• Take the time to build a relationship with employers – With more candidates than jobs out there, how do you differentiate yourself and your school from the competition? Getting to know the employers, taking the time to develop a long-lasting relationship, and building a foundation for a time when there ARE more jobs out there will help your team place more students now and especially in the future.
  
  
• It’s time to sell your school – Maybe you have never considered Career Services as a sales position, but it really is!  Sell your school and your candidates.  Invite employers to visit the campus, have professional-looking collateral to give to employers AND make sure your graduates have professional resumes.
  
  
• Be proactive - Don’t forget to follow up with both employers and students.  Staying on top of the process for each and every one of your employers and students keeps it moving forward. Now is not the time to wait for employers to contact you.

These are just a few ways to improve some of the career service practices at your campus. Don’t let the current economic climate get in the way of placing your graduates.

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Great question! And in fact, this is one we’ve tossed around ourselves when we do sales training. What makes one college superior to the other?  The answer is really an individual choice of fit and value.  Does the student believe the benefits of the school (and outcomes) match or outweigh the costs (in dollars, time and other sacrifices).  Simple right?  Well…here is the disconnect.

If the answer for the student is finding the right fit and value, then I wonder how they deal with admission sales practices that push them away?  Think about it.  From the very beginning many admission professionals have been taught to not give prospects information over the phone and to push them to come on campus for a visit.  So much for fit, huh?  If we truly wanted to match them, we would offer information in the way they want to receive it and when they want it, wouldn’t we? 

And how do we demonstrate value?  In many admission offices the use of scripts, information sheets, structured interviews and sometimes overly aggressive sales strategies push more students away than bring them in the door.  I’m all for structure, however the idea of following a strict pattern means we are only connecting with those who want to buy that way.  Seriously, take a look at conversion rates from lead to app.  Are there more prospects opting out than in?  At what stage of the funnel is this most identifiable?  What happened to all those people who didn’t make it through the funnel?  They’re really sending a strong message if you listen – “I don’t see the value”, “I’m not interested in jumping through your hoops to get the information I need” and “I don’t want to buy the way you sell.”  

So the naïve question from my Australian friends is one to ponder and act upon.  Why WOULD someone choose a more expensive educational option?   There are plenty of great schools and colleges out there.  Marketing departments have kept pace with innovative approaches to lead generation; but what about all the prospects that haven’t even stepped through the doors?  If the idea of fit and value are key indicators for sales, my guess is the experience begins in the admissions office and yet, that’s where a majority of prospects opt out.  

Oh...and Jill asked another great question, “Why would admission offices keep doing the same old thing when it chases more people away than enrolls them?”  That’s a question I couldn’t answer.  

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Once you’re ready to hold the meeting, appoint a facilitator to take notes and set a time limit for the meeting to be held. The brainstorm should be a place free of criticism, where all ideas are valued in a trusting environment. While everyone throws out their ideas – even if they sound crazy – write them all down.

At the end of the meeting, collect all ideas and generate a list of the ones you think are the most do-able. Notify every one of the ideas and how you plan to move forward.

There are a variety of websites and books devoted to brainstorming. For more information, visit the Fast Company slideshow, “10 Rules of Effective Brainstorming” here.

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