Running head: RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES FOR UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR

RecruitmentStrategies:UniversityofWindsor&ThePsychologyDepartment
AnthonyPisciuneri,
AlexaBenzinger,
&EricaFiggins
0101400
Dr.PhebeLam&Prof.TamsinBacon
UniversityofWindsor

RecruitmentStrategies:UniversityofWindsor&ThePsychologyDepartment

UNIVERSITYOFWINDSOR&PSYCHOLOGY2

EffectiverecruitmentstrategiesarecrucialtoallHigherEducationinstitutions.Infact,
whenrecruitmentstrategiesfallshort,manyhigherlearninginstitutionsfacelowenrollment
numbers,budgetcuts,anddecreasedprogramselections,resultinginlowrankingforthe
academicinstitutionwhencomparedtoothers.Highereducationhasbecomemorecompetitive
anddiversebecauseofchangesingovernmentfundingandthedevelopmentofinnovative
educationalproviders.Optionsmayrangefromcommunity,technical,andvocationalschoolsto
publicorprivateinstitutions.Moreover,thereisanincreasingneedforvirtualeducationchoices
whereonlinecoursesareofferedtoaccommodatepresentdaylifestyles.Asuniversitiesand
collegesareawareoftheimportancethatHigherEducationmustbeadvertisedandsold,creative
recruitmentstrategiesaremoreimportantthanever,andcontinuetoberesearched,developed
andimplemented.
Toattractnewpotentialstudents,HigherEducationinstitutionshaveturnedtothe
Internetandsocialmedia.Asthemillennialgenerationismostcomfortablewithtechnology,
potentialstudentsareabletoaccessinformationonlineabouttheuniversityorcollegeofhisor
herchoice.Furthermore,throughonlinefinancialinformationandsocialblogswithother
studentsandaccessiblefacultyemails,studentsareabletogainknowledgeandinsighttoany
inquiriestheymayhave(Han,2014).Inthisway,studentsbecomemoreindependentandarein
controloftheirowneducationprocess.Socialmediaisakeywaytohelpfacilitatedirect
interactionbetweenformer/currentstudentsandpotentialstudents(Fagerstrm&Ghinea,2013).
Throughtheuseofwebsites,videos,Facebookgroups,Twitter,andothersocialmediasources,
studentsshareeducationalexperiencesthatnotonlyactasasocialnetworkingsystem,butalso
asamarketingagentfortheHigherEducationinstitution.

UNIVERSITYOFWINDSOR&PSYCHOLOGY3

LiteratureReview

Understandingthereasonswhypotentialstudentschoosespecificacademicinstitutionsis
importantwhenitcomestoeffectivedevelopmentofrecruitmentstrategies.Whiletheremaybe
anumberofeffectiverecruitmentstrategies,thereisgrowingpopularityintheuseofsocial
mediaasaneffectiverecruitmenttool.Inastudyoncollegechoiceandmarketingstrategies
(Han,2014),itissuggestedthatHigherEducationisadvertisedandsoldthroughmarketing
strategiesusingvarioussocialmediatechniquestoattracttargetaudiences.Usingmarket
segmentationandcommunicationmediumssuchaswebsites,videosandsocialmedia,potential
studentsarescouted.Asprospectivestudentsseekinteractionwithacademicinstitutions,
Facebookpages,YouTube,andTwitteraccountsaredesignedtocommunicatewithstudents.In
accordancewiththis,Hayes,Ruschman,andWalker(2009),agreethatstudentswanttobeable
tointeractwithoneanotherthroughsocialnetworkingresources.Byusingonlinesurveys,email
alerts,andmentorshipstrategies,universitiesandcollegeshavereportedincreasesinenrollment
numbers.Also,becausetodaysstudentsarehighlydependentonvisuallyappealingresources,
mediaused,suchaswebsites,mustbecolourful,containpictures,orofferrelevantvideos
(Hunter,DelgadoRomero&Stewart,2009).Ifwebsitesarenotsimpleandeasytonavigate
theymaybeoverlooked,therebylosingprospectivestudents.Websitesprovesuccessfulbecause
asinformationchanges,thewebsitecanbeupdatedquickly.Tofurthersupportsocialmediaas
aneffectivestrategyforrecruitment,Rutter,RoperandLettice(2016)purportsocialmedia
allowsstudentstoexpressopinionsthatbuildaninstitutionsreputation.Thisreputation,also
knownasitsbrand,maybequalifiedthroughthenumberoflikesonFacebookpagesorthe
numberoffollowersonTwitter.Infact,theauthorsreportthehigherthenumberofTwitter

