The Counseling Geek

Interview Series: The Dreaded Paper Screen...

2013-04-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

What really happens after you submit your application??

I always envisioned this dark room where a squat older bespectacled lady took pleasure in ripping my resume apart at the seams. Perhaps you think it goes into a black hole or in the bin. No matter what your vision is - you need to have a strategy when applying to jobs because you really never know who will be reviewing the applications.

The Situation

At my site - we are, sadly for us, losing our registrar to a promotion at the district office. This change has already started her phasing into the new job and leaves us a little short handed in the office. Naturally - we want to find a well-qualified replacement ASAP. We posted the position on the CA education job board (www.edjoin.org) and it was listed as Until Filled (more on this in a bit). The position is a classified, hourly position that requires some tech skills and knowledge of how to disaggregate data.

The Process

The job advert was posted and within just 3-4 days, we had 28 applicants. Because we are filling an increasingly vacant position, we started the review process immediately. With only 28 applicants (which seems like many when reviewing applications, but many jobs will have 50-100+), we had about an hour and a half to make our selections to move onto the next step. That breaks down to 3-5 minutes per application.

Most employers will have an HR-generated form that the reviewers use for the paper screen, interview, and final selection that help rate the applicant on attributes. Our rating sheet had boxes to rate the applicant's education, experience, skills, two spots for optional ratings. There was also a box for notes, which was important, and a final box to recommend an interview or not. As someone who has submitted well over 100 applications for positions, let me tell you -- the people reading and reviewing those applications have a hard job!

With those 3-5 minutes per app, they are getting to the bare bones of your information. Some of the major things we were looking for was a history with Excel or data, someone educated to at least an associates degree, experience with high school students, and speaking Spanish as a bonus. We read through the 28 applications one at a time and quickly discussed the strengths and weaknesses. One of the main areas that indicated if we looked further at an application was the job history. After reviewing each applicant, we narrowed the field down by about half and moved them onto the second step of the process...which was not an interview!

Because the data piece was so vital to the success and smooth functioning of the office, we constructed a short test to evaluate the applicants' skills with Excel and using the Department of Education website to find school data. This was another step that the applicant had to prove themselves, with several dropping out of the race because they did not know how to complete the evaluation. After correcting and rating the test - applicants and moved on to the interview stage (which you can read more about in another episode of the Interview Series).

Some Tips on Distinguishing Yourself

Some of these may seem obvious, but I was thoroughly surprised by the applications and wide variety of information we received (or did not receive).

Always, always, always submit a professional resume. I do not care if it is a job for $100,000 or $10, unless they specifically ask you not to turn in a resume -- prepare one and submit it. We had several applicants that did not attach a resume and it was an immediate distaste in our mouths. Any professional position will expect to see a resume and a cover letter is highly recommended.
Follow all directions on the application. There is usually a reason why application ask for references, a resume, work sample, or essay -- because they want to use that to help select their applicant. They also may want to see if you can follow directions. I cannot stress this enough.
Use the job description in your resume, cover letter, and filling out employment duties. We use a lot of the lingo in the job and try to match it up to what you have done. Does the job description ask for someone who has experience with collating papers and maintaining confidential files? Don't list office paperwork. Use the wording because either a computer program or human being will notice.
Use every opportunity to show your stuff. Do not think that just because you worked at the local coffee shop as a barista that you do not bring transferable skills. Be creative with how you present yourself.
Last but not least, be professional. When submitting a resume, use a common format. A non-formatted notepad file is not very appealing. My recommendation: write it up on Word and ALWAYS submit any form in .PDF format. That saves your formatting the way you created it and it opens much faster on our ancient school district computers. We may open your Word document, or God forbid - your Mac OS document - and it will be spaced funny in Comic San Serif. PDF's will open the same on any computer - every time.
If a posting is listed Until Filled try to turn in your application as soon as you can. In some cases, the opening will open and close within a week due to the number of apps. If you wait - you may miss out.

Wrapping it up

While the job market is tough - especially for Professional School Counselors - there is hope and you can definitely increase your chances by being careful, thorough, and thoughtful. If you can make your resume/application stand out in a good way, that increases your odds of really being able to prove your value through an interview. Reviewers really cannot learn a whole lot about YOU from a resume or cover letter -- what you have done, yes -- but your personality, how you work as a team, and your creativity cannot come out clearly on paper.

I wish you good luck on your applications and if this helps you out - I would love to hear about it. If anyone has tips to add, please do comment below.

Counseling Technology Series: The Ever Useful QR Code

2013-04-05T09:42:00.001-07:00

Why would anyone want to utilize these strange little squares?

The following YouTube video explains QR codes in about 2 minutes so instead of writing a detailed description - please take a second to watch the short clip. Following the clip, I will be talking about some ways that I have been using QR codes at school.

How do counselors use these QR codes?

Wonderful question! I have been using them more and more with students when I am asking them to interact with a website or online form. I would say about 90% of our kids or more have a smartphone or wifi enabled device like an iPod. Utilizing those devices, our students can scan a QR code, be directed to a site, and interact with it without the trouble of typing in a long URL or having many errors in the link for them to stumble over.

In the past few months, I have been gathering data from students using surveys on SurveyMonkey and through GoogleDrive Forms (feel free to steal my College/Career Reporting Form by copying it to your drive). I have been providing students two methods of reporting: a paper survey to complete and a QR code linking them to the online version of the survey. As I keep providing these to students, more are utilizing the online QR route than paper. This cuts down on manual data entry (by me or student aides) and printing/paper costs. I have also used them with parents and teachers when sending out information about signing up for my MailChimp newsletter (check out the School Counseling on Air Marketing Monday for info on MailChimp!).

What do I need to do to start?

Getting started is pretty easy. If you have a smartphone, most will have an embedded QR code reader already installed. If not, they are easily found on the App stores of your OS. They basically use your camera to highlight the QR and then provide you with a set of options, much like in the video.

To create your QR code, one handy site that I have bookmarked and utilize is Kaywa QR Code (http://qrcode.kaywa.com/). The basic functions of the site are free, but they do also sell upgraded features like analytics, dynamic QR codes, etc. For our purposes, getting the free stuff is good and will suffice.

