How to write digital student ambassador job descriptions that attract top talent

You can have the best student ambassador talent of any college or university – but without the right language in your job posting, you’ll never find them.

We asked several Unibuddy partners and students about how to write the most effective digital ambassador job description.

Here’s what they said:

Clearly illustrate the impact that the digital ambassador role will have

Before you even write the job post, you should have a clear idea of what your digital student ambassador program is working toward in terms of transformation and fulfillment. At the end of the day, these roles are the front line of community marketing in higher education and they should be positioned as such.

Related: How to run a student ambassador program

Each post should have a strong sense of purpose and direction, so think big. Students who make the best ambassadors are ambitious and driven self-starters who are looking to make an impact. 

When crafting the purpose and vision, consider the program’s target audience, deliverables, and what your audience gets out of the program. Describe the role and responsibilities and include the channels and mediums your ambassadors will use to connect as well as indicators of success.

Include answers to questions most often asked by current ambassadors

A common mistake with ambassador job descriptions is that they focus too much on the university rather than the applicant. If your job description starts with “Founded in” – time to start chopping.

The best job descriptions answer an applicant’s questions before they’ve been asked. According to Unibuddy partners, some of the most common questions revolve around what an ambassador program is, what ambassadors do, how to become one, and what they’re paid.

Related: How to leverage student ambassadors into your engagement strategy

An effective job description could look like this:

“Leveraging the power of your student community is no mean feat — especially when you’re trying to make an impact online. That’s why we’re creating a team of proud digital ambassadors who have experience with video production and can create content that strikes a chord with prospective students.

You will work with a team of other digital ambassadors, each with their own specialty, to regularly produce content that supports students on the road to college and makes them feel assured. Working within our community marketing strategy, your role will be to share your knowledge of digital content creation and make student-focused videos, creating a sense of belonging before students arrive at the university.”

Remember, payment is at your university’s discretion. We’ve found that the most effective method is to mention the pay rate (voluntary or otherwise) at the top of the job description to allow applicants to self-select. If you’re clear about this upfront, you’ll have less work to do with candidates later.

Avoid corporate terms

Thanks to the growth of social media human-centered apps, we’ve become comfortable with and accustomed to a conversational approach. Prospective digital ambassadors, especially, prefer a conversational tone to corporate jargon. After all, the “face” of your university needs to sound human.

When creating your student ambassador job posting, write the way people talk, vary sentence length and get rid of adverbs like “very.” By doing so, you’re enhancing accessibility and clarity.

That might look like the following:

• Upload videos to a YouTube channel with ten thousand subscribers
• Research topics of interest and set benchmarks for content performance
• Produce new video content for our student community
• Keep up-to-date with emerging video tech 
• Work with other digital ambassadors to repurpose content across channels

Make a checklist for skills and knowledge

When thinking about what you want in a digital ambassador, focus only on the most essential and desirable criteria for your student ambassador job description. Because you’ll be hiring from an early career pool, subcategories dedicated to experience will be excessive.

Related: Guide to starting a student ambassador program

Instead, create a checklist that’s easily scannable to allow applicants to determine if they’re a fit. In practice, this will take the form of headings and bullet points. For example:

We’re looking for students who:

• Have knowledge of video editing
• Know what “works” for different channels and audience 
• Are receptive to feedback and collaboration
• Are willing to work across the video production process

It would be nice to have:

• Experience with Adobe Premiere
• Experience repurposing written content for video

Include Tools and Resources Ambassadors need to be Proficient In (or learn to use)

In your job description, it’s wise to list the hard skills that will need to be mastered in order to do well. Though you don’t want to discourage qualified applicants that can handle social media and provide thoughtful interactions with prospective students, you do want potential student ambassadors to know what they’re getting into. Noting whether or not you need these skills to be proficient before starting or if you’re willing to train is an important distinction that you should mention as well.

What are the softwares your student ambassadors use? Should they expect to be familiar with the popular picture and video editing softwares, or do you use something else that they will have to get up to speed with? What are the targeted social media platforms they need to be well-versed in, and what kind of usage policy are you going to have? Giving candidates a clear understanding of what to expect can help applicants self-select, so ones that have the skills or are confident they can learn will be the ones who apply.

Specify Application Process and Timeline

The application process can be overwhelming for anyone looking to gain a volunteer or employment position. Ensure that you have a clear timeline, with easy-to-follow steps and provide applicants with reasonable deadlines to make the process smoother for both sides.

In the job description, clearly outline what the steps are. If a student needs to submit written material, or examples of their social media voice, or video content they’ve produced in the past, let them know  when it is required. If students have concerns or want clarification, have contact information for the person or department that can address them.

Have a timeline ready for applicants as well, including dates that their application is due, dates for other pieces that you might want, the date that your team will be reviewing applications and when they can expect to hear from you. You may also want to explicitly state if you will or will not be contacting unsuccessful applicants, so candidates will know where they stand.

Provide Alumni Insights

Though the actual experience of being a student ambassador can be very rewarding, it’s good to highlight further opportunities to this role. If you have former student ambassadors who have graduated and gone on to have successful careers or positive feedback, this information should be presented.

Just like student ambassadors will be sharing their experiences with prospective and new students in order to support them, ease anxieties, and share that it is a worthwhile experience, giving your future ambassadors the same experience with former ambassadors can help them in making a decision and feeling confident and positive about becoming an ambassador.

An alumni might be able to share what skills they learned and developed that has become useful in their career or life that they might not have had or mastered as quickly if they hadn’t been a student ambassador for your institution. Asking alumni to contribute their thoughts of their experience can motivate a good candidate to apply, knowing what they’ll be getting out being an ambassador.

Still looking for answers? Learn more about starting your student ambassador program with our free guide.