Office Interviews
At my college we do not conduct interviews in your personal office. Rather, we conduct them in a designated interview room. Does conducting interviews in an office create a sense of comfort and a more personable environment?
Interviewing in your personal office or an interview room shouldn't matter. If a prospective student is comfortable with you, the rep, that is the biggest concern. Building rapport and making sure that a student is comfortable speaking with you is the biggest concern. If your prospective student trusts you, it won't matter what environment you're in.
My thoughts would be that conducting an interview in a designated meeting room is best. There are too many "personal" things that could distract a candidate, when done in my own office (including phones ringing etc). I think it is nice to have a neutral place where the person can receive my complete attention.
I would agree, conducting them in a more comfortable, quiet location would be best. Our school does not do them face-to-face. I don't think they would want me scaring the students. :)
I handle multiple calls every day from potenetial consumer asking what they need to do to come to our facility to get services.
I to agree, we do conduct interviews face to face and are done in a comfortable, quiet location.
I to agree, we do conduct interviews face to face and are done in a comfortable, quiet location.
I have only conducted interviews in a cubicle or office setting. I have not experienced any difficulties or distractions.
I agree with Alicia. It really shouldn't matter where you interview someone, as long as you build rapport and make the student feel comfortable. I think that interviewing in my office is better because I do have pictures of my family and fun things hanging around. I think that sometimes these things help an awkward interview by having something to have small talk about. It shows the student that I have a family and I have a sense of humor and I'm not going to hurt them while they're here.
A personal office space is fine - and makes the prospective student more comfortable. However, while it is personal office space, I think a good mix of motivational items and graduate success items should be in the mix as well.
A designated interview room is more professional. It sets a higher expectation for the student and allows them to recognize that they are receiving a high quality education from a recognized institution.
We use conduct rooms also at my school - eliminates distractions and ringing phones.
I interview in my office and find that people are much more comfortable discussing their wants and needs in a private setting.
I have to agree. I think by bringing them into your office it kind of calms them down and makes them think that you are on their side. I think by taking them to another room makes them almost feel like it is an interview and their anxiety level goes up. I like having them sit in my office, I feel they open up more to me and the interview seems to flow better.
Yes, I think that having interview in the office makes prospective student more comfortable especially when he/she has to come back and see the admission representative while completing the admission process.
I prefer to use my personal office. I have examples of student work that i need to show my prospects. Plus i keep all of my information in one spot that way if a student has a question about housing for example i can give them a hand out and keep the interview flowing.
This is a good topic. I have conducted in my own office and cubicle, and in a separate room for conducts. One advantage of the office or cubicle is access to one's store of resources. I think it's important to have career and academic information displayed and an uncluttered space.
Interview rooms can be nice because you don't have to worry about "housecleaning" Also, the school will often have very professional displays in the interview rooms that a Rep can use to advantage.
I don't have a strong preference.
I also like having a private area for conducting an interview - students will open up easier and keeps the noise level down as well.
I have conducted interviews in boh settings. I can see the pros and cons to both. Having a more private "interview" room may make some prosepcts feel more comfortable due to the privacy aspect. However, it may make others more nervous because of the seclusion.
I think that some prospects would feel more comfortable, and be more likely to open up when they see the "personal" items of the agent when they are in your office. It could help to find a common interest to start building rapport. Again, this could distract other prospects as well.
I agree. Students tend to share more and a lot of the information we hear from students should be kept confidential. Being in an open 'cubicle' area definitely restricts the student from opening up. Being taken into an 'interview' room could make the student feel like they are about to be interrogated. Having the comforts and the privacy of an office sets the stage for the interview and allows them to feel like they can open up.
