Recruiting Intelligence

We'd like to proudly introduce a new content source for you-- Intead Index-- a set of indices that provides you with all of the information you need to make informed decisions. We will publish the lists regularly on the blog over the next few months.We will be publishing a compilation of these lists on a yearly basis. While we'd like to think that our research is comprehensive, we know that there might be service providers we inadvertently overlooked. That's where you, our loyal readers, come into the picture.  We welcome your comments and additions to the lists. Feel free to use the provided link to share your feedback. 

As institutions attempt to distinguish themselves from competitors, university marketers and recruiters seek additional means of highlighting institutional strengths. One of the previously overlooked, yet easily highlightable, assets is post-graduation career placement. As we've mentioned in the past on this blog, we strongly encourage our clients and colleagues to highlight post-graduation employment. Students and especially parents are increasingly interested in learning about how your graduates fare in the job market. Though international students have a unique set of circumstances regarding post-graduation employment, understanding the career prospects of graduates is frequently listed as an important factor for higher education selection.

Peanut butter and jelly. Batman and Robin. Abbott and Costello. And the most recent dynamic duo: teenager and internet. Since the iPhone became a regular at the family dinner table, the landscape of teenage life has changed—including how they search for, and ultimately choose, an institution of higher education.

You already know this, and so do today’s wide range of digital lead generation services. These digital services can provide a more student-driven, personal search process that suits today’s independent and tech-savvy teens—a far leap from the mass mailings (or even e-mailings) from student search service contact lists. See our recent blog-- Digital Direct Marketing to International Students: Are You on Target? Several of these services even offer international expertise. Want to know where to start? Here are some key considerations.

In a world of fast-paced activity and seemengly never ending responsibilities, it isn't always easy to find the time to listen. It's important to take a break from charting progress, developing novel programs and tools, and talking through brochures, websites, social media and face-to-face. Listening is critical. With that in mind we recently conducted a focus group with international students, many of whom are college freshmen, to take the time to listen to what was important to them in the recruitment process. We learned four key takeaway messages which are outlined below.

International travel tours and college fair attendance are two of the biggest expense items in most international admissions departments that utilize this recruiting channel for their international student enrollment.  We have developed a list of criteria for you on how to select vendors for these trips.

In late 2013 we unveiled STOURY, a unique app designed to tell your university's story anywhere, in any language. STOURY allows you to deliver dynamic, vibrant and informative conversations.

We've been in the fields of higher education, international student recruitment and digital marketing for quite a while and we've found there is ONE QUESTION EVERYONE ASKS.

This year, we have been asked to recruit 10% more international students to internationalize our campus and to raise the necessary tuition revenue. Yes, we understand the financial pressures that we are under as a college and greater international student enrollment can be part of our long-term viability as we have been tracking a trend of weaker demographics in our typical domestic recruitment region. In talking to prospective domestic students and their parents, I know the pressure our higher tuition bills put on families.

I love what we accomplish as a college. We may not belong to the elite group of colleges, but I know we do change lives. More precisely, our professors, academic and other advisors, counselors, and fellow students change lives.

Claudia Osna Geber is our newest Intead intern. Ms. Geber and her husband arrived in New York a few weeks ago to enhance their educational experiences and to live life abroad. As international students they are able to provide a unique perspective to our readers. This is Ms. Geber's first piece for the Intead Recruiting Intelligence Blog. Her experiences and insights can help to inform those who are in the business of international student marketing and international student recruitment.

The visa interview is one of the unpleasant steps in the process of becoming an international student in the United States.  We recently had a conversation with Tony Edson, who worked for the State Department for 28 years and dealt with the visa process.  We suggest five activities to help your prospective students feel more comfortable with the process.  You can dispel online and offline rumors that make your students nervous during the interview, set the right tone and show that you care about your students. You will be doing your job better, increasing the odds of your students receiving the visa without a hitch and allowing them to enroll at your college. Don't leave it up to chance.