C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM F OR C AREER S ERVICES A DVISORS C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM F OR C AREER S ERVICES A DVISORS “ S ETTING THE E XAMPLE – R AISING THE B AR ” Presented by: C OSMO W OLLAN S TUDENT C OMMUNICATIONS E XPERT

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. Your Career Services Advisors’ JOB is to help students PREPARE for their career after college.

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. They rely on only THREE TOOLS to accomplish their task : K NOWLEDGE of the Business WorldR APPORT with the Student WORDS It is in how they USE those tools that success is achieved.

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. How inspiring is a Career Advisor who sounds like this : “There ain’t a lot of jobs out there, so we may have to lie on your resume to get you in the door.”

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. How can they teach students to say : “Thank you for your time, I appreciate the chance to discuss this opportunity face to face.” When what THEY say at the end of a meeting is : “Thanks for popping by – don’t forget to shoot me that resume to me like I said.”

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. What your students THINK is determined by what they HEAR.

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. What your advisors say = I NFORMATION How they say it = P ERCEPTION

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. What is WRONG with the following : “Where was your first job at?” “Dialogue with me about your skills…” “If you don’t got a good answer, make one up…”

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. Would it bother you if you discovered that the guy from the FORD Dealership who sold you your car drove a HONDA ? DO we or DON'T we have more confidence in a product if the person selling it to us also uses it themselves?

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. The image your Career Services Advisors are creating is PROFESSIONALISM = SUCCESS. How can your advisors expect to lead by example and inspire professional behavior if they sound as if they failed High School Freshman English?

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. Frequently Heard – Always WRONG : “Let me axe you a question…” “Your resume is, like, your door opener…” “Most importantly, remember to dress appropriately”

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. This is not about being smart or dumb… or whether your Career Services Advisors have a master’s degree, a bachelor’s degree or no degree. It is simply about using the BEST TOOLS for the task at hand. Like a thoroughbred racehorse or a top fuel race car, PROPER GRAMMAR IS A TOOL THAT WILL MAKE THEM BETTER AT THEIR JOB.

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. Every time your Career Services Advisors answer questions, provide assistance, offer advice or find solutions, your students will be making judgments BASED ON IMPRESSIONS OF WHAT THEY HEAR. or

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. What do want your students to HEAR when they interact with your Career Services Advisors? It represents your school, your image and your reputation. or

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. A wise man * once said : “Y OU NEVER GET A SECOND CHANCE TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION.” Your students look to your Career Services Advisors for inspiration. H OW WILL THAT FIRST IMPRESSION INSPIRE THEM ? *Conflicting sources attribute this quote to Will Rogers, Mark Twain, and Arthur Schopenhauer

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. Conversational Professionalism (for Career Services Advisors) is available as a stand-alone 2-hour seminar or can be incorporated as a 2-hour segment of a larger scope training program. Seminar groups should be no larger than participants for optimum interaction. All university Career Services Advisors who regularly interact with enrolled students or alumni can benefit from this training. Whether on the phone or in person, the image, credibility and success of your Career Services team depends as much upon how they communicate as it does on the information they provide. C AN YOU REALLY AFFORD NOT TO PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD ?

C ONVERSATIONAL P ROFESSIONALISM “ SETTING THE EXAMPLE – RAISING THE BAR ” ©2012 C OMMUNICATION E XCELLENCE. A LL RIGHTS RESERVED. T HANK Y OU. W E L OOK FORWARD TO W ORKING W ITH Y OU. W E L OOK FORWARD TO W ORKING W ITH Y OU. Cosmo Wollan Student Communications Expert Senior Training Executive Communication Excellence SM Office: Cell: