“A good Student Adviser must have good people skills in general, because we need to extend a listening ear to all our applicants, many of whom share details about their personal circumstances, so confidentiality is another important quality we must possess.”
Annie Nyondo Lidamlendo, UNICAF Student Adviser, Lilongwe Call Centre, Malawi.
“A UNICAF Student Adviser makes a personal effort to provide a positive experience, while guiding applicants through the application and registration process. We make sure that applicants fully comprehend all information we provide about the study programmes on offer, the various modules, the entry requirements, the payment plans, the scholarships available and so on. We need good communication and negotiation skills to be able to guide applicants via telephone or email. Our contact with our applicants is continuous and we need to manage our time effectively. Good communication with our supervisors helps us follow the instructions and guidelines and overcome any difficulties that might present themselves.
A good Student Adviser must have good people skills in general, because we need to extend a listening ear to all our applicants, many of whom share details about their personal circumstances, so confidentiality is another important quality we must possess. We also need patience, good manners, a team spirit and the ability to work under pressure.
Looking back, one of my funniest moments was the first day on the job, when I was responding to an applicant’s call, and felt so terrified, that I was secretly praying he would not answer the phone. But he did! And I had to take the plunge. Recently I received the warm thanks of one of my students, who had become discouraged during the application process and wanted to give up, thinking that the University of South Wales in the UK would never accept him for an MBA course. But I managed to persuade him to continue with the application procedure and he is now a proud MBA student with USW. These are rewards for us – the success of every one of our applicants and students is also our success.”
