The Placement Exchange

Helping to redefine the leading job-search tool for Student Affairs professionals.

Objective:
Bouncing back from the COVID pandemic, campus housing and student affairs became pivotal departments empowering the movement to bring students back to life on campus. In light of the growth, The Placement Exchange (TPE) – the country’s premier job-search tool for campus housing professionals – was ready to update its brand and website to meet the new wave of applicants and institutions looking to hire.

Strategy:
The Mekanic team spent time researching not only the student affairs profession but also investigating what made job-search tools and resources exciting and helpful to job-seekers everywhere. The team spent time speaking with various leaders from different higher-ed institutions to also understand what these schools were looking for in applicants and how they felt the industry had evolved, especially in light of the pandemic and where it might be going next. From these conversations, we began to see that there were two primary audiences that TPE needed to speak to, and that it needed to do so equally. This dual audience were essentially looking for one another – and the meeting place would be TPE.

Tactics:

We began by updating TPE’s topline and supporting messaging including its purpose, promise, and positioning statements, mantra, and internal drumbeats. This language formed the base for and inspired the design team to concept logos, colors, and an entire design system that was modern, approachable, and inclusive of the audiences TPE serves and attracts. Mekanic’s approach to the website relied on keeping things simple, clear, and easy to use – as functionality was something we knew would be deeply appreciated by those coming to the TPE site.

Outcome:

The new TPE brand launched in the spring of 2024, and was received extremely well by both job-seekers and job-posters. Dr. Melvin Jackson, Assistance Vice Provost for Faculty Engagement at North Carolina State University, wrote, “The new iteration of The Placement Exchange is crucial for our profession as it embraces innovation and adaptability, providing a cutting-edge platform for employers and candidates to connect virtually and in a more accessible format.”