Office Interviews
At my college we do not conduct interviews in your personal office. Rather, we conduct them in a designated interview room. Does conducting interviews in an office create a sense of comfort and a more personable environment?
Representatives at our location perform Conducts in conference rooms. I prefer this environment rather than our office as there could be 12 other reps working simultaneously. Distractions like phone calls and office chatter can be eliminated by conducting the interview in a seperate conference room.
I agree with you. Doing an interview in a place that is quiet and without any additional distractions can only help with the interviewing process.
At our school we have a designated area off of our lobby to conduct Admissions Interviews. I prefer this to having students in the office for two reasons. Reason one, is that I share an office with 3 other Admissions Personnel and there is no private area to meet with the student. Reason two, I feel that the prospective student is put at ease to meet on a neutral site, so to speak. Many of the students I meet with are intimidated with the prospect of going back to school and I feel that the neutral site helps to ease them into the concept of going back to school.
I concurr with this statement. Our personal items within our desk space can easily create off topic discussions that could potentially ruin the interview.
I like doing my interviews in my office. I have all available information and programs at my fingertips. There was a time when our offices were all open and side by side and this was not good because everyone could hear every conversation, nothing was private.
I feel that a private setting is more appropriate for interviewing students. I believe it allows them to open up more and that environment has more of a personal feel.
John,
I feel that when you conduct the interview in your office, the student gets a feel for who you are as a person. They can ask you questions about the pictures or what not you have in your personal space. It can be a point of discussion. How do you feel about this?
thank you,
Erin Evans
I like interviewing in my office, because I have a my finger tips additional information that I may want to give to a perspective student that may assist them in the program of their choice.
At my school, we conduct interviews in our cubicles. I think it does create a more personable environment. I think it's important to not be in a closed off office because then who knows what is being said in there? Being in the open air, reps can learn from each other as well.
I agree. Students tend to share more and a lot of the information we hear from students should be kept confidential. Being in an open 'cubicle' area definitely restricts the student from opening up. Being taken into an 'interview' room could make the student feel like they are about to be interrogated. Having the comforts and the privacy of an office sets the stage for the interview and allows them to feel like they can open up.
I have conducted interviews in boh settings. I can see the pros and cons to both. Having a more private "interview" room may make some prosepcts feel more comfortable due to the privacy aspect. However, it may make others more nervous because of the seclusion.
I think that some prospects would feel more comfortable, and be more likely to open up when they see the "personal" items of the agent when they are in your office. It could help to find a common interest to start building rapport. Again, this could distract other prospects as well.
I also like having a private area for conducting an interview - students will open up easier and keeps the noise level down as well.
This is a good topic. I have conducted in my own office and cubicle, and in a separate room for conducts. One advantage of the office or cubicle is access to one's store of resources. I think it's important to have career and academic information displayed and an uncluttered space.
Interview rooms can be nice because you don't have to worry about "housecleaning" Also, the school will often have very professional displays in the interview rooms that a Rep can use to advantage.
I don't have a strong preference.
I prefer to use my personal office. I have examples of student work that i need to show my prospects. Plus i keep all of my information in one spot that way if a student has a question about housing for example i can give them a hand out and keep the interview flowing.
Yes, I think that having interview in the office makes prospective student more comfortable especially when he/she has to come back and see the admission representative while completing the admission process.
I have to agree. I think by bringing them into your office it kind of calms them down and makes them think that you are on their side. I think by taking them to another room makes them almost feel like it is an interview and their anxiety level goes up. I like having them sit in my office, I feel they open up more to me and the interview seems to flow better.
I interview in my office and find that people are much more comfortable discussing their wants and needs in a private setting.
We use conduct rooms also at my school - eliminates distractions and ringing phones.
A designated interview room is more professional. It sets a higher expectation for the student and allows them to recognize that they are receiving a high quality education from a recognized institution.
