HES SEARCH SERVICES

Higher Ed Strategies, LLC is pleased to introduce our Professional Financial Aid Search™ Services. Our service is designed to provide affordable search support to institutions seeking qualified candidates for entry level to executive leadership positions in financial aid.

Whether you are searching for a person to fill an entry-level position or a director or vice president of financial aid, finding qualified candidates is difficult because of the complexity and inherent demands of financial aid positions. You need to find individuals who are, (1) team players, (2) both detail and people-oriented, (3) production-minded, and (4) able to complement your enrollment management effort.

One mistake institutions make when searching for financial aid professionals is appointing individuals with little or no financial aid experience to lead the search. The problem with this strategy is that these individuals are not knowledgeable in financial aid and most likely will not ask the right questions during the interview process, thereby increasing the likelihood of a poor hire. Like many professions, financial aid has its own language. Individuals not well versed in financial aid cannot ask the right questions to adequately assess whether a candidate has the necessary financial aid competencies, is current with regulatory requirements and industry standards, and is familiar with emerging financial aid trends and strategies.

What makes our service different from an Executive Search Firm?

• Financial aid is our business. We are financial aid experts. We know what questions to ask to effectively assess candidate qualifications. While other search firms may have expertise in the search process, they do not know how to evaluate whether or not the candidate has knowledge of the field that is current and whether they have the right skill set to be successful at your institution.
   
• We cost less than executive search firms. Our fee structure is not tied to the salary of the position to be filled. For some clients our involvement is intensive, for others it is simply advisory in nature allowing the client to capitalize on our expertise in the field. We establish our fee structure based on the time we estimate we will need to get the job done right. No less. No more. Offering the client considerable savings.
   
• Part of our service involves getting to know your institution’s financial aid needs. We help the client assess departmental and personnel needs, including a review of organizational structure and position descriptions prior to starting any type of search. You get this third-party objective assessment in writing. You are clear about what your needs are before you begin your search.
   
• We are well connected in the financial aid community. We use our contacts to identify highly qualified financial aid professionals that might not otherwise consider your school as a place of employment.
   
• Once the institution has made the hire, we provide the new employee support to help ensure a successful transition into their new position. We provide a series of hands-on professional development and immersion training opportunities during the 60 to 90 day period after the hire designed to maximize productivity and help the incumbent acclimate to the institution.