Fairly simple words of wisdom. Stick to the script. Don't quote specifics until they are expressed by someone that is certified to give you that information. Do not guess. Try to inform the student with doing someone else's job.
Jeremy,
Chris has a great post in this area as well.
Cindy Bryant, Facilitator
Hi Chris,
Thank you for easy to follow points. I would like to add;
4. Always refer to the catalog and disclosures
Cindy Bryant, Facilitator
I agree. I would tell then to be honest and tell the student they are not sure of the correct information but that they will find out.
Instruct new employees not to respond to any question that they are unsure of. They should instead say that they do not know, but will look into it and get back to the person asking the question.
Transparency and Accuracy
Be transparent: Be sure to provide any information the student needs to know about the institution the agent is representing.
Be accurate: Be sure that any information provided to the student is 100% accurate and not misleading.
If the new agent finds themselves in a situation where one of the above said could be in jeopardy, it is in the best interest of the student and the school that the new agent seek out the assistance of a trained team member that can be both transparent and accurate.
Learning about what defines misrepresentation is a great opportunity for any of us to become better at what we do. Everyone in this forum has made excellent comments. I think what I gained from this is 3 fold.
1. If you dont know, dont assume that you do. Ask someone who does know.
2. Education is an opportunity to provide someone with a "REALISTIC" future. (i.e. dont overelaborate or speculate)
3. Stick to the facts. We all know that we are here to help people obtain their goals. Opinions are nice, but facts represent truth.
In the end if we misrepresent information to our students we are setting them up for failure and none of us want that.
Alison,
As an educator we have a responsibility to educate ourselves in the rules and regulations that govern us.
Educating yourself through product knowledge is an excellent way to stay on top of the industry standards.
Cindy Bryant, Facilitator
Steve,
Great advice, many people fail to realize that the use of superlatives can lead to misrepresentation.
Cindy Bryant, Facilitator
Hi Justina,
Many times new employees are very anxious to help students and in their efforts they may risk misrepresentation. I totally agree that they need to step back and seek exper advice to avoid an uncomfortable situation.
Cindy Bryant, Facilitator
When I first started working in education, I educated myself as much as possible. I firmly believe that this job takes around a year to "figure" out. The only way that you can prevent misrepresentation is by constantly educating your self on the latest regulations and laws. In my campus, we have implemented having the department chair for each program come to our friday meetings to update us on upcoming certification or regulation changes.
Excellent answer, Justina. I'm in complete agreement. I would also encourage new employees to learn as much as possible on their own about the college via the website, course catalog and visiting with program coordinators and faculty keeping in mind to stay away from words like "greatest" instructors or "best" equipment as per the training module.
Typically institutions have an “on boarding†or training process before representatives can obtain their Agent Card as an authorized representative on an institution. Because regulations are changing and any fraudulent statement could result in a serious fine to the institution I would encourage new employees to not be afraid to say “I don’t know, but I will find out.†Seek out the executive for the correct answer before guessing or being afraid of sounding uninformed. The prospective student will appreciate your honesty and the institution will appreciate your attention to avoiding a misrepresentation infraction.