UNIVERSITYOFWINDSOR&PSYCHOLOGY4

followers,thehighertheenrollmentsuccess.Inaddition,theauthorsarguethatqualityoftweets
ismuchmorevaluablethanquantity;thatis,thecontentofthetweetsarefarmoreimportant
thanthenumberoftweetsthemselves.SinceTwitterisaformofsocialmediaandpublic
communication,itgivesprospectivestudentstheopportunitytocommunicateinteractivelywith
oneanother.ItalsocreatesagreeablenessthroughretweetsandHigherEducationinstitutions
canmonitorcommentsandfeedback.
Socialmediaiscertainlyanadequateandeffectivewaytorecruitpotentialstudents.
HigherEducationinstitutionsliketheUniversityofWindsorwhousesocialmediaresources
properlyareatahugeadvantageinincreasingtheirenrollmentrates.
OutlineofStrategy
TopromotethePsychologyprogramattheUniversityofWindsortopotentialstudents,a
teamofupperyearPsychologystudentswillactsasrecruitersby:
CreatingandoperatingastudentrunPsychologyInformation/Departmentwebsite
thatwillbeaccessiblethroughtheUniversityofWindsorsmainwebsite
Promotingthepsychologyprogramandthiswebsiteatstudentrecruitmentfairs,
openhouses,andstudentorientationsthroughwordofmouth,handingoutinformation
cardsoutliningthecontentsofthewebsiteandhowtoaccessit
OfferingsignupsheetstojoinFacebookgroup
Promotingthepsychologyprogramandthiswebsitebypostingonsocialmedia
sitessuchasTwitter(whichwillbeembeddedintothewebsite,usespecifichashtags
suchas#uwindsorpsych)aswellasFacebook(WearetheStudentsofPsychology
Facebookgroup)
Effectiveuseofsocialmedia,particularlyFacebookandTwitter,willbeakeyaspectof
thisstrategyasitisaneffectivewaytohelpcommunicatebetweenstudents(Fagerstrmet.al.,

UNIVERSITYOFWINDSOR&PSYCHOLOGY5

2013).AFacebookgroupwillbecreatedtosupplementthewebsite,andthisgroupwillalsobe
studentled.TheFacebookgroupwillbeopentoPsychologystudentscomingintotheUniversity
ofWindsor.Thegroupwillincludecurrentstudenttestimonialsabouttheprogram,biographies
offacultymembersalongwiththeirassociatedcourse,andimportantdatessuchasrecruitment
events,academicdatesandsocialevents.Studieshaveshownthatthroughcreatinginteractive,
collaborativeresources,studentsarebetterabletococreateexperienceswiththeorganizationin
question;havingdirectinteractionswiththosealreadyinvolvedattheinstitutionincreases
enrollmentrates(Fagerstrmet.al.,2013).
TheTwitteraccountwillbeaccessibletobothincomingstudentsandparents,andwill
includecurrenteventsattheuniversity.Forinstance,examdates,inspirationaltweets,andother
studentresourcesavailableoncampuswillbesharedwiththestudents.AsRutteret.al.(2016)
suggests,Twitterisaformofcommunicationwhichallowsindividualstobuildrelationships
throughinteractiveexperiences.Inaddition,Rutteret.al.(2016)statethatpositivetweetsthat
dealwithwhattheuniversityhastoofferalongwithscenicpicturesoftheuniversitygrounds
enhancetheenrollmentrateattheuniversityofinterest.
UsingWeebly,afreewebsitecreator,currentuniversitystudentscandesignsectionsthat
willprovidevaluableinformationtofuturestudents.Thegoalofthiswebsitewillallow
accessibilityandeasynavigationforanyindividualtouse.Thewebsitewillcontainthe
followingsections:
1.HomePage:WeAreTheStudentsOfPsychology
ThehomepagewillincludethemessageAStudentPerspectiveonPsychologyat
UWindsor.ThephotosfeaturedwillincludepicturesofdiversegroupsofPsychologystudents

