Virtual careers appointments are likely to continue as careers professionals say video conferencing has increased student engagement and reduced the number of no shows throughout the pandemic
Since last year many careers services have moved their activities online in response to the global pandemic. Although the shift to virtual careers appointments was a challenge at first, many have adapted to this way of working and have started to see some benefits.
Prospects Luminate worked with AGCAS to survey 258 careers professionals about their experience and how effective their careers activities have been to help you decide what methods to use moving forward.
Careers professionals found that using video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Teams was the most effective way to connect with students and graduates.
How are careers professionals connecting with students?
The survey asked careers services about the channels they currently use to contact students and graduates. The most common methods of communication were:
- email (e.g. newsletter) 94%
- video conferencing (face to face) 93%
- video conferencing (group work) 87%
- social media 84%.
Careers professionals found that using video conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Teams was the most effective way to connect with students and graduates. Respondents said this was true for both face-to-face and group work. Telephone and email were also seen as useful methods of communication, but they weren't as efficient as video conferencing. WhatsApp, Chatbots and discussion forums were said to be the least effective channels.
Social media platforms are often used to engage with students, and respondents said that the most effective were Facebook (78%), LinkedIn (76%) and Twitter (76%). Some thought that Instagram (61%) and YouTube (50%) were useful so it might be worth exploring those platforms to share labour market information and other careers materials. TikTok was not very popular, with just 7% saying it was an effective or very effective way to talk to students and graduates.
Have virtual careers sessions been successful?
Most of the careers professionals surveyed had a positive experience with virtual 1-to-1 careers appointments. Some of the benefits to delivering careers advice online include:
- flexibility and accessibility (75%)
- increased engagement (31%)
- screen sharing ability (14%).
Some respondents noticed that student engagement with their careers service increased now that they could access support from the comfort of their own home. This meant that certain barriers such as location, travelling and fitting face-to-face appointments in around other commitments weren't an issue. Attendance rates also improved for some with fewer no shows. Others commented on the ability to access a wider student body including transnational campus students. Students who were alone generally opened up more and seemed more relaxed than when they attended on-campus appointments.
The ability to screen share was also valuable as careers advisers were able to share and comment on documents such as CVs, and go through resources with students more easily than in an on-campus meeting.
A small minority of respondents also suggested that the virtual environment was useful because it helps careers professionals to prepare students for the virtual recruitment process.
Although virtual appointments were beneficial, a few people experienced some challenges such as technical difficulties and poor WiFi connections. Students not turning on their cameras/mics due to confidence issues or wanting to hide their background was another issue. This made it more difficult to build a rapport and pick up on body language. Some students weren't aware that they could use an artificial background, so it might be worth mentioning this in your meeting invitations with instructions.
The majority of careers professionals plan to continue with virtual 1-to-1 sessions when students are back on campus (65%). A third were unsure and only 2% said they will not continue with this method. It's possible that some services will adopt a blended approach to careers support in the future to reduce social isolation and connect with colleagues and students in person while also offering online alternatives to those who can't travel.
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