Want to show website visitors the value of your school’s degree programs? Post-graduate surveys are a great way to highlight how your school puts students on the path to successful careers.
Your higher education website should include information about course offerings, culture, and other aspects of your school. But it should also show site visitors that your school helps students land great jobs after graduation. That’s where a post-graduate survey can provide powerful social proof that the time and money they invest in an education with you will both be well-spent.
College and university students recognize the importance of landing a good job after graduation
To understand why, consider the results of a recent survey of American college freshmen conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA. In the survey, the majority of students (83.5%) cited the ability to get a better job as their top reason for selecting a college. Respondents said the fact that graduates from a certain college get good jobs was a “very important” reason they chose to attend.
This shows that landing a good job after graduation is a key consideration for those looking at different colleges and universities. Students want to attend schools that foster career growth. Yet, many schools miss out on opportunities to show website visitors that their degree programs deliver tangible results.
Your school can distinguish itself from the competition by using its website to show how its degree programs drive career success. Post-graduate surveys give you the data to prove how past students are using your degree to achieve their career aspirations.
What are post-graduate surveys? Here’s what you need to know
Post-graduate surveys show website visitors that landing a good job after they earn a degree from your school is more than just a pipe dream.
These surveys consist of open- and closed-ended questions that reveal how graduates are applying what they learned at your institution to their careers. You should survey graduates in the months and years after they earn their degree to learn what’s working and what’s not relative to your degree programs. That way, you can uncover ways to enhance these programs.
Post-graduate surveys give you a glimpse into how graduates are performing in the real world. If they are succeeding, they can provide testimonials — these are powerful tools in recruiting new students with similar interests.
Don’t forget you can showcase post-graduate survey results on your website, too. These results are timely, engaging, and accurate content that your prospective students will want to know. They show how past students used what they learned to build careers and make it easy for prospective students to see how landing a good job is possible — or even likely — after they graduate from your school.
5 steps to create and administer a post-graduate survey
You want to get as many graduates as possible to complete your survey. To achieve your goal, you need to ask the right questions and deliver the survey in a way that connects with your target audience.
Here are five tips to help optimize your post-graduate survey response rate:
1. Be clear and concise
Craft a survey that includes five to 10 questions and make sure it will take no more than a few minutes to complete.
2. Pick an appropriate time frame
The best time to send a post-graduate survey is three to 12 months after graduation. A short time frame likely leads to higher response rates, but a longer time frame can provide you with superior survey data and insights.
3. Choose the right survey questions
It helps to include a combination of open- and closed-ended survey questions. Every question should be easy to understand and encourage responses that highlight the quality and effectiveness of your school’s degree programs.
4. Share the survey across multiple channels
Use social media, email, and other communication methods to reach your graduates and get their insights. Give them many opportunities to submit survey responses via their preferred communication channels.
5. Offer incentives
If possible, offer a reward or sweepstakes to post-graduate survey responders. This will improve your response rate and help get honest, unbiased responses.
Once you have the survey results, review them closely. Organize data and search for patterns and trends hidden within it. After you understand how your degree programs help students achieve their career goals, you can publish the results on your website and craft a story around them that will help recruit the graduates of tomorrow.
How to highlight post-graduate survey results on your website
Charts, graphs, and other visualizations can bring post-graduate survey results to life. Feature them in blog posts, social media content, infographics, and other shareable web content.
You can compare and contrast your survey results with data from other sources, too. For example, you may be able to use your results to show what graduates are earning relative to the national average in their industry based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. You may also find comparable data from other schools in your area via the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
Lastly, leverage personal stories from graduates whenever possible. A personal story can be paired with survey results to create a powerful testimonial that illustrates the value of your degree program.
Want to improve your higher-ed website? Partner with KWALL.
How you display post-graduate survey results in relation to other content on your website can have far-flung effects on your school’s ability to drive enrollment. If you need extra help as you seek out ways to enhance your site, partner with KWALL. We’ll help you build a website that can digitally grow your brand. Contact KWALL today to find out how we can help you improve your website.
