The weekly column

Article 40, December 2000

Regional Review of e-Recruitment

By Cheryl Darrup Boychuck

In November 2000, U.S. Journal of Academics President Cheryl Darrup Boychuck presented e-Recruitment sessions at three regional conferences hosted by NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Co-presenters included overseas advisors from Australia and Africa, as well as representatives from the U.S. Department of State's Educational Information and Resources Branch.

The spirit of sharing among our colleagues did not surprise us. We were, however, caught off-guard by some misinformation that seems to pervade the industry - particularly with regard to what can and cannot be accomplished with online international student recruitment.

Contrary to popular belief, current web technology enables superb filtering and tracking mechanisms. Consequently, internet-based promotional campaigns can more easily measure success when compared to other recruitment approaches, such as overseas fairs or printed material.

Another advantage lies in the incredibly enhanced efficiencies that can accompany online recruitment strategies. With existing database systems, prospective overseas students may type their pertinent information (name, address, date of birth, citizenship, academic interests, level of financial resources...) into a specially-formatted online form. That information may be fed directly into a compatible database in the international admissions office - thus eliminating the mundane task of re-keying that same data.

As with any recruitment strategy, colleagues must decide whether to tackle the task internally or with the assistance of external sources. The argument for outsourcing web promotion is solid, because internet technology is changing at lightning speed. The U.S. Journal of Academics (www.usjournal.com), for example, is solely dedicated to online international student recruitment. We study the trends of this ever-evolving communications medium, and apply that knowledge in a very focused way - to help maximize the efficiencies of our sponsors.

Through our participation in industry-related conferences, we share a portion of that knowledge. For example:

  • The Educational Information and Resources Branch of the U.S. Department of State is working toward a goal of providing each and every overseas advising center with full internet access. They've come a long way, though challenges remain in certain regions (most notably, in Syria and Burma whose governments are resisting the "liberation" of the internet).
  • Most overseas advisors warmly welcome e-inquiries about their country's educational systems.
  • There are 1.5 million online users in Africa, two-thirds of whom live in South Africa.
  • Less than three percent (13.3 million people) of the Latin American population is online.
  • Spain and Portugal are the only two Western European countries with internet penetration rates of less than ten percent.
  • The number of English-speaking internet users is teetering on 50 percent, and shrinking fast. In 1995, approximately 80 percent of the world's online population spoke English as their native language. By 2003, it is estimated that only 25 percent will be native English speakers.
  • Currently, there are about 369 million internet users worldwide. That figure is expected to reach the one billion mark by the year 2005.

The internet is the most empowering tool of our generation. Embrace this new medium, and use it to personally communicate with overseas candidates most likely to enroll in your particular program.

About the author

Cheryl Darrup Boychuck is President / CEO of the U.S. Journal of Academics, www.usjournal.com   She is an active member of NAFSA: Association of International Educators:
* Chaired and co-presented NAFSA's Best of Region VII session in 1998;
* Co-presented a recruitment session at the 1999 International NAFSA Conference in Denver;
* Regularly addresses non-U.S. student questions on Voice of America;
* Presented at NAFSA's Region VI, VII and VIII Conferences in November, 2000.

 

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