A Michigan Jobs & Career Portal service.

Placement Specialists interview high school and college students and assist them in their job selections by matching the job needs of employers with interested and qualified job applicants.

NATURE OF THE OCCUPATION

Placement Specialists may:

Interview applicants to determine interests and qualifications

Review completed applications from applicants

Visit employers to initiate and promote the placement of students, graduates, and early leavers

Arrange on-campus job interviews and referring applicants to off-campus interviews

Collect and analyze occupational, educational, and economic information

Assist students to develop and assemble information for job applications and resumes

Review completed applications and resumes from students, as well as advising them on job interviewing techniques

Visit employers to initiate and promote the placement of students, graduates, and other applicants

Provide placement or referral services for youths leaving school without a diploma

Hold pre-employment clinics for both in-and out-of-school youth

Develop and maintain current data on employers, placements, contacts, sources of services, and current job openings

Assist in community surveys to gather labor market data

Share business-industry resources with career education teachers

Prepare promotional materials for radio, TV, and newspapers

The tools, equipment, and materials used may include:

OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTIES

Placement Specialists may specialize in these areas:

166.257-010 PLACEMENT SPECIALISTS interview high school and college students and assist them in their job selections by matching the job needs of employers with interested and qualified job applicants.

166.167-014 DIRECTORS OF PLACEMENT coordinate the activities of the job placement service for students and graduates for one or more schools. They develop placement office procedures, establish workloads, assign tasks, and review results. They may also conduct in-service training programs for placement personnel, coordinate programs concerning campus jobs, maintain an occupational library, and perform the duties of Placement Specialists. Placement Specialists in larger schools may specialize in making employer contacts or preparing and referring students to job interviews.

Placement Specialists may also be concerned with particular types of placement programs such as cooperative education placement, work-study placement, or student part-time and summer employment. They may also specialize in placing particular types of graduates, such as vocational technical, business, engineering, or those graduates entering professional fields requiring a license, registration, or other credential.

In addition to learning about these specialties, you may also find it helpful to explore the following MOIScripts:

WORKING CONDITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

Placement Specialists in schools have little direct supervision as they usually work on a face-to-face basis with students. They generally report to the Director of Placement or the school principal. They may work with and supervise clerical workers. Universities frequently have Placement Specialists for each major branch or campus.

Placement Specialists work at high schools and colleges in offices that are usually comfortable, well lighted, and often air-conditioned. They also spend time at employers' businesses and must go out in all types of weather to make these visits.

Placement Specialists frequently work more than a 40-hour week. Irregular hours and overtime are often necessary to attend functions when school is not in session. They travel locally in all kinds of weather to visit employers and students on the job or to give presentations to community groups. Most Placement Specialists are employed on either a 10 or 12 month contract basis, depending on the school district or educational institution.

Placement Specialists may belong to associations such as the Michigan Association of School Placement Personnel or the Michigan Association for Counseling and Development (MACD) and pay annual dues.

You Should Prefer:

• Activities involving business contact with people

• Activities which bring recognition or appreciation from others

You Should Be Able To:

• Use reason and logic and follow step-by-step procedures in your work

• Know meanings/relationships of words and use language effectively

• Perform arithmetic operations quickly and accurately

• Perform a variety of duties which may change often

• Plan and direct an entire activity or the activities of others

• Make decisions based on personal judgment

• Influence others because of Placement Specialist's role as negotiator

• Have agreeable working relationships with youths and adults

• Work under stress and meet deadlines

Math Problem You Should Be Able to Solve:

If you are in charge of 60 high school graduates and you are able to place 35 of them in jobs, what is your percentage of placement for students fresh out of high school?

Reading Example You Should Be Able to Read and Comprehend:

Another indicator of economic activity compares the number of people in the labor force to the number of people looking for work. The unemployment rate is the percentage of those in the labor force, over the age of 16, actively seeking work but unable to find jobs.

Writing Example You Should Be Able to Produce:

You should be able to write a letter to a perspective employer explaining the good qualities of a certain student.

Thinking Skill You Should Be Able to Demonstrate:

You should be able to decide what field a given person would enjoy the most after finding out their interests and abilities.

EDUCATION AND PREPARATION OPPORTUNITIES

NOTE: A Bachelor's Degree (four years of study beyond High School) or a Master's Degree (five to six years of study beyond High School) may qualify a person for this occupation.

