Be present. 100% present.

Even though we have done this a million times over....it is the first time for them. 

Allow your own personality to come through and find a commonality with the student. Use the WIIFM as well (what’s in it for me) Explain to them how education can really change their lives 😊

Keep the student engaged and involved in the interview.  Keep the open-ended questions coming!

-Jamila

Keep the student engaged and involved in the interview.  Keep the open-ended questions coming!

-Jamila

Keep the student engaged and involved in the interview.  Keep the open-ended questions coming!

-Jamila

Just being present and in the moment with the student. REALLY listening to them, and not worrying about anything else that you have going on. Building that rapport and trust, while learning about them and their story. 

Ask more opened ended questions regarding your students and their needs. Encourage our students more to talk about themselves to uncover more of their needs so we can easily apply Herzing University benefits to our students.

Supervisor :Make sure you are doing additional branching on one question.  e.g.  The student says I want to make more money. I say why do you want to make more money. Student says support my children.  I say what types of things or ways can would you be able to support your children more financially.  Student says.  I can have a college fund for them and we will be able to take trips to Disney world.  

Something I learned a really long time ago from a manager was just to never assume... if you have a question, always ask it to the student, so that you don't move forward with incorrect assumptions about a situation/feeling etc. !

PRICE and the Herzing Hug <3 

Jen has done a fabulous job helping us not only understand why these values are so important, but she is helping us live it as well in our roles as admission advisors. 

The advise I gave a direct report recently was to not take what a student says at face value and move on, but probe their responses to get a better understanding of who they are and what they need. This happens primarily when a student mentions a program that we don't offer. This particular advisor was quick to discontinue the call at that time, but I had to remind them that we are here to help and service students. Even if their end result doesn't lead them to Herzing, we need to know that we have educated that student and helped them in some way on their educational journey. That is the Gold Standard of customer service - even when it doesn't benefit us as employees, the student should still feel that they are in a better position because they had the opportunity to speak with someone at Herzing. That could yield dividends far greater than 1 student. This advisor came back to me at the end of last week and thanked me fro my perspective and told me they had some success doing it that way, and was able to get into a few more interviews. 

My best tip I've received from Jen during the training this week has been the importance of remembering the framework. The rest will come on its own with time and practice. It's important to lay a good groundwork for the student! :) 

• A positive feedback I received: You always have a positive tone and make the student feel important and that is something you do well. This is true....make the caller on the other end feel important at all times even within your tone of voice is key to connection. Smile it works.

• A best practice I received: It is okay to pause so you don't ask too many questions at once....what I took out of that was sometimes just  give you time to process the next question to ask and pausing gives reflection of the conversation.

Be engaged and listen.... this might be the 4th interview that you've conducted that day, but each student deserves 100% of your attention and focus.  This could be life changing for them!  Treat them like you would want to be treated.

One tip I found really helpful from my Director was to check in with my student's throughout the interview. I tend to speak very fast but I found it most helpful to stop after each custom show slide with the question, "Does this make sense? Any questions/clarification needed?" This ensures the student is comprehending the information presented. 

The  best tip that I have had is to speak to your student the same way you would speak to your friends if you were at the park just chatting. Being genuine and taking an interest in what the student is saying can change everything. Students can tell if you actually care or if you are just checking off the boxes. Over the few years that I have been fully admissions, I have learned a lot from my students just by listening to them and truly caring about what they are saying to me. 

Even though the student might sound busy, continue with the interview until they tell me they are unable to talk. Most times they are looking for an out due to talking to a lot schools but if we keep them engaged they'll most likely end up with a full interview instead of scheduling an appointment where they probably wont show up. 

My manager encouraged me to ask the question, "tell me about your future goals once you have graduated".  This helps the student open up and helps me understand how to guide him or her based on what they say.  

I realized this past week that I was more concerned about getting every question answered from our "Interview Script" and not engaging with the students over the phone. I was more focused on making it to the VP than actively building rapport with potential students. I spoke with my DOA and we noticed I've been having a high number of interviews but the turnover rate of those students actually enrolling was low. This was when i realized that something needed to change in order for me to produce the results that I truly wanted, which is to engage meaningfully with each student while building my enrollment numbers. 

Be organized! While an interview can go all over the place sometimes, always find a way to reel it back in and keep the student on track. It helps save time and confusion down the line. 

Don't be afraid of hearing "No".

One tip that I have been able to apply to make student interviews even better is to really build rapport with each student and be authentic. 

Hello!  I would say that slowing down , taking time to learn the Herzing Way processes are essential in finding the right fit for our University and taking the time to make mistakes , avoid perfectionism and glean valuable lessons from those mistakes will only enhance my own daily experiences as I continue training under Herzing Way and the admissions process become seamless for the potential student as well. 

Let them be in the driver's seat, you just give them the directions on when to turn.  

I would say that building rapport with your students and then setting deadlines to accomplish and complete the enrollment steps. 

Always listen for understanding and not to just respond to the student, be engaged and in the moment.

I have learned that it is important to have create good systems to keep track of your students progress.  This helps the student once they apply to have a smooth transition into the University.  Making and keeping appointments and coming up with a system that works for you to keep track of their progress.  I use a spread sheet with the student I am working with, so when they call I can quickly see where they are at in the process.  It also helps when mangers are looking for an update on who may move forward that particular week.

I've had a lot of success using the POINT intro and setting a solid agenda for the call.

I have received a lot of wonderful "best practices" or tips throughout the years, but the best advice is to truly listen to the student and try to really connect with them and be in the moment.  Always be genuine. 

Hello! One tip that I've received and applied to improve my student interviews is that what is right for one adivsor may not be right for another. Incorporate doing what works for you and your personality with building rapport with the students helps build connection and trust.

Listen! Listen! Listen! The connection one can achieve by listening will help not only the personal connection, but will also help connect the dots for the student (goals, abilities, program and school fit). You'll still have the opportunity to get through your talking points, but they'll come more naturally when you can relate to the student and that can only happen if you LISTEN!

 Our recent PDI team meetings have given me a great opportunity to collaborate with team members who excel at PDI’s . My team has helped me to view PDI’s as a friendly conversation instead of an awkward ask. They have helped me to become more confident in requesting PDI’s and how to identify new opportunities to ask. This in turn can also benefit our students by providing them with a great support system when friends or family join them in their journey to further their careers together. 

Really listen so you can connect.- ask exploratory questions - get to know that student that is what makes us different from other schools 

Remembering that every interview we do is the first one for the student. So despite us having to do the interview over and over again each day  we remember that we need to keep the excitement as the student should be excited they are taking this big step!