward her use of “good” and “bad” federal resume samples to illustrate in a tangible way the key points where the two diverge.  For those who want a straightforward listing of government options, the CD accompanying this book details 100+ internships, special recruitment programs for persons of color, women, and persons with disabilities, and overseas opportunities like the Foreign Service and USAID.  Whatever one’s interest area or experience level, there is something for all in this manual. 

What I learned
When a student mentions an interest in the federal government, the first resource we typically discuss is USAJOBS.  What I did not fully realize until reading this book is the surprising number of jobs and internships that may not appear on the popular database.  Whiteman provides a detailed review of these “hidden” opportunities, including jobs in the legislative and judicial branches, posts in various agencies, and “excepted service” jobs, a term I had not heard before.

Once one has located a choice position, Whiteman’s chapter “Think like a Hiring Manager: How Applications Are Screened” gives tips from federal managers and supervisors that applicants cannot afford to ignore.  Whiteman states, “Whether you’re applying for an entry-level job or an executive job, your hiring manager’s main goal is to hire the zero-risk applicant who will solve their problems, not create problems.”

In her discussion of effective applications, Whiteman makes the world of KSAs and ECQs much more transparent to her readers.  I was not aware of many of the “tricks” that may be used to navigate the often confusing federal human resources system while also increasing the likelihood that one’s application will rise in the rankings.  Not to mention, according to Whiteman, "Most federal job applications are rejected simply because they're late or omit required information. This means that by making [the] application deadlines and following all application instructions, [one] will beat out most of [the] competition."

Whiteman certainly covers topics that are “common sense” for career centers such as resumes, cover letters, interviewing, networking, job search best practices and general tips for strengthening one’s application.  These inclusions complement the most valuable component of the manual, namely, the in-depth examples and insider information that comprise Whiteman’s industry breakdown.

For students who are truly committed to landing the kinds of jobs that the author showcases throughout the text, this book is a thorough aid.  Furthermore, I appreciate that Whiteman’s status as an experienced professional lends special credibility to her advice in the eyes of students and other job-seekers. Whiteman mentions many things as an “expert” that I would say as a career adviser. For example, mass mailing generic documents, while easy, is actually less productive.  Career centers understand all too well that searching for positions and tailoring applications can be a continual challenge, especially in a difficult economy. 

Lily Whiteman’s comprehensive manual, with coverage of everything from resumes, cover letters, and KSAs to targeted web resources and testimonials from government employees, serves as a helpful tool that goes above and beyond to provide readers with relevant and timely information for today’s federal market.

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What Employers and Career Centers Should Know About Social Networking Websites
By Laurent Troland

Let’s face it. For now Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other social networking websites are here to stay.  Some are more in vogue than others and tastes will inevitably change, but the fact remains that students are going to utilize this type of online communication.  Career services professionals and employers not only need to be aware of these media, but also be knowledgeable about its usages, benefits and risks.

A social networking website is “a virtual community for people interested in a particular subject or just to ‘hang out’ together,” according to www.pcmag.com.  Members create their own online profile with biographical data, pictures, likes, dislikes and any other information they choose to post.  They communicate with each other through message boards, instant message, email and blogs.  These websites also serve as a vehicle for meeting in person; there are dating, friendship, business oriented (Linked In) and hybrid versions.  Globally, hundreds of millions of people have joined one or more social networking sites.

Estimates put usage of these websites at between 70% to 90% of college students and each website boasts memberships in the tens of millions!  The average user spends at least 19 minutes a day monitoring each of these websites, according to www.collegegrad.com.  In November 2008, www.emarketer.com compiled research showing how college age students are using the internet.  Not surprisingly, Facebook is rated the No. 1 website utilized by them.

Regardless of media exposure, it seems many users still are unaware of how public their information on these websites is.  Privacy policies often are lengthy and hard to read, so most ignore them, not considering the ramifications.  They also do not realize that potential employers and current school administrators may access their information.  Most feel that this is a violation of their privacy; however, it is not inherently illegal for employers or administrators to look up information online.  It is all public domain, therefore if students share information about themselves online it is out of their control.  For employers, it is also not illegal to use this online information when making hiring decisions as long as they do not violate workplace discrimination statutes.

A lot of this has to do with today’s students: the Millennials.  This is a group that is techno savvy, connected 24/7, group- and goal-oriented, diverse and service-oriented.  With the constant sources of new technology, they expect instant gratification and that adults will assist them in all aspects of life.  Millennials tend to see online interactions as similar to personal interactions.  So their online spaces are just like our bedrooms are to many of us: private sanctuaries removed from the rules of school or the workplace.  Thus, to invade this space is considered an assault on their privacy and self. They have cultivated a false sense of security that they are invisible and safe behind the computer.