Once you have your link to your survey, document, signup, website, phone number, or contact info - just select the appropriate field on the site and paste your link. From there - you can right click on the new QR code that shows up where the X is in the screenshot and save it as a .png/.jpeg. Then it is as easy as pasting it onto a flyer, printing it out to hand out to students, or including it on the cover page of your survey.

Interested in trying your hand at using your QR code reader? Here is one for you to test with:

Further Reading:

Use QR Codes with your Android phone.

Use QR Codes with your iOS Device (iPhone/iPad)

Guest Post: The Best Apps for Helping Your College Search

2013-03-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

Guest Post by Alexis Bonari of www.collegescholarships.org

The Best Apps for Helping Your College Search

Technology is a great ally in your search for the perfect college and the scholarships to help fund it. Of course, the Internet is a great way to research opportunities and to find the information you need, and there are many sites that offer you great databases and other tools. However, there are many apps that can help you to manage your search, your applications and more without having to go online.

Here are a few apps that you should consider to help you in your college search:

Peterson's College Guide (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id339629740?mt=8)

Get the information you need for your college search from one of the top names in the industry. Use this free app to search by location, degree programs and cost to get a list of colleges that match your criteria and to learn more information. You can also learn about financial aid, review higher education statistics, and even get maps of college campuses.

ACT College Search (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/act-college-search/id418007684?mt=8)

Not sure exactly where to start with your college search? This free app can help you narrow down your choices based on your preferences. Choose from locations, type, majors, size, cost, or admission factors to get a list of schools that meet your specifications. Once you have a few colleges selected that you'd like to explore, you can get the information you need to make your choice.

College Confidential (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/college-confidential/id416874838?mt=8)

Admissions stats and degree program information only tells you a little of what you need to know about potential colleges. You can get the real skinny from other students who have been there. This free app connects you with popular college discussion forums so you can get feedback on all your insider questions from students who have been to those schools. You can use this app once you're enrolled, as well, to keep getting answers to your questions about student life.

Admission Splash (http://admissionsplash.com/)

Not sure if you should apply to a college on your list? This app can predict your likelihood of admission based on information like your test scores, grades, and activities. A study found that the app was up to 97 percent accurate in predicting admissions. You can use the app to strengthen your application or to determine if a school is just too far out of your league, thereby saving money on the application process.

College FAFSA Finder (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/college-fafsa-finder-+/id507013551?mt=8)

Once you know where you'll attend, it's time to start applying for financial aid. This app can help you understand the total estimated cost of attendance, get contact information for your college, and find the college's FAFSA or CSS code to fill out your application. The app also includes information about the college's admission criteria if you want to use it to help with your college search, as well. The app costs $0.99.

What are some of your favorite tools for the college search? Share your favorite apps, websites and more in the comments!

About the Author:

Alexis Bonari writes for CollegeScholarships.org, an open database of college funding opportunities. Specific topics like military spouse scholarships are described in detail to provide multiple resources for students.

The Road to Naviance: Part 3 - Training

2013-03-07T20:41:00.001-08:00

This is part three of an unknown number of posts revolving around the obtaining, implementing, and utilization of Naviance. You can find the first post and second post by clicking on these links.

Tomorrow, we are having our "site manager" training. In the past few weeks there has been two other trainings - one being an introductory phone conference with our coordinators and the other a webinar based walk-through with all the major players.

I feel that most of the staff involved are getting excited - especially after the webinar. That training got all of us on a demo site to get hands on with "the solution." Each training lasts about two hours (you are allotted a certain amount that you paid for) and while the two hours is a good time to cover needed info - Naviance has so much to offer, I cannot help but feel like I am missing something. Guess that lets me anticipate our next training date.

Some of the hang-ups we have found falls in one of two categories: time and access. Getting everyone together at the same time has slowed down our implementation a bit, but I feel we are on track for an April roll-out.

The second hangup has to do with getting the data needed to import into Naviance from our SIS (student information system). Most of this issue is needing multiple (already busy) people to get the information we need from different sources. I had guessed and am thinking this will be our "hurry up and wait" moment. Hopefully I am wrong!

Just getting to play around with an empty account has got my wheels turning regarding all the possibilities that will come from Naviance and how much it will help our students and families.

One suggestion to Hobsons / Naviance: it would be helpful and I feel you would get more clients if you made a demo account available to play with for schools and districts to see the features in action. It would have been easier to convince administrators by showing them the features that telling them about all the cool stuff!

ANFSCD: ScheduleOnce: Take the work out of setting up meetings!

2013-02-18T11:41:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite tools that I don't have to think about!

One of the nice things about starting a counseling program from scratch at a new school where there was little/nothing before you got there is that you have full input on what to bring in with you. It is one thing to change what has been going on for a long time, but when nothing has been happening - people are very open to trying new things.

Among the first (FREE) things that I signed up for this fall was a great web-tool called ScheduleOnce (also linked to meetme.so). You may or may not have heard of online scheduling tools that include features like: appointment requests, seamless integration with different calendar types, propose meeting times that helps pick the best time/date for all participants, and many more!

I always have hated the "old fashioned" way of making appointments, which goes something like:

Parent calls and leaves a message saying they want to meet
Finally get around to my voicemails and call them hoping to get a date/time, but get their voicemail
Repeat steps 1-2 several times.
Finally reach each other but we both have busy schedules and spend 15 minutes comparing calendars until we finally find a compatible date/time.

That does not happen anymore! You can have the freedom I have found too! It is super easy to integrate, it syncs with my on-the-fly Outlook calendar (via Google Calendar), and parents love it. The software is highly customizable and you can set meeting lengths that fit with your schedule. As a counselor without a secretary - it makes up for it! Check out a few of the shots below and head to ScheduleOnce to check out what they offer.

Sync Program between Google and Outlook

NSCW '13 - School Counseling On Air Recordings

2013-02-04T16:28:00.000-08:00

The following videos were recorded during National School Counseling Week 2013 in our first ever School Counseling On Air event.

Recorded Sessions

Sun Feb. 10th: Spreadsheet Sunday with Jeremy Goldman, NCC

Saturday Feb 9th: Social Media Saturday with Erin Mason, Ph.D & friends

Friday Feb 8th: It's all about hanging out at happy hour with Hatch with Trish Hatch, Ph.D.