The following education and preparation opportunities are helpful in preparing for occupations in the MOIScript:

***SCHOOL SUBJECTS***

0700 CAREERS , 0900 COMMUNICATIONS , 1000 COMPUTERS , 2200 MATH , 3300 TECHNOLOGY

***VOCATIONAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS***

There are no Vocational Education Programs related to this MOIScript

***POSTSECONDARY PROGRAMS***

156 SCHOOL COUNSELING

Programs in School Counseling provide opportunities to gain the knowledge and skills needed for employment assisting students in personal, educational, and vocational adjustment. To become a secondary, middle school, or elementary School Counselor in Michigan an individual must earn a teaching certificate.

Courses vary from school to school but may include:

   Search for a College and/or Instructional Program

***APPRENTICESHIP OPPORTUNITIES***

There are no Apprenticeships related to this MOIScript

***MILITARY TRAINING PROGRAMS***

There are no Military Programs related to this MOIScript

E-Learning Courses and Programs

OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPERIENCE AND METHODS OF ENTRY

There is relatively little opportunity for high school students to gain direct experience in this occupation. However, some experience may be gained by working in a high school placement office or completing an internship at a college career placement office. Some people enter this field after gaining a broad background of experience in business, industry, government, or education. Postsecondary programs in school counseling may provide experience also.

                School-to-Work opportunities include:

informal apprenticeships

mentorships

job shadowing experiences

touring a local Placement Specialist employer

internships

volunteer work with a Placement Specialist employer

community service work with an agency

The most common method of entering this occupation is by applying directly to employers. Assistance may be available from placement offices or a local office of Michigan Works!. Job openings are listed in the "Bulletin Board" section of the weekly publication called "The Chronicle of Higher Education". In addition, you should access and search the Internet's on-line employment services sites such as:

The Chronicle of Higher Education Career Network  ( http://chronicle.com/jobs/ )

K12jobs.com ( http://www.k12jobs.com )

Teacher Jobs ( http://www.teacherjobs.com )

Education Jobs Page ( http://www.nationjob.com/education )

EDJOB.COM ( http://www.edjob.com )

ACPA Ongoing Placement Listings ( http://www.acpa.nche.edu/placemnt/placemnt.htm )

Michigan Talent Bank

Classifieds Employment

Yahoo! Careers

MONSTER.COM

You should also enter an electronic resume on these on-line services.

EARNINGS AND ADVANCEMENT

Salaries of Placement Specialists vary greatly among educational institutions. Other variables affecting earnings include experience and the length of the work year (school or calendar year). A nationwide survey of colleges and universities showed the annual median salary of student Placement Directors was $44,438 in the 1998-99 school year. Salaries were higher in public than in private institutions and higher in 2-year schools than in major universities.

In Michigan, Placement Specialists with a bachelor's degree earned an minimum annual income between $22,863 and $34,832 in 1999. Experienced workers earned between $40,175 and $62,760. Annual salaries of Placement Specialists in Michigan high schools are generally comparable to teachers' salaries.

Some Placement Specialists also receive travel allowances, cost-of- living adjustments, and annual longevity payments.

Depending on the employer, most Placement Specialists receive paid vacations and holidays; life, accident, disability, and hospitalization insurance; and a retirement plan. Some Specialists may also receive dental and vision care coverage.

Advancement of Placement Specialists usually includes promotion to an Assistant Director, leading to a Director of Placement. Advancement of Specialists to higher positions depends on ability, size of the high school or type of college or university, and the size of the staff. The best opportunities are generally available at schools with large placement staffs.

EMPLOYMENT AND OUTLOOK

Enrollment in high schools and colleges/universities will decline somewhat for the next year or so. Thereafter, it will increase significantly through the year 2005. During this period, the total number of new jobs in the U.S. economy is expected to increase by nearly 18 million, or 15 percent. As a result, the expertise of experienced Placement Specialists will be needed to match the growing number of graduates with the many new job openings.

The demand by the private sector for the training of new workers and the retraining of displaced workers as a result of new information and manufacturing technologies will require that Placement Specialists are aware of the new and emerging occupations and the educational institutions which provide the specialized training programs.

There are more than 650 Placement Specialists in Michigan. They worked in high schools, vocational schools, 2-year colleges, and universities. Most Placement Specialists work full time. Michigan's commitment to school-to-work programs will mean that schools will need placement counselors to arrange jobs for students.

Employment opportunities for new Placement Specialists in Michigan are expected to be comparable to those in other areas of the nation.

MICHIGAN'S EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK TO 2005

SOURCES OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Printed Occupational information is available upon written request from the sources below.

SUMMARY PROFILE

The occupation of Placement Specialist can be summarized by the following:

MOISCRIPTS are Copyright 2003, Michigan Department of Career Development