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There are benefits to virtual recruitment that won ’ t go away .
Long distance recruiting
Report outlines three trends to boost student recruitment in Australia .
By Wade Zaglas
Quacquarelli Symonds ( QS ) emphasises that the COVID-19 pandemic has “ affected nearly every step of the student ’ s decision making journey ” in its latest report , arguing that this is the time for universities to do everything they can to boost their student enrolments .
Recent reports make clear that Australia and New Zealand are losing their competitive edge over academic strongholds including the US , the UK and Canada , and relying on the ‘ same old techniques ’ to lure students to a particular university would be particularly naive .
VIRTUAL RECRUITMENT EVENTS ARE ACCESSIBLE AND HIGHLY EFFECTIVE
One of the key findings from QS was that students seek personalised experiences with their university of choice – “ with relationshipbuilding interactions holding the key ”. The issue of scale and focused messaging is a benefit of virtual events .
“ With virtual events , prospective students can easily be channelled into receiving the information they need from the right person – and at a much faster pace than if they were seeking out information through various websites and forums ,” the QS report states .
“ While institutions may miss out on the casual conversations and face time with any number of students at an inperson event , the trade-off is clear : highly targeted information gathering and more communication options .”
Simon Margolis , QS ’ head of candidate partnerships for events , believes that virtual fairs provide institutions with a far easier way of disseminating their promotional videos .
“ At an in-person event , how many people will gather around an iPad and watch a video ? At a booth , they can watch your video at their leisure ,” he states .
Data gathering is another benefit of virtual fairs , Margolis believes , as the “ materials that students are downloading , viewing and engaging with are being tracked ... allowing institutions to more easily identify which students to reach out to post-event ”.
Indeed , QS ’ digital and events team measured the return on investment ( ROI ) of its virtual events by surveying student attendees after launching two new virtual seasons . The results were revealing :
• 82 per cent of student attendees intended to apply to at least two institutions they had met at the event .
• 75 per cent of student attendees said the event helped them make a study decision .
EVENTS THAT ARE CONTENT FOCUSED ARE WELL POSITIONED FOR ENGAGEMENT
Virtual conferences such as Zoom meetings , Google Hangouts and others remain the mainstay for a lot of remote learning and lockdowns . However , the phenomenon of ‘ Zoom fatigue ’ has been an unfortunate side-effect .
To counter this and ensure that events make the most of students ’ time , universities and other higher education institutions “ must find ways to fast-track conversations , ensuring that no time is wasted in receiving the most relevant information ,” QS recommends .
“ For virtual fair booths , leading with strong content can make all the difference in making lasting impressions on students quickly . Finding creative ways to attract students is vital , yet not as intuitive as it would be at a physical event .”
Another nice touch universities can offer prospective students at virtual fair booths are free e-gift cards , virtual giveaways or even a quiz that students can take on virtual arrival .
Universities can also participate in panel discussions , workshops and other offerings that fall under particular ‘ in demand ’ categories or subject disciplines . Examples could include ‘ Teaching for the future ’, ‘ Women in Business ’ and ‘ Adult Learner STEM Programmes ’, or simple faculty panels that handle enquiries regarding all faculty offerings .
DIGITAL INNOVATION IN RECRUITMENT IS HERE TO STAY
In what QS calls “ the new digital-first landscape ”, institutions must be prepared for students to prefer online or virtual recruitment . This covers everything from virtual open days , campus tours , meetings with academics and counsellors and other important course or university information . “ Through virtual events , you can see which candidates downloaded brochures or watched videos at your booth and save your chats to refer to your conversation later ,” QS notes .
The QS report also asserts that online recruitment events are invaluable in fostering new connections , not just for data gathering and new leads .
“ There are benefits to virtual recruitment that won ’ t go away .”
“ This kind of remote engagement – whether through webinars , online events and meetings – reaching an audience through a remote mechanism is going to stay .”
QS concludes that institutions must support students through a mix of physical and digital solutions .
“ Both virtual and physical recruitment events will continue to ensure strong ROI and prove appealing from an accessibility perspective . Having the right mix of event products will only provide more recruitment options across every region of the world to help meet candidate and higher education needs ,” QS Digital and Events managing director Claire Whittingham concluded . ■
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