Thur. Feb 7: Girls' Leadership and Development with Julia V. Taylor

Unfortunatly due to publisher contract obligations - we are unable to provide an archived version of Julia's session. Her presentation materials are located here: goo.gl/H9kM5

Wed. Feb 6: What I Wish I Knew Wednesday with Danielle Shultz and Andrea Burston

Mon. Feb 4: Marketing Monday with Jeff Ream

Guest Post: February is Financial Aid Awareness Month = FAFSA

2013-02-03T13:59:00.001-08:00

Guest Post from Susan McCrackin

Senior Director of Financial Aid Methodology at the College Board

FAFSA. Five letters that change lives for millions of students across the country.

This year’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is here. Because government grants compose 74 percent of the $185 billion financial aid pool, it’s no surprise that FAFSA is a source of stress
for students and their families.

It doesn't have to be that way. Susan McCrackin, Senior Director Financial Aid Methodology at the
College Board, offers this eight-step map to help educators help students work through FAFSA.

1. Gather Documents First

Here’s a list of documents students should have in hand before they begin to fill out FAFSA. Also steer
students to get a U.S. Department of Education personal identification number (PIN.) Here’s the PIN
application link.

2. Think About Taxes

Parents’ taxes are an important part in the FAFSA process. Getting taxes done by February 1 st may be
unrealistic, so last year’s taxes and this year’s pay-stubs can help create estimates. After February 3 rd, the
IRS Data Retrieval Tool becomes available, allowing students and parents to access the IRS tax return
information needed to complete the FAFSA and transfer the data directly into their FAFSA from the IRS
website. Plus, remind families that they can complete taxes without actually filing. So if they owe money,
they don’t have immediately cut a check to Uncle Sam.

3. Find Quiet Time

Many of us work with FAFSA every year. Families don’t have that familiarity. Encourage them to break
down this large application into smaller pieces. These do’s and don’ts can help.

1. Don’t sprint. Take questions one at a time.

2. Do read each question carefully and out loud. It improves question comprehension.

3. Don’t multi-task. Turn off cell phones, music players and televisions.

4. Do find a quiet place where FAFSA will have your full attention.

4. Stay Student Focused

Parents often forget that the student always provides information. Parents are required to provide their
information if the student is a dependent.

So when parents see a question that refers to “I,” remember that “I” is the student. “You” is also the
student. When questions address parents, you will see questions that refer to “your parents.” That is
where parental information goes.

5. Avoid Parent Traps

When you see “parents,” FAFSA is referring to the student’s biological or adoptive parents. When the
parents are married, then the student and both parents complete the FAFSA.

If the parents are not together, things can get confusing. BigFuture by the College Board created the
corresponding infographic to help address some commonly asked questions.

6. Keep Track of Deadlines

Every college has a different set of deadlines based on priority, merit, early decisions etc. BigFuture by
the College Board helps families sort through these deadlines with detailed college profiles and a free,
customized action plan. And just like a student should raise his or her hands with a question in class,
encourage them to call a college with a specific question.

7. Profile CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE®

FAFSA opens the doors to federal aid. There’s also almost $50 billion in non-federal aid available – from
colleges, states and private institutions. Some colleges and programs use the College Board’s CSS/
Financial Aid PROFILE to help award these monies.

CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE is an online application that collects information used by almost 400 colleges
and scholarship programs to award financial aid outside sources from the federal government. Families
must complete the application and the College Board sends it to the colleges and scholarship programs
they have chosen.

Here’s a list of colleges that use CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE® and where you go to complete the CSS/
Financial Aid PROFILE®. One CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE® report costs $25. Additional reports are $16
each. There are fee waivers available for low-income families.

8. Practice Makes Perfect

Educators can’t be with every student as they fill out FAFSA. To provide support BigFuture created a free
FAFSA webinar that walks students, section by section, through an actual FAFSA application. Families
can access the free FAFSA webinar 24/7 on their terms.

FAFSA can change a student’s life forever. Following this map can help extend your activities with
students and guide them to a better future.

Introducing School Counseling on Air

2013-01-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

Get ready!

A collaboration between many school counselor bloggers across the country is coming together to offer a new experience for many of us. During National School Counseling Week, Feb. 4th - 10th, there will be nightly presentations hosted on Google Hangouts (there is opportunity for participation with this platform) and streamed live over YouTube. You can see the schedule posted above for topics and presenters. All will begin at 8PM EST/5PM PST and last about an hour.

What do you need to do to prepare?

One thing that is handy is having a Google account, but you will be able to watch the live broadcast on YouTube through the posted/tweeted link without one. The link should be posted about 30 minutes before broadcast starts, but it may be closer to the start time.

Check out the Official School Counseling On Air Google+ Page for details, links to join, event listing, and other info.

Reading up on Hangouts may be useful prior to the event to ensure you can smoothly participate.

I am really excited about this and I look forward to the week!!

New Video Blog: The Power of HootSuite

2013-01-07T18:02:00.000-08:00

2012: My Favorite Posts of the Year

2012-12-31T11:38:00.002-08:00

A look back at some of the best of 2012...

Reflection and renewing goals is something that tends to happen around this time of year. I wanted to provide you with a look back at several of my favorite posts from other bloggers as well as a few of my own. There will be a link and a snippet from the post here, but please visit the full article! Without further ado...

1. Shepherding the Flock: Supporting New School Counselors

Darrell Sampson - From The Counselor's Office

Think back to when you first started your job as a school counselor. For some, that may have been 20 years ago. For others, that may have been last week. You would have recently finished a graduate program in school counseling, complete with an internship that provided you with real experience working in the schools. All of this prepared you to be a rock-star school counselor. Your education was complete--you knew it all...

[Full Article]

2. International Schools (and how I got in the loop)

Lauren Seaberg - School Counseling Across the Pond

It seems to me that working in the international schools circuit, which provides incredible employment opportunities around the world, is a well-kept secret. So I’d like to share information with you about how to get in the loop!

While most educators stateside apply for jobs in the spring and summer, you need to start your application process in the fall for international schools. Although many international schools are independently run, many hire through agencies such as Council of International Schools (CIS) teacher recruitment service and International School Services (ISS)...