UNIVERSITYOFWINDSOR&PSYCHOLOGY6

oncampus,reflectingracial,age,andgenderdiversity.TweetssentoutbythePsychology
StudentsAssociation(PSA)willbeembeddedonthewebsite,aswithmessagesfromTwitter
alongwiththehashtag#UWindsorPsych.Thiswillhelpcreateaconnectedcommunityacross
severalkeymediaplatforms.
2.WhatisPsychology
ThiswillencompassabriefoverviewofwhatPsychologyis,whyitisimportantinan
individualslifestyle,whyitprovestobeavaluablecoursetobestudied.
3.Academics
ThissectionwilloutlinethetypesofpsychologydegreesofferedattheUniversityof
Windsoralongwithgeneraldescriptionsofthetypesofcoursesstudentswillberequiredtotake
andwhatinformationthatwilltakeawayfromtheprogram.Forexample,ifoneisinterestedin
workingwithchildren,theChildPsychologyorDevelopmentalPsychologyprogrammightbe
tailoredtofityourinterests.SamplefirstyearPsychologytimetableswillalsobeprovidedwith
importantdatesforprogramapplicationsandcourseregistration.Finally,careeroptionsfor
studentslookingtopursueadegreeinPsychologywilloutlinedindetail.

4.CurrentStaff&Research
Inaddition,thisportionwillprovidealistofactivePsychologyfacultymembersatthe
UniversityofWindsorandabriefdescriptionoftheirareasofspecializationandresearch.In
particular,testimonialsbyundergraduatestudentswhoarecurrentlyworkingasresearch

UNIVERSITYOFWINDSOR&PSYCHOLOGY7

assistantsforprofessorsinPsychologywillbeincludedtoprovideapersonalexperiencefor
potentialstudentstogaininsightintoresearchandworkopportunities.
5.StudentTestimonials
Toprovideprospectivestudentswithamorepersonalexperience,theStudent
TestimonialssectionwillcontainshortvideosofcurrentPsychologystudentsenrolledatthe
UniversityofWindsordescribingtheirexperiencesintheprogram,whytheychosetostudy
PsychologyattheUniversityofWindsor,howtheprogramhasallowedthemtosucceed,and
theircareer/postsecondarygoals.
6.PsychologyStudentAssociation(PSA)
InformationaboutwhatthePSAdoeswithintheuniversitycommunitywillbeincluded
inthissection.Emphasiswillbeplacedonwelcomingnewmembers,increasingstudent
involvementandthebenefitsofjoiningthisorganizationwillbeintheseshortblogs.Finally,
contactinformationtomembersofthePSAwillbelistedtoallowfuturestudentstheopportunity
togetinvolved.
7.Mentoring
AsectionontheMentorshipandLearningProgramwillbeincluded,withafocusonthe
workthatisdoneinthePsychologycoursetoprovidesupportandguidancetofirstyearstudents
intheirtransitionintouniversitylife.Thegoalsoftheprogramandtheroleofthementorswill
bebrieflydiscussed.Inaddition,ahandfulofpastmentorsfinalpracticumportfolioswillbe
featured,andinformationonhowstudentscanapplyforthecoursewillbeadded..
8.Resources

