Building Effective Recruiting Relationships with Your Alumni

1
Building Effective Recruiting Relationships with
Your Alumni

• Survey says . . .
• What will motivate your alumni?
• Ways to engage alumni in recruiting efforts
• Training alumni
• University fairs
• Contacting prospective students
• Interviewing students
• Spotlight on the Middle East

2
Survey says . . .

• EducationUSA advisers
• Partner with alumni and seek innovative ways to
  work with them
  
• Want to work closely with US universities and
  their alumni
  
• Stress the influence that alumni have on
  prospective students and their parents

3
EducationUSA Adviser Suggestions

• Inform them about the graduation of their
  students
  
• Train students to do preliminary interviews with
  prospective students
  
• Train students to make presentations on study
  abroad
  
• Train students how to network
• Involve students early in mentoring programs
• Provide them with the motivation to help in
  recruitment
  
• Consider sub-contracting with a company in new
  markets
  
• Encourage alumni to talk about college planning
  at junior high school level to develop a better
  intake stream
  
• Consider asking professors to choose 5
  international students to contact

4
What will motivate your alumni to stay in touch?

• Ask them!
• Relationships, relationships, relationships
• Educate them about the meaning and benefits of
  being an alumnus/ae
  
• Formalize your international alumni
  program/recruiting network
  
• Offer career development incentives

5
Ways to Engage Alumni in Recruiting Efforts

• Assist at fairs
• Contact or interview prospective students
• Host admitted student events
• Give advice on logistics, schools to visit,
  timing, where to advertise, local arrangements,
  etc.
  
• Be guest speakers
• Host alumni events
• Help you develop a network partnership
• Should you compensate alumni for their help?

6
Training Alumni

• On campus
• Use veteran admissions alumni to assist in
  training
  
• Handbooks, hand-outs, PPts and on-line training
• Provide updated materials
• Interview techniques
• FAQs
• Fair etiquette
• Interview reports/contact sheets

7
University Fairs

• Invite parents of current students as well as
  alumni to assist or represent your institution
  
• Confirm/reconfirm time and rules
• Ideally, meet before the fair
• Bring name badges, gifts
• Debrief them on their impressions of prospective
  student concerns, FAQs, and the event
  logistics/promotion
  
• Plan a social event after the fair

8
Contacting Prospective Students

• Encourage alumni to share their own experiences
  and speak from the heart
  
• Answer the questions they can pass on those
  they cant to admissions
  
• Provide suggested scripts and hints

9
Interviewing Students

• Clarify the goals of the interview
• Interviews are only as helpful as the write-up
  and the strength of the report.
  
• DVC interviews at educational advising offices

10
Focus on the Middle East

• Alumni may be your most influential promotion
• Relationship building
• Introducing the concept of alumni
• Recruitment training
• Challenges
• Tips
• Best practices