[ Full Article ]

3. A Guide to Digital Portfolios

Jeff Ream - The Counseling Geek

Back in my undergraduate program, a project that was assigned in one of my technology courses was to develop a professional portfolio utilizing a high-tech tool. I used PowerPoint to build an easy to navigate and professional looking "program" that will allow interviewers, principals, and other stakeholders to view all my qualifications (resume, cover letter, transcripts) and showcase my technological skills at the same time.

Yesterday, I made a new portfolio for my counseling career. I have an interview in a few days and will be bringing this with me to give to the panel (on inexpensive zip drives).

The video below shows you how I storyboard and created the portfolio, so you can create your own...

[ Full Article ]

4. The SCOPE Blogroll: Inspiration for Back to School!

Dr. Erin Mason - SCOPE

If you haven't seen the blogroll on SCOPE, you are missing out! The number of school counselors who are blogging seems to be increasing at lightning speed; there are lots of ideas for inspiration! Although each blog varies in its posting frequency and consistency, SCOPE has cataloged 34 blogs so far and for certain there are more out there! If yours isn't listed, please leave a comment or notify me and I'll add it ASAP!

Some school counselor blogs are aimed at the school community audience (students, families, staff) and act as a website of sorts to share information, events, programming, etc. Other school counselor blogs are aimed at a colleague audience (school counselors, grad students, educators) and offer insights, inspiration and ideas. Check out the examples in the blogroll to get a sense of the differences...

[ Full Article ]

5. College Swag: How to Get it and What to Do With it

Danielle Schultz - School Counselor Blog

Recently I have received a lot of emails regarding college promotional materials. Some school counselors want to know what to do with the materials they have. Others want to know how to get colleges to send them some swag!

Last night a School Counselor Blog Facebook Fan from Georgia shared that her son's high school has college banners displayed on the ceiling of their cafeteria. It is an awe-inducing site...

[ Full Article ]

There are so many different school counseling blogs out there that I am thankful for being able to call a resource - thank you all for contributing to helping me develop as a school counselor and blogger. Happy New Year!

And The Envelope Please...

2012-12-19T15:28:00.000-08:00

Taking home the prize today...

is our first selected winner of $200 dollars towards the registration to go to ASCA 2013 is Megan Kelly, a counseling intern at Northside College Prep High School in Chicago, Illinois.

Second prize winner of $50 to ASCA 2013 is Stephanie Ceranec. I am still waiting to hear from Stephanie (a new winner will be picked if I don't get a response at the end of the week - 12/22). Congrats to both of you. Please remember that these funds are meant to help you attend the 2013 ASCA National Conference in Philadelphia. If you are unable to attend, please pass the funds to someone who can. I hope to meet you both there this summer!

Note: I reserve the right to validate your position as a school counselor, intern, or graduate student in school counseling before sending you the prize. Any winner not found to be a school counselor, intern, or graduate student of school counseling is forfeit the prize and it will be awarded to the next drawn entrant. Arrangement of transfer of funds will be setup by the winners and The Counseling Geek.

Thank you, 唔該, Hvala, Dank u zeer, Merci beaucoup, Tusen Takk, Muchas gracias...

2012-12-09T18:59:00.002-08:00

Thank you to Best Master's Programs in Counseling.com!

Thank you to Dan at www.bestmastersincounseling.com for honoring The Counseling Geek in their list of the Top 30 Counseling Blogs of 2012. I appreciate all of those who take time to read the ideas and thoughts of this guy on a journey to finding out how to be a great school counselor! Check out the other top blogs for awesome reads too!

On another note, don't forget to enter the $$ for ASCA 2013 this week - contest ends on Dec. 13th.

Interviewing: The Other Side of the Table

2012-11-15T19:09:00.001-08:00

Today was a day of firsts...

I had an exciting, albeit tedious, opportunity today to experience the "other side" of the interview table. I have had many past experiences being the one getting asked the hard questions, feeling somewhat awkward, and scrambling to think of "the right answer", but before today I have never had the perspective of the interviewer.

For those of you who have been on the interview panel, feel free to chime in thoughts, feelings, or tips to the readers in the comments - but if you have yet to had the pleasure of being on an interview panel, let me give you some of the behind the scenes secrets.

It makes for a long day

Without going into many details or breaking the confidentiality agreement (which most interviewers have to sign), let me tell you that for hiring at any level, the process is long. I was not involved in the job description creation, publicizing the position, or screening pre-interview candidates so I can only imagine the work behind that part. We interviewed a total of 5 people for the position and it took the whole day...about an hour per person with setup, debrief, and the actual interview. If you get to an interview later in the day and your panel looks bored, they probably are not, but they are probably tired and hungry. Tip #1: Try to schedule an early interview (if possible) as the panel will be most fresh and attentive. You also set the stage.

The panel does not always get to create the questions

Many times, the questions you are asked are not from the interview panel (or may be from a select few). If you have someone good at writing questions, like we did, you get lucky. Others are not in for such a treat. For the sake of fairness and equality, the panel is usually asking the same questions to each candidate. Some will allow room to ask clarifying questions others may not. Tip #2: Think about your audience - are there teachers, students, parents, administrators in it? What info would they want to know? Think about that as you answer your questions. Also, be observant of body language. Sometimes you can sense that a panel member wants a little more info by how they sit, move their head, or their facial expressions. If you are not sure if they got the info they were looking for - ask!

May be cliche but dress for success

You may be God's gift to education, but if you look like you just woke up or did not put too much effort into making yourself look professional - people notice. It is not typically a deal breaker (but could be!), however it may mean the difference in getting a job offer or not if the contest is close. Think about how you want to portray yourself and what image you want the interview panel to get as you walk in the door. Do you want a just out of the gym look with messed up hair and blue jeans or a professional go-getter wearing business to business casual wear. I would caution on the side of dressing up than down whether you are going for a minimum wage position or half a million dollar job. Tip #3: Be mindful of your posture and body language. Counselors - use your SOLER and attending skills you learned. Sit up straight, face the speaker, make eye contact, don't close your body language, etc. It helps.

