Next week I will be heading to Bristol for the
PlaceNet Conference, and will be leading a session on using blogging to connect with students and employers. My presumption is that I've been asked to present on this topic off the back of writing
Tales from the Placement Office, and so I'm currently reflecting on what I see as the big positives of producing this blog over the last 18 months.
In that time the site has evolved and moved beyond just the musings of one person with an opinion on placements. There have been guest articles written by graduates, recruiters, current placement students and careers websites. The associated Twitter account has built a following in excess of 900 and judging by the regular interaction I get from my tweets they can't all be fraudulent or providing links to dodgy adult material. The birth of #PlacementChat and its development with help from my friends at
RateMyPlacement has provided a mechanism for placement stakeholders to engage in meaningful dialogue with the aim of helping students with their search for placements, and in the case of the employers who participate, a new channel for identifying talent.
Ever keen to engage with my readership, I'm interested in receiving feedback on why you have read the blog, followed my tweets or participated in #PlacementChat
If you are a student, what is it that first brought you to this site? What articles have you found most helpful and are there any themes that I've not covered that you'd like to see on here in the future.
Employers and recruiters - what have been your perceptions of #PlacementChat? Are there ways in which we can collaborate to put out the message of your placement opportunities to the students and careers services who follow my blog, or share insights into what makes successful candidates at interviews/assessment centres?
Placement and careers staff, I've not forgotten about you! Thanks for sharing links to my articles with your students or for getting in touch to bounce around ideas. It would be good to hear from you about the things I do which you like, those which you are less keen on, or perhaps if you've borrowed any of my ideas!
Feedback can come in using the comments box below,
emailing me or if you can keep it down to 140 characters you know where to find me on Twitter. It feels a bit like cheating by asking for help with my homework, but I'm genuinely interested to hear your perceptions of this blog and its associated activities, and your thoughts (anonymised of course) could well features in my presentation.
