It’s no secret that today’s prospective students are looking for career opportunities at the end of their college experience. Unfortunately, many of them declare a major with very little exploration and/or thought. Admissions representatives regularly get asked two questions: “What kind of job can I get with this degree?” and “How much money can I make at this job?”

How do your representatives respond?

1)   Respond with an answer they “guess” is correct.

2)   Gloss over the point and continues the interview, hoping the prospective student doesn’t ask the question again.

3)   Respond by saying, “That’s a good question! I don’t know the answer to that question, but hold on a moment and let me call our Career Services office and ask for someone to come join us to answer your questions.”

Often prospective students are focused only the on salary figures or job potential. These areas certainly need to be part of the decision. However, other considerations should also be given including the obvious—skills, interests and ability to succeed in a given profession.

The ability for your admissions staff to answer basic questions concerning career opportunities related to your programs determines, to a large extent, whether or not the student will end up at your institution. It builds credibility and begins to create the important bond between your college and the student that leads to retention success.

Recruiting Graduates. Yes, Admissions is responsible primarily for working with prospective students and assisting them in beginning classes at your school. However, retention begins at the ‘front door’ and relying only on recruiting more new students is a dangerous practice. If you don’t pay attention to keeping students once they are attending classes, you will continually need to bring in more and more new—eventually this catches up with you!

Many studies have been done over the years concerning retention factors. Consistently, the level of confidence a student has in their chosen career is a high indicator of their persistence. Therefore, a large part of the strategy to ‘enroll graduates’ will be related to assisting students to identify a good occupational ‘fit’ as early as possible.

Realistic Expectations. Getting Career Services involved in the initial appointment to answer the job and salary questions will help your admissions representative perform their job better. It also helps prospective students set realistic expectations about their chosen career and the kinds of jobs and salary levels that can be expected upon graduation. Too many students are disappointed when they start the job search process because they have unrealistic expectations. Because word of mouth is always your best advertising, you definitely don’t want recent graduates discouraging potential students from attending your institution.

Career Services can also train Admissions staff on the use of “quick” career exploration tools during the initial appointment. These tools often take just a couple of minutes to administer and are easily interpreted. If a prospective student has more in-depth questions, Career Services personnel can come join the conversation or a follow-up appointment can be set to more fully assist the student.

If Career Services personnel are not available, there are many online resources that your Admissions Representatives can access during an interview. I've listed just a few below:

O*NET™ Online      www.online.onetcenter.org

Click on Find Occupations to search for occupational information using the O*NET-SOC code indicated in your personalized report.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook
www.stats.bls.gov/oco

Search for occupational information in the A-Z index. This valuable resource includes information on job outlook, educational requirement and professional associations.

America’s Career InfoNet         www.acinet.org

Search for salary averages and employment trends, occupational requirements, state by state labor market conditions and employer contacts nationwide.

There are many advantages of coordinating career discussions within the admissions process, and a variety of tools are available that can easily be incorporated in your existing procedures.

Charles Valentine has over 14 years experience in higher education at short-term institutions and university-level institutions. His professional roles include adjunct faculty, and administrative positions in advising, student affairs, and student services. Charles has extensive experience in developing and implementing enrollment strategy, process refinement and staff training. He has special emphasis on student services, advising and career development. He also regularly participates in data analysis and report development initiatives. He holds both an MBA and Masters in Counseling.