Is your Admissions department like a revolving door? Staff turnover in any department is always challenging. It puts additional stress on the remaining personnel, the hiring process can often be time consuming and there's no guarantee the person you select is really the best candidate. The opportunity costs in lost productivity associated with staff turn over are significant, especially in Admissions. Adopting an effective selection program is the best place to begin to address these issues.

First Things First. Chances are you already have some top notch admissions personnel. Do you know what makes them a super star? Just as we recommend profiling your graduates, so you should do with your staff! There are many useful profiling tools available for this purpose. Start by determining which instrument provides you with the most useful information. There are some differences between these assessments so you'll want to identify the one that best fits your needs. Your top performers should then complete the profile so you begin to identify traits and patterns. This tool can then be included as part of your hiring process. Please note that this should only be ONE factor...not the sole determination.

One of the most effective places to utlize this tool is with your finalists. If you have two or three strong candidates this may assist you in determining which of them will be the best fit with your culture. Many of the profiling programs available will, in addition to scaling specific traits, provide you with suggestions regarding how best to motivate and supervise each individual. This information is extremely valuable if used in the training, orientation and supervision process.

Attracting Strong Candidates Make sure that you clearly advertise the position expectations. If you are looking for outgoing, self-directed individuals with specific types of previous experience, be sure you state that. The more specific you can be in your posting the more likely you will be to attract the type of candidates you want.

One of the best sources for applicants is to ask your existing staff. People tend to associate with others like themselves. Talk with your current employees. Chances are they know others who possess the skills you need. Some times you find good people in unlikely places. For instance, you may be impressed with individuals you run across in restaurants, hotels, department stores, etc. Look for those basic traits that you observe in your performers. With a strong training program you can turn these individuals in to effective admissions personnel.

"Treat your hiring process as much as a public relations event as staff selection"

“Show Me”. You cannot always tell just from reviewing a resume whether or not the person possesses the skills you need. Your selection process should include opportunity for prospective admissions staff to show you what they are really like. It’s fairly easy for an individual to interview well. However, under the right circumstances you will be able to quickly determine if someone truly has 'the right stuff'. One of the best ways to accomplish this is a group interview. Invite all of your applicants in to an information session. This saves you considerable time by covering generic information in a group rather than in individual interviews. This also allows you to meet all your candidates and increases the chances of finding the best person. Typically, the group interview will last 60 to 90 minutes and should be divided in to two sections. The first should consist of providing information about your institution, job expectations, duties, etc. This is your opportunity to accomplish two things:

1. Promote Your Institution. After all, your applicants are also potential students and will be talking with others about their experience. Many colleges have enrolled students as a direct result of running a top-notch staff recruiting program! Review the history and mission of your institution, provide them with clear information on what makes you different, your institutional philosophy and culture. This helps to ensure applicants are a good fit for your college. Treat your hiring process as much as a public relations event as staff selection.

2. Allow Applicants to Self-Select Out of the Process. During your informational session, accurately describe the job expectations, performance measures, benefits, salary, etc. This information is important to applicants. By covering this at the initial meeting, you can provide them with the details that will help them determine whether or not they want to pursue the position. Why is that important? Many times strong candidates drop out of the selection process once they have all this information. Don’t spend your time interviewing people who might take themselves out of the mix once they know the details.

The second part of the group interview is an opportunity for the remaining applicants to demonstrate their ability to perform admissions activities. Regardless of whether they will be responsible for inside or community recruiting efforts, they will need to speak in front of groups and think on their feet. Give them a scenario and ask them to speak for 2-3 minutes on that topic. You will need to time this portion as some applicants will go keep talking unless you strictly monitor their time! You can either provide them with one particular topic, or several options and allow them to choose. Regardless, it should be something they feel comfortable talking about. The point is not their content knowledge so much as how they present and interact with the group. You want to identify candidates that best reflect your image.

After the presentation, thank the group for attending and provide them with your follow-up time line. You should close this just as you would any other first interview. There are many variations to the wrap up and you will want to adopt the one that best fits your needs. You can just let everyone leave at this point. Or you may want to speak with them individually as they leave. A similar twist is to ask them to write information concerning their interest level and reasons they feel they are a good fitthis on a form and hand it in on their way out.

Personal Interviews Regardless of how you decide to end the group interview, you and your staff should immediately discuss each applicant and determine which individuals you would like to invite back for an personal interview. You will be surprised at how consistent the consensus will be! Don't wait until the next day to have this discussion. It is important to do this right away so that the applicants are fresh in your mind. You will also find a side benefit to this process in that you may identify individuals who are candidates for positions in other departments. Consequently, you begin to collect a strong pool of for postions throughout your institution.

During your personal interview you are now in a better position to ask more probing questions to further narrow your selection. Depending on the number of people you invite back, you may choose to check references prior to your meeting. This is also a good place to utilize the assessment tool you have chosen and compare your finalist to your existing personnel.

Bringing it All Together Implementing a process to identify and secure admissions personnel who are more like your existing and effective staff will return benefits to you in reduced staff turn over and increased productivity. The group interview and incorporation of an assessment tool are two effective tactics sure to help you identify the best candidates.