UNIVERSITYOFWINDSOR&PSYCHOLOGY8

Otherusefulresourcesoncampusincludingacademicadvising,SkillsToEnhance
PersonalSuccess,Connecting4Success,theLeddyWritingHelpDesk,thePeerSupportCentre,
StudentCounsellingServices,StudentDisabilityServices,CoOpandCareerServices,the
CampusPrideCentre,theVolunteerInternshipProgram,andmore.
9.FAQ
FrequentlyaskedquestionsregardingtransitiontouniversitylifeatUWindsorwillbe
addressedandwillbeupdatedasquestionscomeup.
10.Submitaquestion/discussionforum
Thisareaofthewebsitewillprovideaforumforstudentstodiscusswithoneanotherand
receiveguidancefromPsychologystudentsacrossvariousyearsofstudies.Thisportionwill
informthequestionsincludedontheFAQpage.
11.PhotoGallery
Thissectionwillincludephotosofthecampus,lecturehalls,importantresourceson
campus,andshowcasestudentlife.
CommunicationPlan
Topromotethisstudentrunwebsite,informationcardswillbecreatedusingdesign
softwaresuchasPhotoshop.Theywillincludeanoverviewofwhatstudentscanfindonthe
websiteaswellaslinkstoaccessit.Thesecardswillbeprovidedtotheteamofupperyear
Psychologystudentsassistingatinformationfairs,openhouses,andorientationstohandoutto
attendeeswhoareinterestedinapplyingtothePsychologyProgram.
Theupperyearstudentswillalsopromotethiswebsitethroughwordofmouthatvarious
recruitmentevents,oncampus,andinthecommunitythroughsocialnetworkingaswellas

UNIVERSITYOFWINDSOR&PSYCHOLOGY9

throughactiveengagementonsupplementarysocialmediasitesincludingTwitterandthe
Facebookpage(WearetheStudentsofPsychology).
ResourcesRequired
Firstandforemost,ateamofwebsitecreatorswillbeneededtodesignthewebsite
outlinedabove.ThecreatorswillbeUniversityofWindsorstudentswhoareproficientinweb
designanddigitalmedia.Theseindividualswillensurethatthewebsitefunctionsoptimallyand
willapplyupdatestoitasneeded.Theinformationneededtoaddtothewebsite,including
programofferings,courselistings,facultynamesandcontactinformation,willbeobtainedfrom
UniversityofWindsorofficialswithconsent.Currentpsychologystudentswillberecruitedby
meansofstudentoutreachtoparticipateinthecreationoftestimonialvideos/stories,filmedon
campus.
Followingthis,ateamofwebsiteexecutiveswillbeselected.Theseexecutiveswillbe
upperyearpsychologystudents,includingthoseactiveindevelopingthisrecruitmentplan.
Theirresponsibilitieswillinclude:
respondingtoquestionssubmittedthroughthewebsite
relayinganyinformationtothewebsitecreatorswhenissues/needs
arise
meetingonaregularlyscheduledbasistodiscusstheprogress
beingmade,brainstormideasonhowtoimprovethewebsite/socialmediasites,
andrefinetherecruitmentstrategiesbeingused
Finally,aseparategroupofenthusiasticupperyearpsychologystudentswillbesought
outtoactasrecruitersandpromoters.Priortoattendingrecruitmenteventsoncampus,theywill
beprovidedwithbasictrainingwithregardstohowtoeffectivelydescribeandpromotethe