Last but not least - come prepared to give specific examples

You will be asked to give specific examples in 9 out of 10 interviews you go to so try to think of some good ones from your past that can possibly be applied to many situations. Create a list and practice what you would say. Standard questions may include strengths/weaknesses, problem solving with a co-worker, and communicating with clients or partners. Thinking about it early will help you provide a polished and appropriate answer - many will freeze up or stumble over their answers if you don't think about it ahead of time. Tip #4: Provide data if possible when giving these examples. How many students did you help? What types of feedback did you get after helping someone? Was there an increase or decrease in a goal or objective? The specifics help show your effectiveness.

When all is said and done

After the questions are all asked and answered, the panel then has another difficult decision - who to recommend. This was much harder than I thought. I did not think there were any bad candidates, but I wanted to combine aspects from all of them to make a super-candidate. Sadly that is frowned upon so we have to think about what strengths and abilities will most benefit our school and the position.

I hope that the little review and other side perspective can help those of you looking for work think about what the interviewer is thinking. Be mindful of it when interviewing and if you are ever a part of the interview panel - try to remember how stressful and intimidating it is being the interviewee. Best of luck!

What an honor: Named one of the top 25!

2012-11-15T18:00:00.003-08:00

I received an email a few weeks ago from a representative of www.mastersincounseling.org informing me that The Counseling Geek was nominated to be included in the top 100 online counseling Resources. That was exciting, but thought there were many other great blogs out there that I was working to emulate, what were the chances?

Yesterday I got a follow up email congratulating me on being one of the top 25 school counseling online resources, in the eyes of their readers. This is my first award or honor and I am truly grateful for it. To be in the same list as those like School Counseling By Heart, jyjoyner counselor, and School Counselor Blog is awesome. For the whole list, visit the site - which is also a great resource for finding new blogs to follow. Thank you!

Keys to Communication - Boost Your Electronic Communication Skills with TACT

2012-10-22T08:38:00.001-07:00

Why communicate?

99% of you will know that this is 90% of our job as professional school counselors. When we show up to work, we are expected to be communicating with students, parents, colleagues, administrators, and community members on a regular basis. We all had classes that emphasized the basic attending skills (often called SOLER). We need to Sit straight and face the other person, maintain an Open posture and positive body language, Lean towards the person conveying interest, keep a comfortable level of Eye contact, and be Relaxed.

These SOLER skills are all well and good, but what about communication that is not done in the first person or face-to-face? There is still communication etiquette and rules to live by, even more so, when you are communicating in other methods. Today, I will be focusing on communicating electronically (via email, social media, etc.) - but the following can be applied to other forms of communication as well.

I created a simple acronym of TACT for the four points of electronic communication that I feel are essential for all school counselors to know:

Targeted

Accurate

Clear

Timely

Lets break them down a bit and then, in a follow-up post, I will share three tools to help us provide TACTful communication.

Targeted Communication:

Don't you hate those spammy emails you get or the form letters that come in the mail? Most people do. Your emails, Facebook posts, Tweets, and other messages will have a much greater impact and reach when you target a specific audience with each message. A tweet to students will look different than a tweet for a parent - same with an email blast. An email to the parent of a Senior will be significantly different than one to the parent of a Freshman.

Creating lists that allow you to tailor each communication to the specific audience accomplishes two things at once: it gives the reader a sense that they are important to you and allows you to better do the second point of this acronym.

Accurate Communication:

By targeting your communications, you are better able to provide accurate information with less confusion. For example, I have been doing parent info nights at school. I had one for juniors and seniors a few weeks ago to talk about college admissions and applications. Today, I was supposed to have a freshman and sophomore talk (but we are getting snow and the school is closed). Using my email blasts, I am able to delineate by grade who I send my emails to. I create two separate emails to send to each group because the freshman parents do not need to know and worry about all the super specifics that most of the senior parents do regarding college applications. Separating the information lets me get the most accurate and relevant information to the correct parties. The same rule applies to things like Tweets, Facebook Posts, and such. Starting it off with something like "Seniors:..." or similar lets readers quickly decide if the post is important to them.

Clear Communication:

Thinking about our communication style must include both clarity of the subject matter, as well as the visual structure of the message. Typically, with electronic communications - quick and concise is what people are looking for. Can you fit your three paragraph email into one paragraph? If so, think about doing it. Readers are consumers and you are battling with Justin Bieber's tweets, three other open tabs, a calendar, and twenty more emails. When I open an email - I usually make a snap judgement whether I will read it or not based on its length. More than 4 paragraphs and it is a quick skim job. I can take the time to read the one paragraph emails. Your parents and students will do the same.

The aesthetics of your communications can also make reading the material enjoyable or a nightmare. Think about why Google and Gmail are some of the most used email and search engine platforms in the world - they are clear, clean, and easy to use. Try to emulate that when creating your emails and posts. Do you really need the fancy script fonts or to use (arguably the most hated font ever) Comic San Serif in every email? It may look cute to you, but think about the reader. Are they reading your email for the cute-factor or for the information? One final note about clear visuals - use a good color scheme. Make sure that things are not cluttered, hard to read, or just plain ugly. If you need some help - there are entire sites dedicated to coloring schemes and this type of information.

Timely Communication:

Look at your local news - do they have a newscast at 3:10pm some days and 4:35pm others? No - they have "the 6 o'clock news". Why? Because people are creatures of habit and are more likely to pay attention when doing so is a regular occurrence. They also don't usually report on things that happened two weeks ago (unless some new breakthrough took place that day). If you want to talk about something in an email or social media post, make sure that is done in a timely fashion. Plan a time to send out a weekly or bi-weekly email blast and stick to the schedule. That way readers are expecting it.

Communication does not stop and it is a constant game to play - I usually tweet and Facebook for work from home. One reason is because I have bigger things to do at work and another is because Facebook is blocked at work.

Wrap it up already...

This post is not very concise, but I also know my target audience. You are all highly-educated and are used to reading longer articles about things you are interested in. I hope that this information has been useful and I look forward to sharing a few of the tools I use in my communication in an upcoming blog post. Stay tuned.

The Counseling Geek Giveaway - Win $$$ for ASCA 2013

2012-10-02T19:56:00.001-07:00

Yes - the opportunity for FREE money! Thanks to the supporters of the Indiegogo campaign that ended about a month ago, I can offer a small, but not insignificant scholarship to the ASCA 2013 National Conference in Philadelphia. I was lucky enough to receive a scholarship similar to this in 2011 that allowed me to make it up to Seattle and my experience was great. I know there are others out there who may have financial trouble making it to the conference - if that is you great! Enter the contest. If that is not you - great! Still enter the contest and if you win, pay it forward to someone you know would go to the conference if they could afford it.