Employer usage
In the NACE (the National Association of Colleges and Employers) 2008 Job Outlook Guide, it was reported that 17% of employers had plans to use social networking websites as part of their recruitment efforts.  Of those, about 66% planned to use them for advertisement, 53% for networking and 38% as a screening tool.  The 2007 guide had reported that 11% planned to review profiles for screening purposes and 60% of those who did so said that what they found had an effect on their decision.  The University of Dayton conducted a nationwide poll finding 40% of employers would consider using Facebook profile information in a job interview.

If employers are planning to use these websites to evaluate candidates, there are some things to consider.  First, is the information about a candidate even accurate?  Many users post humorous or boisterous things about themselves and individuals cannot control all the content that is added by friends or other third parties.  Additionally, if a student believes that he/she was removed from a position search because of profile information or if students think that a corporation is conducting searches, it can become a public relations mess.  Word can spread fast on a college campus and if word gets out that employers are using these websites for evaluation or hiring purposes, recruiting efforts on that campus could be hurt.  Employers also want to consider potential legal issues, which I will discuss later.

Employer best practices
Suggestions I have seen online through websites such as www.campusrecruiter.com suggest that employers use these websites only to include candidates, not remove them.  Some of the more professionally oriented websites allow users to obtain and share resumes or resume-type information.  They can be used as a tool to network with candidates, keep contacts together in one location and easily send updates to one another.  Employers could search for students with the major they are looking for and most allow organizations to advertise or even post job opportunities for little or no money.  Organizations are making Facebook or MySpace pages where they can brand themselves, create user groups and advertise upcoming events.  Bottom line, use these sites for their true purpose…networking!

What career centers can do
The important thing to keep in mind is not to go on the offensive with Facebook and MySpace or students won’t listen.  Instead, just inform them of the facts and statistics, and give them ideas on how to protect their information.  Discuss and describe in workshops or on your website responsible usage and what types of things should be omitted from student pages.  Create a section about social networking websites that can include helpful information and advice with handouts, Power Points and articles you find in reference to these websites and employment. We need to educate our students on how to protect their information not only for employment reasons but also for their own personal safety.  Include instructions for enabling privacy features and encourage the use of professional networking utilities such as www.linkedin.com.

And while the advice and tips we give are applicable to most social networking utilities, our main focus in career centers should be on Facebook; the most widely used utility on our campuses.  Some career centers are beginning to utilize Facebook as an advertisement tool to get students where they like to “hang out” online.  Most create a “group” on Facebook that includes basic information such as office location, hours, website and a calendar of events.  Some include “Tips of the Week” emails to students or even have discussion boards where a counselor poses a topic to the group or asks for feedback from the student members.

The issue is that to be effective, you need a large number of students to be a “fan” of your group page.  The only way to do this is to invite students and this is where you need your student workers or create your own profile.  By and large, Career Services groups do not seem to be heavily trafficked, so you need to balance the time and effort needed to use this medium.  Finally, students see this as their personal space and domain, so trying to track them down online can seem like an invasion of privacy to some. 

Legal issues
It is important to consider what the legal ramifications of using these websites for employment screening or evaluation purposes might be.  In my research, especially an article by George Lenard featured in www.collegerecruiter.com, using these websites in any way that excludes a candidate or weighs on their evaluation could lead you to potential discrimination lawsuits.  While an employer may decide not to hire someone based on publicized drug use on their profile, students may also post that they are part of a minority group.  Thus, how can you prove which piece of information you used to make your decision?  These websites are a Pandora's box of information.  While the Fair Credit Reporting Act might not make sense here, research points out that if you use a third party recruiter or background check agency to find the profile information, you would legally be required to disclose that fact to candidates.  All websites have some form of user agreement.  For example, on Facebook’s user agreement it states that you agree to use the profile for non-commercial usage.  Using it as an employment screening tool could be stretched as commercial usage of the website.

For Career Services, is using this medium exposing our school to unforeseen liability?  Could our awareness of all the negative things on Facebook (such as pictures of binge drinking or groups on drug use) and still using the utility show that we are not doing anything about it?  So move forward with caution and see if your Student Affairs division currently has a policy in place in relation to this or consult legal counsel.

We as employers and career services professionals need to connect ourselves to our students and their utilization of this new online media.  Students are utilizing social networking websites at such a high rate to connect to one another that there is no ignoring their importance on the cultural landscape.  For many employers and college career services professionals, this technology is an unknown.  It is important that we all expand our knowledge of it to better serve our students and properly shape our work practices.

