Working at TIAS: Esther van Zijp, Program Adviser

Esther van Zijp has been employed at TIAS as a Program Adviser since 2014. “I love conducting intensive conversations with people who are still looking for the right program; that really energizes me. I also appreciate the variety of my duties as a Program Adviser. Basically, you are running your own show and how you fill your workday is mostly up to you.

THE SALES TEAM

Our sales team of Program Advisers has ten or so members between 28 and 50 in age, me included, who each bear responsibility for a specific portion of our educational offerings. It’s a fun team. We are all quite different people, but all have a good feel for customer friendliness and communication, and we work well together.

PIVOTAL ROLE WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION

As a Program Adviser, your role within the organization is pivotal. In addition to interactions with potential customers, you collaborate extensively with the relevant Program Managers. They are responsible for the operational side of the programs in your portfolio. Once someone has enrolled, you pass on the customer to them. We also consult each other regarding people who’d like to sit in on a class and organize information sessions together.

PARTICIPANT RECRUITMENT

Together with the Academic Directors, who are responsible for program content, you schedule intake interviews and track how recruitment is going. You collaborate with the members of the marketing team to achieve your recruitment targets. Additionally, you consult the Finance department on funding options and maintain relations with a devoted network of alumni, on whom you can also rely to help convince potential customers.

REACHING OUT TO POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS

The majority of your work consists of reaching out to potential customers who have requested a brochure for a certain program. Such leads come in through our marketing and sales automation system. We evaluate the quality of these leads using LinkedIn. That makes it a lot easier to target the right audience.

EVERY MEETING IS INDIVIDUALIZED

When I meet with people who are considering a program, I mainly question them thoroughly and pay careful attention to their learning and development goals. Every meeting is individualized, and you use your own initiative and creativity to offer realistic, honest advice. At times, that can even include recommending a program not offered by TIAS.

There are plenty of opportunities to continue developing too. Not just by refining your existing skills, but also in the context of new developments within our department, such as, currently, taking a data-driven approach. Of course, you can make use of our extensive selection of programs yourself as well. For example, I attended a Marketing Master Class and received training in career coaching from TIAS. There is also an online platform available with training options for employees.

INTELLIGENT CONVERSATION

TIAS is simply a nice place to work. You are given a lot of freedom to determine how to fulfill your duties and work with a great team of colleagues who share the same goals. And, what I also appreciate, you can hold intelligent conversations with customers and colleagues. In combination, that means I have already spent a very enjoyable eight years as a Program Adviser at TIAS.”

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