There are a few requirements that I am adding to the contest. As this is specifically for the conference and school counselors, I will be requiring website/phone verification of your job at a school or your university supervisor's email/phone number at a university email address. I also ask that this money go directly to getting to the conference and not your lattes. If you end up not going, please have the integrity to pass it on to someone who will. Early (and cheaper) registration ends Dec. 31st 2012, so this should end a few weeks before hand to let you make that date.

If you have questions, please email me and I can work it out. Funds will be sent via USPS or over Paypal if you have an account. Please enter below and share with all your counseling friends!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Road to Naviance - Part 2: Getting the ball rolling

2012-10-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the second part of my trek to integrate Naviance (@Naviance) into my counseling curriculum. You can find the first post of the series here.

Since my last post, I have had a few new things come up while building my case for bringing Naviance to my school. I met with my principal and registrar a few weeks ago and had a good discussion with them laying out the great features that Naviance offers. They were both supportive and provided some excellent questions that I had not thought to pose to the sales rep.

While this was happening, I had also sent my thoughts and supporting materials to our district superintendent. My first day of work, I had met with him and expressed my interest in Naviance. He had used it at a previous district and was very supportive. In fact, he was so interested -- he wants to take it district wide to all of our high schools. So my vision for my high school will be expanded to the district level. Getting this news was great!

Over the next few weeks, I had conversed with the Naviance sales rep and got some updates on questions. I also worked on my grant to help fund the program. This grant will be crucial to getting Naviance onboard at the district level. I have gotten unofficial word that we can find some funds to put it at my site, but without this grant - we may not be able to implement Naviance district-wide. I would love to pilot the program, but if we can do it all at once, I think that would be awesome! I have never penned a grant proposal before so it has been an interesting process -- more so now with the added weight of co-signing the grant with the superintendent and director of my department. No pressure. Needless to say that spell check has had a workout.

I am currently putting the final parts of the grant together and waiting for a formal letter from the superintendent before submitting it for approval. My vision is that we get notice of approval/denial of the grant by the New Year and hopefully we can work hard to get Naviance up by the end of January. I predict that it will be a "soft" start, rolling out to students slowly to allow myself and staff to familiarize ourselves with the software. This will also allow us to train the students, parents, and teachers on the features of Naviance. Full implementation should happen for the 2013-2014 school year.

My next post will be about the results of the grant process and, if approved, the next steps in getting Naviance set up at our sites. Stay tuned!

The Counseling Geek Interview Series: Dr. Erin Mason (@ecmmason)

2012-09-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome back and I am super excited to bring one of my most used resources and also one of the biggest names in Counseling Technology to you via the next installment of The Counseling Geek's Interview Series. I was incredibly honored the Dr. Erin Mason (@ecmmason) of DePaul University and SCOPE - the School Counselors' Online Professional Exchange - was able to join me for a quick but very informative and innovate interview.

For the last video interview with Rebecca Lallier of School Counseling By Heart, we used Skype to perform the video chat and in the interest of showcasing new software - this time we decided to utilize Google's new Hangouts. A feature of Google+ and G-Chat, hangouts was an altogether well rounded and easy to use platform.

I really hope you enjoy the interview and as always, check out our contributor's blogs and resources.

The Road to Naviance - Part 1: Where to start

2012-09-12T20:03:00.003-07:00

As a techie Counselor, I naturally was drawn to the software suite that is Naviance. Naviance is a well rounded package that allows school officials, counselors, students, and parents to research, plan, and proceed to apply to colleges around the globe. I knew when I started that I wanted to try to get Naviance into my new school. I needed to know where to get started in making that happen.

I used the contact option on Naviance's website and was contacted by a rep. We had about an hour long call while he explained some of the features, rough costs estimates, and how to go about making the next steps. I took careful notes and set a meeting date to talk with my principal.

During the time between, I also worked on applying for a grant that would help fund Naviance. I know all schools are tight with their budgets and figured it would be easier going if I could provide my own funding -- at least for the first year. After the first year, I anticipate success and the desire to go back to "the old way" will go to the wayside.

Doing my research and creating a good pitch, I contacted Daniel Obregon (@dobregon), the marketing VP of Hobson (the maker of Naviance) and a PLN mate, asking for some help with finding data to validate some of my reasons for desiring Naviance. He was able to provide strong support and recent articles showcasing schools' success stories.

Next week, I meet with my principal and submit my grant proposal for funding. I will let you know how it goes and I am hoping to get Naviance up and running within the next two months.

The Geekly Update: Why so quiet, you ask?

2012-09-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

If you have been paying attention, I have not posted anything since the 8th of August -- which is a long time in the blogosphere. I have many ideas brewing and another interview I would like to get setup in the coming month, but I wanted to give you a very short update as to why such a long silence from me.

I recently moved and started a new job in the Lake Tahoe area as the high school counselor at a small high school. We moved mid-August and I started right away, so most of you can empathize with the work it takes to get settled, get students scheduled, and make time to write. We are really loving going from the beach to the mountains and I hope to get a new post up within the next week or so.

I also wanted to remind you that the Indiegogo campaign is ending next week (9/4) and then I will be working to provide partial scholarships to several lucky counselors to attend the ASCA 2013 National Conference in Philadelphia. Please consider donating $10, $20, or more in the last few days to help me get more young, new, or financially struggling counselors to the conference this year.

Here are a few teasers for what is coming up this month: The Road Trip to Naviance Nirvana, a new Counseling Geek interview (with one of the biggest players in counselor blogging), and some new job interview info (with feedback from my interview team about my previous blog posts). Stay tuned!

The Counseling Geek Interview Series: @SchCslgByHeart

2012-08-08T14:29:00.003-07:00

This is the second edition of TCG Interview Series and with this post, I debut the first video interview. I was privledged to get to sit down with Rebecca Lallier (@SchCslgByHeart), writer of School Counseling By Heart and a PSC for 17 years. Please check out her blog, follow her on Twitter, and send her some kudos for reaching out to help school counselors improve their tech skills.