Laurent Troland is a Career Counselor with the Career Services Office of Bridgewater State College in Bridgewater, Mass.

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Lessons from Katrina
By Tom Tarantelli

Values mean something in higher education.  They help direct how institutions respond to their environment and more specifically, in research completed for my dissertation, values help determine how college and universities respond to unexpected events.  My research focused on the response of higher education in assisting students impacted by the closing of their home institutions resulting from the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina.

On Monday, Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast of the United States near the city of New Orleans.  It was a Category 4 hurricane with winds in excess of 120 mph.  Much of New Orleans is below sea level and by Tuesday, Aug. 30, more than 80% of the city was flooded.  The city was forced to shut down and the governor, Kathleen Blanco, ordered a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans on Wednesday, Aug. 31.  Because of the devastation and the response time needed to rebuild the city’s infrastructure, colleges and universities in New Orleans were forced to close for the fall semester.  The mandatory evacuation of an entire city the size of New Orleans was unprecedented and created a need for assistance to local colleges and universities that had not been seen before.

According to the American Council on Education (2005), more than 900 colleges and universities responded by opening their doors to temporarily allow students from impacted institutions to continue their studies for the 2005 fall semester.  Interest in the response to assist Katrina students focused on three perceptions of what was reported.  First, the response was not localized or geographic specific.  Offers from colleges and universities throughout the nation were part of the response.  Second, the response was created and communicated quickly so that Katrina students who desired to and were able to continue studies for the fall 2005 semester could take advantage of the offers.  And third, the offers from host institutions appeared to be similar and involved waiving tuition and fees and establishing special admissions processes that dealt with the lack of lost academic records and hastened the arrival of Katrina students to campus.

Higher Education’s response focused on assisting Katrina students.  This was discussed as the best way to help institutions in New Orleans that were damaged and closed by Hurricane Katrina.  Additionally, the response was temporary, and tuition and fees were waived for Katrina students.  The temporary nature of the response, and waiving fees, appears to have been a precondition formulated by the professional associations.  Therefore, there is evidence that host institutions had a structure in place that they could follow based on the recommendations of professional associations.  The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), for example, developed and communicated a common strategy for the response to its member institutions.  External associations, such as NAICU and the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) also helped facilitate the response by providing the means of communicating between host schools, students, and home schools.

Once the decision was made to assist Katrina students, there were several challenges that were identified by the host schools.  These challenges included housing the students, admissions, advising and counseling, lost records, and logistics of arriving on campus. To solve these challenges, participants in the response worked collectively, crossing departments and offices within their respective schools.  Several people interviewed expressed their newfound appreciation for the expertise of others on campus and the importance of collaboration among faculty, administrators, staff, and students to the success of the response.

Burton Clark (1983) argues that there are three principal values in higher education:  competence, defined in terms of scientific and professional knowledge and standards; social justice, discussed in relation to access and fair treatment of all participants; and liberty, providing academic freedom and institutional autonomy.  There is evidence that the response to assist Katrina students was influenced by each of these values.  Maintaining academic standards was evident by the effort to match Katrina students to courses that were related to degree programs at their home schools, and providing the academic support needed for students to adjust, catch up, and successfully complete the courses at host institutions.   Social justice was addressed by host schools developing procedures that would assist Katrina students with their registration and financial needs.  Academic freedom and institutional autonomy were considered by how each host school developed a response that fit its own resources.  Another part of the focus on academic freedom and institutional autonomy was the emphasis on the temporary nature of assisting Katrina students.  This was part of the recommendations by professional organizations to their member institutions.  All of the people interviewed emphasized the importance of providing the opportunity for Katrina students to continue their studies at the host schools until the students were able to return to their home institutions.

Clark Kerr (2001) discusses the broader values of accountability and efficiency as examples of corporate influence in the modern university.  The response to assist Katrina students was often described as efficient in the words of several interviewees, and the response seemed to be “seamless.”  The effort by host schools to assist Katrina students may be evidence of how the traditional values of higher education and the corporate values, worked together to insure the success of the response to assist Katrina students.  Although additional research is recommended, studying how students were helped after Katrina rekindles the discussion about the importance of mission and values in making policy and developing procedures that serve college students.

American Council on Education (2005) website:  www.acenet.edu and www.campusrelief.org.

Clark, Burton (1983).  The Higher Education System:  Academic Organization in Cross-National Perspective.  University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.

Kerr, Clark (2001).  The Uses of the University. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.

National Association of College and University Business Officers (2005).  Biggest Challenges in Accepting Students from Affected Gulf Coast Institutions., October/November, www.campusrelief.org.

National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (2005) website:  www.naicu.edu.

Tom Tarantelli is director of the Career Development Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y.

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