ubaldo,
Thank you for sharing your perspective. It sounds like you are sensitive to those students who may not be completely at ease or sure of their decision to attend school. I get the sense that you work with them to determine what might help them to feel more confident and thus envision success for themselves. That's a great approach and I'm sure your students appreciate your willingness to work with them.
Shannon Gormley
Great points, Ubaldo. Making sure that you can communicate the benefits that your school has to offer may be what the student needs to determine where they "fit". It can also be helpful to elicit that information from the student as well by asking, "how do you think this might benefit you?"
Shannon Gormley
I think attitude is essential because is a reflection of your expertise.
I'm completely agree with you. The most important step is to create the right relation with the student in order to maintain the necessary rapport, which is the best way to keep the prospect interesting.
sometimes I have to be in front of a negative student with a very low self-esteem. In that case I have to recognize how important is to change his/her attitude. That's the moment when I have to use the right elements in order to be a successful counselor. With the right tools such as: knowledge, experience, attributes, right information and demonstrate them who important they are.
when we have the opportunity to be in front of the student, is important to have all the benefits available in order to offer the best information and a comfortable environment.
Roger, it sounds like you think it is important to develop a relationship with your students. You are right! It is. Once you develop rapport, you can move on to discuss the school and program. Great job!
Shannon Gormley
I agree people skills and your general attitude is the most important thing upfront. Once they can relate to you and trust you then the prospective candidate will be more comfortable in hearing the positives and negatives of the industry they are considering. Much more open to hearing about the school, industry and other things related to the school and industry
Brian,
You bring up some great points. Ultimately, to be successful in your role, all four of these elements are important. Knowing your product can help you to determine how it might line up with what your student is looking for. It also looks like you see the importance of choosing to have a positive attitude with every student interaction and truly focusing on the needs of the student in the moment. Great approaches when working with students. Keep it up!
Shannon Gormley
I believe that product knowledge is the most critical followed by people skills and attitude. They are critical because without the knowledge of the program an admissions rep would not be able to make sure that the program is truly the right fit for the student. Having people skills and attitude sets the stage for honest open dialogue with the potential student in order to bnest serve the student. At the end of the day, without these skills, students would just be farmed into programs that they may not necessarily be happy pursuing and therefore, dropping with nothing to show for their hard work and effort.
Jon,
That is a great point. It is helpful to be aware of your student's needs when working with them. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Shannon Gormley
I have found that all four elements have played a different role in each potential student have have interacted with. I find the percentage of importance with each element to vary depending on the goals and personality of each potential student. Some need my product knowledge more then anything else. While others have needed more of my people skills due to bad experiences at other schools.
Julio, great point. Yes, knowing the school and all of the benefits can help facilitate the right discussion with the student. I wonder, what are your thoughts on the other two elements, sales skills and attitude?
Shannon Gormley
I believe knowledge and people skills are important when helping students. These are critical because it ensures the student that they are in the right place.
Ubaldo, exactly right! While all elements have a place, attitude can set the tone for your experience with your students as well as your co-workers. Can you give me an example of a time when your attitude played a role in your work?
Shannon Gormley
I believe that all of them are very important, but to me the most important is the attitude, because this skill is the key to open the door to a great communication and the beginning of a successfully relationship between student and admissions rep.
There's no doubt that an admissions professional needs to have all four of these elements to be successful in their profession. You've identified a number of components that are important within each of the four skills. What do you do to activley improve your product knowledge, sales skills, people skills, and attitude?
An admissions professional has to master all four skills to serve his institution well. They have to know about their products in order to assist the prospective student's selection of the best course of studies. Having sales and people skills will ease the communication between the interested parties and facilitate the decision making process. Having a positive and influencing attitude will convince the prospective stuident that the decision they are making is right for them and that it will brighten their future.
I feel that people skills and attitude are most critical in serving students. People can sense attitude right off the bat. Staying positive is key in our role in admissions, it can set the tone for how your entire day can go. As far as people skills goes, that can make or break the entire process from the initial meeting to the start of class. Taking the extra step to having the student feel comfortable and want to share information with you should be your goal from the get go, allowing for everything to go smoothly from that point.
Great observations, Carolyn! An admissions rep's attitude is a critical component for their success indeed. One of the best thing about attitude is the power you have to choose your attitude on a daily basis and with every interaction!
