Working in international higher education recruitment can be a rewarding profession: you’re helping students better their education and have life-changing experiences. But it’s not without challenges either.
Here are four common student recruitment challenges all recruiters face – and some tips on how to overcome them.
1. Students can withhold information
For recruitment to be a successful and positive experience, transparency is needed from both ends of the relationship – recruiter and student.
However, sometimes students will be so worried about not getting into a course or country, that they will hide important information from you or provide non-genuine documentation.
When sifting through all the applications you receive, it can be hard to know whether they're fraudulent or not – there are many times an application looks so genuine, that even the most experienced counsellors get tricked.
According to some industry experts, 60 to 70% of students provide wrong information, so it’s a very common challenge.
Solution: Have an open, upfront conversation EARLY in the process
When interacting face-to-face with a student, you can more easily judge whether they are genuine or whether they are hiding any information.
If you sense they are not providing correct details, having an open, upfront conversation with the student about how the process works can help them understand why you need to know about critical details like backlogs and previous visa rejections.
Make sure you do this early in the working relationship, so you establish reasonable expectations.
2. Operating in a competitive marketplace
International education can be a very competitive industry to operate within.
Before they sign up with you, students will be researching other recruitment businesses alongside your own. Even when students are on your books, other recruiters may contact them directly to try and win their business.
So how can you stand out from the crowd?
Solution: Build up a strong referral pipeline
Reputation and word of mouth are critical for international higher education recruiters. Students will ask their friends, families, and peers about their experiences with you.
Delivering great service and building up a strong reputation will help you create a pipeline of referrals, which is an excellent way to win more business. If these prospective clients have heard great things about you, they are very likely to want to work with you.
Asking your students to write online reviews or provide positive testimonials is a crucial way for recruiters to stand out in the industry.
3. Managing student expectations
Making sure you send a quality application to an institution while getting back to the student in a timely manner can be challenging to accomplish.
There are many moving parts in the process that recruiters need to stay on top of. For example, an application could get stuck at the verification stage because the bank is not replying.
From the student’s perspective, it can seem worrying if things are moving more slowly than they expected, and it can even lead them to approach other agents.
Solution: Be transparent when communicating with your students
Consider providing students with updates, even if there are none. Sometimes just hearing from a counsellor that delays are normal is enough to put a concerned student at ease.
Never make false promises to a student, such as guaranteeing an offer letter within a few days when you know it could take longer. Keep students updated on the current scenario and be transparent about any delays and why they are happening.
4. Students that change their minds
There’s nothing stopping students from changing their minds about an institution after they arrive in a destination country. Sometimes this is for genuine reasons, but other times, it’s a calculated choice.
For example, a student might want to find a cheaper institution or, in some cases, just want to get into a course to secure a visa.
When they change their minds, students might go to an onshore recruiter instead of you, and it could impact your retention rates.
Solution: Listen carefully in mock interviews
To assess whether a student’s motivations are genuine, make sure you listen carefully during mock interview sessions.
Ask some behavioural questions to judge whether they actually want to study in a particular country or university or if they only want to use a student visa to enter a particular country.
Also, consider whether there is course progression. For example, if a student has already done a master’s degree and they are applying for a second or third one, does this seem like a genuine career move to you?
Being confident about these details will ensure you source quality applications with a high chance of the student completing their course.
