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Keynote speech delivered at the Nordic Careers Network Conference on 2 June 2010, focussing on web 2.0 technologies and social media and their use and effectiveness in higher education careers work. Relates different technologies to DOTS model and maps their effectiveness for different CDL (career development learning) activities.
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‘Net’-working in the 21st Century: Opportunity or Challenge?
Helen Pownall
University of Manchester, UK
The Internet – Is It a Useful Tool for Our Toolkit?
• The internet, web 2.0 and social media• How the web and social media impact on
careers work• Some of the opportunities presented by
the internet• Some of the challenges and concerns• Is it worth it?• Tips for making it work
Early Visions of the Internet…
“The advance of computer and telecommunications technologies holds great promise for individuals and society. From convenience for consumers and efficiency in commerce to improved public health and safety and increased participation in democratic institutions, these technologies can fundamentally transform our lives.”
Bruce Koball, computer technologist and consultant (1992)
“I had (and still have) a dream that the Web could be less of a television channel and more of an interactive sea of shared knowledge. I imagine it immersing us as a warm, friendly environment made of the things we and our friends have seen, heard, believe or have figured out. I would like it to bring our friends and colleagues closer, in that by working on this knowledge together we can come to better understandings.”
Tim Berners-Lee, founder of the Internet and HTML (1995)
The Internet - 2010
iPhone
Skype
netbook
blogTwitter
LinkedInlive chat
Opportunities
• Instant information on anything
• Communication with anyone anywhere
• You too can be a publisher
• More things possible
every day
The Reality of Virtual Dangers
• Information overload
• 24/7 ‘always on’ culture and erosion of privacy
• No quality control – hard to assess validity
• Pace of technological advance can overwhelm
Impact of the Internet on Careers Work
1. ‘Generation Y’ – our core client group
‘Generation Y’ Web 2.0 UsageGeneral use of Web 2.0 technologies
0
20
40
60
80
100
Per
cen
tag
e o
f to
tal
FrequentlySometimesRarelyNever
Frequently 83 7 12 26 9 1 47
Sometimes 11 11 22 22 22 2 38
Rarely 3 14 26 27 36 6 12
Never 3 67 40 25 33 91 3
Facebook Twitter BlogsInstant
MessagingForums Delicious YouTube
Survey of Use of Online and Interactive ToolsUniversity of Manchester Careers Service, UK (March 2010)
747 students and graduates responded
Impact of the Internet on Careers Work
1. ‘Generation Y’ – our core client group2. Changes to the graduate job market3. Importance of managing your online profile4. The potential for careers professionals to:
• Do things better (more efficiently or more effectively)
• Solve existing problems• Try completely new things
5. Key role for careers professionals as finders and ‘sense-makers’
Web 1.0 vs Web 2.0
Immediacy
Permanence
One-wayinformation
Two-waycommunication
WEB 1.0
WEB 2.0Twitter.Virtual
careers fairs
Live chat(IM or video)
RSS feeds BlogFacebook,
Virtual careers fairs
Forum
Social bookmarking
YouTube, podcasts
Traditional website
Web Tools for Careers Work
• What can we (and our clients) use web tools for?
• ‘Whistle-stop tour’ of UK careers service examples
Blogs – sharing time-sensitive or highly specific information, less formally
www.manchester.ac.uk/careers/blogs
Delicious – organising and tagging your favourite resources
(social bookmarking)www.delicious.com/manchestercareers Useful websites
organised by ‘tags’
RSS Feeds - getting info about the specific jobs your students want
www.netvibes.com/postgradcareers
Jobs feeds from different websites
Discussion Forums – connecting students, employers, alumni and careers staff
in a non-public spacewww.manchester.ac.uk/careers/forums
IBM discussion thread in our ‘Employer & Alumni Zone’
Facebook – the friendly face of your Careers Service
www.facebook.com/brunelPCC
LinkedIn – linking you with employers and other contacts
www.linkedin.com
UK HE Careers Professionals
Group
Twitter – gathering, sifting and ‘re-tweeting’ information and communicating
with employers and studentswww.manchester.ac.uk/careers/twitter Hootsuite, an
application for managing Twitter
messages
LiveGuidance – talking to students in a one-to-one IM chat
www.manchester.ac.uk/careers/liveguidance LivePerson ‘operator console’
How effective are they?
• New technologies appear to us a lot of possibilities in our careers work, but how effective are they for our core work?
• Can we map different web tools against core career development learning tasks?
Core Career Development Learning Tasks
TRANSITIONS(APPLICATIONS)
SELF OPPORTUNITIES
DECISIONS
DOTS Model
Tony Watts & Bill Law
5 CDL Tasks1. Improving self-awareness
(skills, interests, values, motivations etc)
2. Researching opportunities (types of work)
3. Making career decisions 4. Finding opportunities (e.g. job
search)5. Application process (CVs,
interviews etc)
Selfawareness
Researchingopportunities
Careerdecisions
Findingopportunities
Applicationprocess
Guidanceinterview ● ● ● ● ●CareersWebsite ○ ● ○ ● ●
RSS feeds○ ●
Live chat ○ ● ○ ○ ●Forum ○ ● ○ ○ ●
Facebook● ○
Twitter● ○
Blog ○ ● ○ ○ ●YouTubevideo orpodcast
○ ● ○ ○ ●Social
bookmarking ○ ● ○ ● ○
Challenges and Concerns• “I’m not a techie. I don’t understand all this
newfangled technology and social media.”• “There’s so much out there – I don’t know
where to start!”• “I’m worried about my privacy!”• “Gen Y-ers don’t want us in ‘their space’”• “If we offer online services, it’ll make
students (even more) lazy and they won’t bother coming in to see us.”
Challenges and Concerns – Part 2!
• “I just don’t have time for this!”• “Students won’t use it. They just want to see
someone in person.”• “We could invest a lot of time in [Twitter] and
then in a few months the world will have moved on to something else.”
• “Will we be surplus to requirements in the brave new world of the web? Why do students need a careers adviser when they can just get on Wikijob or tweet a recruiter direct?”
So Is It Worth It?
YES• Very positive feedback from actual users of our
interactive services• Success stories: e.g. students have obtained
jobs through Twitter and blogs• The future is here and we can’t ignore it!BUT we have learned that…• Raising awareness is challenging – need to be
patient• More time is needed than initially envisaged• Getting staff on board has been as challenging
as getting students on board
You’re More Likely to BeSuccessful if…
• You know what you’re problem you’re trying to solve and…
• …You don’t start with the technology• You ask employers and students what they want
(and listen to them!)• You do it because you want to, not because you
feel like you have to• You prioritise – don’t try to do everything• An enthusiast drives the project• You train colleagues (and yourself)
You’re More Likely to BeSuccessful if… (part 2!)
• You’re adaptable and willing to change your approach – learn as you go
• You work out how much time is needed and how you will make it (and then add 50%!)
• You get the support of techie people (either in careers or in the central IT support service)
Friendly note to managers: a technological solution is rarely a less resource-intensive one
Make technology the servant,
not the master.
Contact
Helen PownallCareers Consultant, with special responsibility for web and
interactive technologies)MLP, Careers & Employability DivisionUniversity of Manchester, UK
• Email: [email protected] • Phone: +44 161 275 2828 (careers switchboard)• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/helenpownall• Twitter: www.twitter.com/helenpownall • Slides available at: www.slideshare.com/helenpownall