How to Find and Leverage Mentors To Guide You To A Career You Love

Full Transcript

Enrollify_MissionAdmission_Audio_Ep20(S2E5)_CarlosCano_Version1

[00:00:00] Carlos Cano: Seeing some of those same students that I met as either 11th graders or 12th graders now going through their experience at William Patterson and graduating and seeing them walk across the stage at commencement, that was at that point, again, my kind of aha moment to saying, this is why I do the work that I do.

[00:00:20] This is why I love it so much. And it's because being able to see those student. Fulfill their destiny and get to that particular point, same as I had. And doing it in grand fashion was extremely fulfilling.

[00:00:45] Jeremy Tiers: Hey everybody, this is Jeremy Tears from Tutor Collegiate Strategies, and you are about to check out the latest episodes of the Mission and Mission podcast, a show that's designed to help higher ed become better recruiters, communicators market. And managers. Each week I'll introduce [00:01:00] you to an industry leader or difference maker who will share helpful advice, tips, and strategies that will help you grow professionally and personally.

[00:01:06] Mission and Mission is part of the Enroll five Podcast Network. I'm excited to share my latest candid conversation. So let's get started. Hey everybody, it's Jeremy, and this is episode 20 of the Mission Admissions podcast. Today I'm joined by one of. Most incredible humans on the planet, Mr. Carlos Keno, whenever Carlos's name comes up in admissions and em circles, a lot of people, myself included, use words like genuine, caring, determined and passionate.

[00:01:38] Cc's just an amazing human being. And also, if you're ever playing, uh, trivia in a category is useless. W w E or WWF Wrestling know. Carlos is a hundred percent your go-to person on that. So welcome to the show, Cici. 

[00:01:53] Carlos Cano: Thank you so much, jt. It's so great to be here. Such an honor that you asked me to come on with you and, uh, absolutely useless [00:02:00] trivia period.

[00:02:00] Um, I'm your guy. My wife and I are always thinking we need to find the local trivia in town and join it because the two of us tag team for trivia would be a great tandem. But again, thank you so much for having me. It's great to be. 

[00:02:15] Jeremy Tiers: Love it and I'm excited to unpackage a bunch of stuff because you've been in higher ed now for double digit years, and we know the old mantra, which is you make it past that two and a half, three year mark, you're usually quote unquote in it for life.

[00:02:28] So think back cc, you're a student at William Patterson University in Wayne, New Jersey in the early two thousands, and you not only get involved in the student ambassador program, but you also eventually become an. You graduated and then in 2010 the admission profession comes calling and you start working at your alma mater as a counselor.

[00:02:46] Like what was it that drew you to that opportunity? 

[00:02:49] Carlos Cano: I think back, and I remember a time where a vice president of enrollment at the time was asking me as an upperclassman, Carlos, what are you gonna do when you graduate? And my [00:03:00] response really was, I'm not really thinking about graduation. I'm just having such a fulfilling experience as an undergraduate student.

[00:03:08] I was an ra, I was an orientation leader. I, I did anything and everything I could and I wasn't really thinking about graduation. I really thought I would graduate, find a job, and, and kind of do it the real easy way. That vice president at the time said to me, well, if you really like this environment in higher education and admissions and enrollment, you can work in higher educat.

[00:03:33] And that was my aha moment. I had never really thought of it that way. So when I graduate, uh, there isn't anything immediate in admissions, higher education at the time. So I grew up training in the martial arts, and so for about a year or so, I was running a school for my grand master, my teacher, uh, during that time.

[00:03:56] And finally, uh, one of my former. [00:04:00] Uh, supervisors at William Patterson while I was a student, calls me and says, Carlos, we have an opening. You need to apply. And at that point, again, from there, the rest is history. And I fell in love with it. And that's why 13 years later here I am still doing what I do and absolutely loving every second of it.

[00:04:20] Would 

[00:04:20] Jeremy Tiers: you fall in love with, right? Because everybody says some version of that. Oh, it's fulfilling. It's. What is it though, or what was it for you 

[00:04:27] Carlos Cano: initially? For me initially, especially when going back to my alma mater, that's what had me fall in love with it. Uh, I tell students all the time, I now work at Georgian Court University, my third institution, but I always go back to my story at William Patterson and I tell people that I bleed orange and black and I, and I really do, I'm a first generation.

