Whether we want to study at the University, improve our Spanish skills in a language school, get in a rehab to overcome our addiction, or solve marriage problems with the help of a professional counselor, we have to enroll in the course, program, classes, etc.

Working as an Enrollment Specialist, you will collect the applications and ensure that they are completed correctly. You will answer the questions of the applicants, and enter the information about them into internal database of school, company, or organization.

It is a nice job with a relatively low stress levels, and now I will show you 13 questions you may face while interviewing for it.

 

Why do you want to work as an Enrollment Specialist?

Let’s be honest: This is not a job you dreamed of as a kid. Nobody did. But it is a decent administrative position with a good salary, and you should try to find something positive about it. I suggest you to find the connection between your strengths and the duties you will have in your new job.

For example, you can say that you excel in administrative work. You have good attention to detail and typewrite at a decent speed. You can work independently, and rarely make mistakes while working. Considering your skills and education, you find the job of an enrollment specialist a good choice, at least at this point of your career.

Another alternative is referring to the meaningful purpose of the organization you will work for, the reason why they exist. For example if you apply for a job with a rehab, you can say that you understand the damage addictions cause to families all around the country, and would like to participate on an initiative which helps people getting rid of their addictions.

You are not a specialist in the field, but administrative workers are also important. No facility can exist without them. Hence you see a meaningful purpose in this work…

 

How do you imagine a typical day in work?

You should mention two things for sure. First one is that you expect to spend a lot of time in front of a computer screen. Dealing with email communication, working with the database of applicants, entering data from one place to another, etc. This, combined with some paperwork, will be typically be the core of your job.

Another thing is proactive approach to work. Ensure the hiring managers that you won’t wait for miracles. If you see that someone forgot to include something on their application, you will pick up the phone and give them a call. When the deadline approaches, you will send out reminders to all applicants who still have to submit some documents to be considered for the program.

That’s the attitude they seek in a good applicant for this job.

A super motivated applicant wants to join a specific program, but you find out that they are not eligible to it. How will you share the news with them?

Good customer service is an important part of your job. If someone is strongly motivated, and perhaps goes above and beyond with their application, visiting the place in person while others simply submit their applications by email, you should not simply dismiss them with a short email or thank you note.

Show the hiring managers that you also want to go above and beyond. Before anything else, you will look for options. Maybe they are eligible for some other, similar program. Or maybe they can eventually join, just they have to do this or that thing, to become eligible. If that’s the case, you will call them and explain the situation.

And if there aren’t any options, and they can’t join, you will call them, and explain exactly why. What’s more, you will thank them for applying, and will try to leave the best possible impression.

Each applicant can leave a review online, recommend the school or place to other people, but also spread a bad word–for example when they are rejected without knowing why. Ensure the hiring managers that you are aware of this, and will try your best to communicate negative responses in a most appropriate way.

 

One of the applicants keeps calling you. They keep asking questions about obvious things. How will you react?

What’s obvious for you, or for the hiring manager, does not have to obvious for the applicant. This is true especially when they care, when the application is important for them, and they do not want to make any mistakes while submitting it.

Ensure the hiring managers that you will patiently answer each question of the applicant–at the end of the day, that’s your duty. You may, in some cases, refer them to FAQ page online, or to some other source, for example if they call several times to ask about the same thing.

But for sure you won’t tell them that they are asking stupid questions and wasting your time–even if you feel like that.

 

Can you describe your experience with MS Office, and databases?

When they ask you to describe something, you should not answer with a few words only, for example saying that you’ve been working with MS Office for ten years.

Explain exactly what you did. Did you create databases in MS Excel, or MS Access? Do you have experience working with Outlook? Have you perhaps made some charts and tables, to help you illustrate something in your work?

You can even refer to other computer software that you used in your former roles, or at school. Ensure the interviewers that you are tech savvy, and won’t find it difficult to work with software in your new job.

 

Where do you see yourself in five years from now? How does this position fit into your career plan?

You do not have to tell them that you want to work as an enrollment specialist in five years time, in their organization. But you can at least try to connect your future with their place. Maybe there’s another position that caught your eye. You cannot get it now, but with a few years of experience on a position of an Enrollment Specialist, you may have a chance to succeed.

You can also say that you’d like to stay in education (healthcare, social work, depending on the place where you apply for the position), but aren’t sure yet what role you’d like to have in five years from now.

Another option is saying that you prefer to focus on the present moment. Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring, especially in the uncertain times we experience today. Hence you prefer to live in the NOW, and your goal is clear–to get a job of an enrollment specialist, and to try your best in it…

 

Other questions you may face in your enrollment specialist job interview

  • Imagine that you receive an application for a study program from your friend. How do you ensure to stay unbiased while considering their application?
  • What do you do to minimize (or eliminate) the mistakes in your work?
  • Tell us about a time when you felt overwhelmed with work.
  • Job of an enrollment specialist can be boring or repetitive at times. What do you plan to do to stay highly motivated in work, day in day out?
  • Describe your definition of an outstanding customer service.
  • Tell us about a time when you showed initiative at work.
  • Describe a situation when you struggled to communicate something to someone. How did you eventually manage to get your message over?
  • Tell us about a time when you faced an ethical dilemma.
  • Why shouldn’t we hire you?

* Special Tip: If you experience anxiety, or do not feel ready for the questions from my list, have a look at our Interview Success Package. Up to ten sample answers to each tricky interview question (including 31 dreaded scenario-based questions) will help you streamline your interview preparation, and outclass your competitors–since you will know something they won’t know… Thank you for checking it out!

 

Conclusion, next steps

Interview for a job of an enrollment specialist belongs to interviews with average difficulty. This is not a fancy job title, but just like any other administrative role with low stress levels, it typically attracts many applications.

On the other hand, it is not difficult to predict the questions you will face, and to prepare for them in advance. Try to do so, and learn as much as you can about your future employer. The more you know, the easier it will be to connect with your interviewers and perhaps also stand out from the crowd of other applicants…

I hope you will succeed, and wish you good luck!

Matthew

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Matthew Chulaw
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