Higher Education
A short video clip about how students can learn and be inspired by their instructors’ career journeys
One campus career center expert shares how students value and learn from faculty sharing the highs and lows of their careers.
Zack Rigney:
Whoever you are, whether you be a staff member, a faculty member, whatever, when you’re meeting with students, especially in the beginning portions of class or whatever, tell them your full story, because students want to hear your full story and that’ll be better for them to connect with you. I’ve seen a number of faculty member give the whole thing, like, hey, I was a student X, Y, Z here. I applied to this many jobs. My goal was CNN. I kept knocking on that door. It didn’t pan out. Because they love to see the human authentic side. And a bunch of research that I’m seeing is that the new generation of students coming in want that authenticity and are connected to it a lot more.
And if you want them to be more open about asking questions, more open about interacting in their professional journey, they want to hear it from those in power and those in leadership roles. So don’t be afraid to tell your whole story about how you got from A to B, especially during say, syllabus week or something. Whereas of course you’re going to say, these are my rules on late, this is my rules on this and that. But also tell them a little bit about yourself because that way it’s easier for them to connect with you.