This interview was done using Skype and recorded with Camtasia. Please forgive us for a few technical glitches in the video as the connection became unstable a time or two during the video, but overall - the interview and technology was fairly successful. I look forward to bringing you further interviews in the coming months - I am personally looking forward to interviewing Dr. Erin Mason (@ecmmason) of DePaul University and SCOPE next month.

Video Link: http://youtu.be/qpo8-1r8eiE?hd=1

The Counseling Geek Interview Series: @Prof_Polzin

2012-08-07T07:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the newly created TCG Interview Series. I wanted to try to reach out and get some info, tips, and advice from fellow counselors about using technology in their counseling program. This is the first installment I have another one coming very soon, so stay tuned. The interviews will be held via different media - from a written interview (like this one) to video interviews over Skype/Google Hangouts. I am excited about this because I not only learn a lot myself, but I feel that the info shared by some of the people willing to let me ask them some questions about their counseling program will be valuable to all counselors out in the blog world.

I hope to make this a semi-regular series on The Counseling Geek, but that will take help from all you counselors. If you would like to help me by volunteering to let me interview you, please email me, send me a Tweet, or message on Facebook, letting me know you want to interview. You do not have to be a tech guru or even know a huge amount about using technology in counseling - my interest is what got you started, how you kept going, and what types of tips can you pass along to fellow counselors following the same path. So, without further ado - here is installment #1 of The Counseling Geek Interview Series.

Many people who are involved in Twitter and #scchat will most likely recognize my interviewee. Professor Elizabeth Polzin (@Prof_Polzin) graciously allowed me to interview her via email. She has a Master of Arts in Counseling degree from Lindenwood University in Missouri, is a certified school psychological examiner, and a counselor educator. You can follow her on Twitter using @Prof_Polzin and she regularly posts awesome info the help with counseling PD.

The Counseling Geek: Can you describe a bit about your past experience as a counselor and how you got started in the profession?

@Prof_Polzin: I completed my Master of Arts in Counseling at Lindenwood University, MO in 2009 and at the time, was working as a Graduate Assistant. Do to my familiarity with the department, I was hired as a staff member to work as the Counseling Program Coordinator (responsible for curriculum changes, orienting new students, working with adjunct faculty, assessment committee chair, etc.) Since then, I have earned my certification as a school psychological examiner and am currently working on my EdD in Instructional Leadership. I also teach two undergraduate education courses and one graduate counseling class that deals specifically with assessment.

TCG: What types of technology do you regularly integrate into your program?

@Prof_Polzin: For the courses I teach, I have integrated Twitter to a small degree. I have introduced Twitter to students (began doing this in the spring of 2011) and given brief tutorials on its use. I've continued to encourage students to use it to connect with other counselors and educators.

Beginning this semester, I will allow students to present information in class using their technology of choice (encouraging them to use on they could use in their future school). Specifically, Prezi, LiveBinder. I regularly use Blackboard, PowerPoint, and Prezi in my classes.

TCG: How do you feel technology has improved or supported your counseling efforts? Any one type/program in specific stand out?

@Prof_Polzin: Personally, I have found Twitter to be the most beneficial--I think it’s been great for professional development. Students that have joined Twitter have realized that technology can be fun and educational at the same time--something I hope they take into their future careers. Tech tools like Blackboard have helped me save paper and made it much easier for students to locate information.

TCG: How receptive have other stakeholders been to the technology you have used? Are administrators supportive, parents open to using things like Twitter, and students utilizing the tools you share?

@Prof_Polzin: To be honest, I have gotten no feedback regarding the use of technology in the classroom from my administration. The university does their best to maintain the equipment that helps make it possible, so I see that as supportive.

TCG: What speed bumps have you had to overcome when working to implement new technology or keep your ongoing projects fresh/useful?

@Prof_Polzin: I have had to play around with some of the tech tools I use so that I can teach others how to use them, which slows down my attempts to incorporate them into the classroom in some way. Also, because just a few other counselor educators are including things like Twitter, I have little guidance regarding suggestions for how to include it in my courses.

TCG: How do you maintain the vital human touch factor while using technology?

@Prof_Polzin: I still have regular face to face contact with all my students--so we’re not only connected online, but in person. For tools like Twitter, they have helped maintain the relationships I had with students because it enables us to stay connected.

TCG: Is there anything you would do different, looking back at the process of starting to integrate technology into your counseling program?

@Prof_Polzin: The only regret I have is not getting more people on board to begin with. I could use someone to help bounce some ideas off regarding the use of technology.

TCG: Do you have any final tips/advice/words of wisdom for counselors wanting to start using the tech tools in their programs or for new counselors just getting started?

@Prof_Polzin: Pick one tech tool to start with and get connected with others using it. Don’t overwhelm yourself by attempting too many new tasks at a time.

Awesome advice! Thanks again to Elizabeth Polzin for helping support the professional development of school counselors around the globe. If you have further questions for Elizabeth, you can comment below or send her a tweet to @Prof_Polzin. I would love to hear back from people with other specific questions you would like to hear answers for in upcoming interviews - comment, tweet me, or leave a Facebook note with your questions and I will be sure to get that into our next interview over Skype with @SchCslgByHeart.

Google's Nexus7- the iPad killer?

2012-07-27T13:51:00.001-07:00

After a terribly late arrival (due to the high demand) my Nexus 7 finally arrived. A 7-inch tablet made by Asus and Google, it provides stiff competition for the industry leading iPad. From my few weeks of playing with the N7, I have been thoroughly impressed. I had never had an Android device before (I had owned an iPod Touch and played with iPads) and I have to say I am sold. The N7 is priced right - at $200 for the 8GB and $250 for the 16GB (both come with a $25 credit to the Google Play Store). This about half the price of a new iPad. I have never had a huge affinity for Apple products as I feel they are overpriced for what you get. I think they have the "clout" factor which bumps the price of the product up about $200 from what it should be for the actual performance. You pay for that little Apple logo on the back.

Apple products are also less customizable - Android lets you tinker and tweak things to your exact specifications. I was able to get all the Apps I wanted easily and (mostly) free from the app store. Google, one of the most popular web service providers is high integrated into the N7 - coming with Chrome as the default browser, a native Gmail client, and powerful Google search features including Maps/Navigation.

