3 Secrets of a Secret Shopper

Yes, I confess... I am a mystery shopper in my other life. I LOVE the process of evaluation. Sometimes it feels like a "curse" because I just can't turn it off. Rather than think of myself as being critical, I prefer to think of myself as a problem solver... it's a fine line sometimes, and as my twin sister quoted on her blog recently, "Attitudes are contagious, do you want people to catch yours?"

Anyway, here are some thoughts that I have transfered to the recruitment world from my experiences as a secret shopper:

1. Be the Client :: the most important aspect of being a secret shopper is to put yourself in the shoes of an actual customer of the actual product or service. How often do you put yourself in the shoes of your prospective students? How often do you see what they see, hear what they hear, live what they live? Do you know what their experiences are like when they participate in a campus tour, an overnight res visit, a class preview?
   
2. Be Observant :: in mystery shopping, the evaluation of the environment is as important as the evaluation of the personelle. You may be the best recruiter, and have the best staff, and the best profs... but how's the student lounge looking these days? What's the carpet in the elevator like? How are the washrooms doing? Improvement in these areas can affect prospective students' decisions to attend your institution, and existing students' decisions to stay.
   
3. Report on it :: the best part of mystery shopping is the shopping... but you don't get paid until you report on it. Lack of written evaluation is the number one weakness that I see in recruitment departments nation wide. Start now to effectively evaluate each recruitment endeavour you do, and you (or your future replacement) will be thankful next year at this time... how much material did you go through? Was it worth the time? effort? cost? Did you get an evaluation from the host (if appropriate, ie a ministry team recruitment event)?
   

Feeling "critical" lately? Try to think of yourself as a problem solver... you may find yourself wanting others to catch your contagious attitude...