Value Their Time Like It's Yours

As I prepare for my 10th recruitment season in undergraduate admissions, I’m reflecting on the many times I’ve shared the same information in various formats. While this repetition is part of the job, it also ensures that I use the 20-60 minutes I have with each high school student purposefully. As I do with most things, I organize my time with them in three repeatable/malleable sections, depending upon the setting. This allows me to ensure that despite the change in audience, setting or even time, the takeaways for the student and their experience, remain consistent. 

Here are the the three sections that I’ve utilized over the years:

Section 1: Understanding My Audience
This is my favorite part because it allows me to connect with students beyond their interest in the University of Miami and challenge their thinking. I usually ask for their name, major of interest, and a thought-provoking question.

Section 2: Overview of the University of Miami
I cover three crucial areas: academic life, the student experience, and the application process.

Section 3: Question and Answer
This is their chance to ask about the University of Miami and my personal experiences. I assure them that while my answers may not always be helpful, they will always be honest.

In many ways, I’ve been able to draw from my recruitment experiences with students and apply them to my work in management. They are easily transferable because at the end of the day, both revolve around the same thing, people. I’d challenge you to reflect on all of your various experiences with people, from family to friends to volunteering to the workforce, inevitably you’re going to not only find overlap, but invaluable nuggets to utilize in a different area of people engagement. 

One of my reflections over the last few years has been to revisit the thoughtful questions I’ve utilized over the years in my recruitment presentations, as they often shape the rest of my interactions with students. These questions have varied from their ideal podcast guest to their non-negotiables at their next institution. This year, I’ve settled on a question that prompts deep reflection:

“If you knew you didn’t have much time left, what would you be doing more of?”

Though it might seem heavy, it’s a question worth considering. Time is our most valuable asset. It’s the one thing we have complete control over. Through this question, I invite these prospective students to begin, before they launch into their collegiate and career journey, exercising extreme ownership over the use of their time. Mastering this skill now, will benefit them greatly in school, but even more so as they enter the workforce.

Outside of the years spent in grade school and college, we spend, on average, we spend one-third of our lives at work.  That’s half of our waking hours  – sometimes  even more. Given how much time we spend in school and at work, it makes sense to be intentional about how we use it.

However, this is not a truth only relevant for students and employees, but for those who support and manage these individuals. Many managers and C-suite executives make it clear through their actions and accessibility, how much they value their own time. Perhaps our organizations would thrive if we valued everyone’s time as much as our own.

Though employee management and collegiate admission, on the surface, are unrelated. My approach to maximizing my limited time to recruit for the University of Miami can be directly applied to how we engage and respectfully manage the time of our team members and employees. 

While the time and backgrounds of employees will vary, maintaining a consistent quality and intentionality is key. You can apply the following approach:

Section 1: Understand Your Employees
Find out where they want to go and how you can help them get there.

Section 2: Educate Them About the Organization
Treat your organization like a mini-school, preparing employees for their future careers and lives.

Section 3: Share Your Wisdom
Allow employees to benefit from your experience and insights, which will also contribute to your own growth.

Notice that it is almost identical to the way in which I engage with the students I recruit. Why? Because while the application may vary, the value we all place on time remains the same. It is the asset none of us can live without.

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