That being said, the N7 is not perfect. When a perfect device comes out, I would like to see it. Some of the flaws (more like missing conveniences) are the limited amount of storage space (8GB/16GB) with no card bay to add removable storage. There is no rear facing camera, so taking photos is out. You can take photos with things like Instagram from the front facing camera, but it is primarily for video chat. I wouldn't pay for it, but there is also no option for 3G service with the device, like some iPads have.

It does play nice with things like Google Drive and Dropbox so that allows you to extend your storage space, only downloading what you need but still having access to all your cloud based files.

The Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system is fast, functional, and I have yet to have a problem or see a flaw. Granted, I am not an Android aficionado, so take that with a grain of salt.

I will have a more blog posts upcoming about ways I am utilizing the N7 in my counseling program, articles about my favorite apps, and other featurettes about my new toy, so stay tuned.

Below are some photos of my device, a video showing some of the features hands-on, and the exact specifications from Google.

Purchase a Nexus 7 in the Google Play Store

More Info: https://www.google.com/nexus/#/7/specs

SCREEN

7” 1280x800 HD display (216 ppi)
Back-lit IPS display
Scratch-resistant Corning glass
1.2MP front-facing camera

WEIGHT

340 grams

MEMORY

8 or 16 GB internal storage
1 GB RAM

BATTERY

4325 mAh
- 9 hours of HD video playback
- 10 hours of web browsing
- 10 hours of e-reading
- 300 hours of standby

CPU

Quad-core Tegra 3 processor

SIZE

198.5 x 120 x 10.45mm

WIRELESS

WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth

USB

Micro USB

OS

Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)

FEATURES

Microphone
NFC (Android Beam)
Accelerometer
GPS
Magnetometer
Gyroscope

Follow-Up: My Interview Kit

2012-07-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Marketing Myself and Being Prepared

On Tuesday, I posted a video blog about the process I took (and a process you can take too!) to construct a digital professional portfolio. This week I have been busy constructing my interview kit and I wanted to share that with you as well. Looking at it, I feel like it is a lot - but I think will be well prepared to answer the questions and show evidence with the arsenal I bring with me into the interview room.

I had another district call today, as I was putting these kits together, to interview me on the same day that my other interview was scheduled -- never had that problem before, but it is a good problem to have. After rescheduling one interview to an earlier time (they are about 3 hours away from each other), I realized I needed to go to the store to get my "arts & crafts" material. I had ordered 5 flash drives on Amazon earlier this week to be sure I got them in time, but after the second interview got lined up - I did not have enough drives for all the members of both panels. I went with using CDs instead.

Below are the components within my interview kit with corresponding numbers (described below the photo).

My Interview Kit.

1. The Final Handout: This is what I will hand to all members of the interview panel when I get introduced. They may already have copies of it, but it is better to come prepared than leave them without. A simple paper-clip keeps it together.

2. The Media: Since I could not get the needed amount of flash drives prior to the interview (and the cost factor), I decided to go the CD route for my digital portfolio and ended up buying some labels and disc jackets for one district (with more people). I spent ~$12 on both the CD labels and disk jackets, but it creates a professional looking product. Imagine if you just wrote your name on the CD with a Sharpie. I also used Avery's website label developer to integrate the background from my portfolio onto the disc label. I printed address labels with the title of the disc and my contact info to put on the jacket. I am pretty happy with the turn out.

3. Letters of Recommendation: I included the standard three letters in all of the packets so they could reference them if needed or see further evidence that supports my candidacy.

4. My Notepad: I always bring my schnazzy note pad to take down notes about the questions they ask, important information, names/contacts of the interviewers for thank you notes/follow-up, and to have a "cheat sheet" about what I want to talk about in front of me.

5. Cover Letter: I typically print out the cover letter I submitted with my application and include it in the packet to each person. Some may not have had a chance to read it or perhaps only skimmed it prior to the interview.

6. Resume: Resume always goes on top for me - I want the key points of why they should hire me in front of their eyes. Again they may already have a copy, but if you applied several months prior to an interview - it lets you provide an updated (or edited) copy for them to see.

7. My Comprehensive Portfolio: This contains work samples, all the other documents that I included in the packets (printed on nice paper), my philosophy statement, and things that I have developed (like curricula). I usually reference this if answering specific questions or for evidence about my qualifications.

Other than that, I always bring myself, dressed in a nice suit, and a positive attitude. I know I won't be right for every job and there will be times I don't get the position even if my interview rocked their socks off -- it is all about finding the right fit. Market yourself and create a "brand" that you are selling to schools -- do it right and employers will chase you down.

A Guide to Digital Portfolios

2012-07-10T12:40:00.005-07:00

Knock the socks off of your next interviewer!

Yesterday, I made a new portfolio for my counseling career. I have an interview in a few days and will be bringing this with me to give to the panel (on inexpensive zip drives).

The video below shows you how I storyboard and created the portfolio, so you can create your own.

A few notes before the video: First is to make this portfolio represent your personality. Have fun with it, but keep in mind the viewer. Things to avoid are: fonts that are difficult to read (try to stick to a serif or sans serif font), unflattering photos, and colors that do not go together. Also, use a site like stock.xchng to find free, high-quality stock images to use as a background (and other images) for your portfolio. The packaged images in PowerPoint are tacky and overused so try to spruce it up (check out the categories of texture, light blurs, etc). You can also deselect the "advance slide on click" option to only let users click on hyperlinks, which is nice so they don't click and accidentally advance to the next page (thank you to my wife for user testing my portfolio and finding that nugget of info). Finally, try to break away from using the slide templates. Start with a blank template and add things like text boxes, your own images, and smart images (not word art!). This gives you both flexibility and a customized look.

Check out the video below and jump start your interview.

Link to embedded video:

http://youtu.be/lZi5rgeyVjU?hd=1

Photoshop tutorial I used to create the buttons:

http://coregfx.org/tutorials/create-a-nice-stylish-glossy-button-in-photoshop/

Article about digital portfolios:

http://voices.yahoo.com/get-edge-interview-creating-electronic-2118474.html?cat=31

Free stock image site:

http://www.sxc.hu/