UNIVERSITYOFWINDSOR&PSYCHOLOGY10

studentrunwebsiteandsocialmediasites.Attherecruitmentevents,theywillbeprovidedwith
theinformationcardsdetailingthewebsiteandsocialmediasites.
Thesestudentswillalsoengageinpostingonsocialmediasitestocontinuepromotionof
thePsychologyprogramaswellasthewebsite.Thestudentswhohavecontroloversocialmedia
accounts,includingthoseoperatingthePSAsocialmediaaccounts,willbeinvitedtoattenda
workshoponeffectivesocialmediastrategies,suchasthoseoutlinedbyRutteret.al.(2016),
Fagerstrmet.al.(2013),andHunter,DelgadoRomeroandStewart(2009).
Timelines
Thewebsiteshouldbecreatedduringthe2017summermonths(MaythroughAugust)to
allowsufficienttimefordevelopment,revision,andtroubleshooting.Thegoalistohaveitfully
functioningandaccessibletothepublicbythestartofSeptember2017asprospectivestudents
beginresearchinguniversitiesandprograms.Whilethewebsiteisunderconstruction,coming
soonadvertisementscanbesharedontheUniversityofWindsorsmainwebpage,onsocial
mediasites,andduringorientations.Studentswillberecruitedtofilmvideotestimonialsduring
thesummermonthsaswell,astheywillbeincludedonthewebsiteandwilllaunchwiththe
website.TheFacebookgroupwillbecreatedintheWinterof2017,soastoallowstudentsto
joinastheyreceiveandaccepttheiroffersofadmissions.Additionally,theabovementioned
workshopsforsocialmediausagewillbeconductedinWinterof2017,andagaininSeptember
2017.Socialmediastrategieswillbeemployedimmediately.
ProjectedImpact
Ultimately,thegoalofthisrecruitmentstrategyistoreachouttoallpotentialapplicants
tothePsychologyprogramattheUniversityofWindsorandprovidethemwitheasilyaccessible

UNIVERSITYOFWINDSOR&PSYCHOLOGY11

informationaboutwhatthePsychologyprogramcanofferthem.Thiswillbeachievedby
creatingandmarketingtheWearetheStudentsofPsychologywebsite,organizingteamsof
upperyearstudentstoattendorientations,fairs,andopenhouses,andeffectivelyengaging
studentsthroughaccessibleplatforms(i.e.socialmedia).Throughthesemethods,studentswill
notonlybemorelikelytoenrollinthePsychologyprogramattheUniversityofWindsor,but
willalsobemorelikelytoremainintheprogram.Thiswillbeduetothestudentsincreased
knowledgeregardinguniversityprocessesandprotocols(suchashowtoregisterforcoursesor
howtouseavailableresourcesforassistance).Studentswillbemorepreparedforuniversitylife
ingeneral,astheywillhaveabetterideaofwhattoexpectthroughthestudenttestimonialsand
willhavedecreasedanxietyregardingtransitioning.Throughwebsitetraffictracking
mechanisms,wewillbeabletomeasureexactlyhowoftenthewebsiteisbeingused,aswellas
themosthighlyusedsectionsofthewebsite.Thiswillinformthefuturedirectionofthewebsite
inordertomaximizeimpactonstudentenrollmentandretention.

References
Fagerstrm,A.,&Ghinea,G.(2013).Cocreationofvalueinhighereducation:Usingsocial
networkmarketingintherecruitmentofstudents.JournalofHigherEducation
PolicyandManagement,35(1),4553.Doi:10.1080/1360080x.2013.748524
Han,P.(2014,December).ALiteratureReviewonCollegeChoiceandMarketingStrategiesfor
Recruitment.FamilyandConsumerSciencesResearchJournal,43,120130.
doi:10.1111/fcsr.12091

UNIVERSITYOFWINDSOR&PSYCHOLOGY12

Hunter,G.A.,DelgadoRomero,E.A.,&Stewart,A.E.(2009).What'sonYourTraining
Program'sWebSite?ObservationsandRecommendationsforEffective
Recruitment.TrainingandEducationinProfessionalPsychology,3(1),5361.
doi:10.1037/A0013825
Rutter,R.,Roper,S.,&Lettice,F.(2016).Socialmediainteraction,theuniversitybrandand
recruitmentperformance.JournalofBusinessResearch,30963104.Retrieved
October12,2016.