[00:04:52] Grew up in Jersey City. And so the, the idea for me was, and how I was brought up was, get your [00:05:00] education, go get a job, work hard, and you'll be successful. And my family was able to put me in all the right positions to be able to do that. And so I fell in love with in 2010 being able to represent my alma mater, which I've always had an affinity to.

[00:05:15] Uh, being able to talk to student. That were about to go on a similar journey that I did, particularly as first generation Latino, uh, and all the different check boxes, right, that I sort of checked off, and those were the students that I was seeing and that I was able to engage with. And so that's really what drew me in and what keeps me drawn in.

[00:05:37] Again, 13 years later, even in my current role now, I still recruit, albeit I don't recruit the same way I. When I first started, nor the territory, but it is still what keeps me grounded in the work, what keeps me honest, at what keeps me passionate about the work that I do. 

[00:05:53] Jeremy Tiers: Was there ever a time in those first couple of years when you were at WP Carlos that you were just like, I don't know man, [00:06:00] this may not be for me.

[00:06:02] I think I may need to go. I mean, how, help me understand, because everybody I feel like goes through some version of. And I always wonder, okay, number one, was there that moment for you? And if there was, what led you to ultimately say, no, I think I'm gonna stick it out. And if it wasn't, why do you think that was?

[00:06:20] Carlos Cano: I have to be honest in that it never really did. And I think for me it was, again, it was being able to work at my alma mater, being able to tell my story, uh, because it came so easy to me. It was very, Uh, and very authentic and I felt, I felt that always resonated with people the most, was the fact that I was able to tell my story and I felt like people actually were hearing what I was saying and they were utilizing that as whether as inspiration or as a way to be able to say, If Carlos did it, then I can do it too.

[00:06:57] And that's how I always felt like I was trying to [00:07:00] connect with students and families was that if I did it, then you all can do it too. And so for me it's, it's, it was that, it was the grind too. I, I've always loved. Uh, recruitment and travel and go seeing through the process on an annual basis in admissions, going through recruitment, going through reading season, which is probably not my favorite part of the work, but I, I understand obviously work comes into play and then getting through to seeing a student make that decision to go to wherever it is that they, that they end.

[00:07:39] In terms of where I've been working. Uh, and then I guess kind of looking beyond that, once I got to the point where I was in about four or five years and I was still at William Patterson and then seeing some of those same students that I met as either 11th graders or 12th graders now going through their experience at William [00:08:00] Patterson and graduating and seeing them walk across the stage at commence.

[00:08:04] That was at that point, again, my kind of aha moment to saying, this is why I do the work that I do. This is why I love it so much. And it's because being able to see those students fulfill their destiny and get to that particular point, same as I had, and doing it in grand fashion was extremely fulfilling.

[00:08:25] So then 

[00:08:25] Jeremy Tiers: why do you think, because again, you're now in a leadership role, which we'll get to here in a little bit, but why do you think CC so many. Young admissions professionals aren't lasting more than a year and a half, two years even now. Is it, is it a leadership thing? Is it a, you know what, I'm not at my alma mater.

[00:08:43] I don't have that same poll you're talking about, or I never make it the four years to be able to see some of these students that I ultimately am able to work with graduate. Just any initial thoughts on what you think, whether it's a combination of those things or something completely 

[00:08:56] Carlos Cano: different? It's a combination of all those things.[00:09:00] 

[00:09:00] Obviously I, I think the most obvious answer, of course, is what we've been through in the last three to five years with the pandemic and how that has changed, I think concept of work period in terms of working from home, remote work, hybrid work, whatever it is that you want to call it. And so I think that that has played a role in it.

[00:09:26] I, I also think that there is, The concept of instant gratification for the, for the generation that's currently graduating and going into the workforce. And I think the reality is that in admissions, specifically in an enrollment recruitment, there isn't necessarily a lot of that instant gratification.

[00:09:49] It is grinding. It is taxing. So it does take a little bit of time to reap the benefits and to see some of the work that you're doing fulfill. And so that's [00:10:00] one of the things that in my role now, I try to give our counselors the perspective of the grind is worth it. The work that you're doing is worth it.

[00:10:13] You may not see it today, you may not see it tomorrow or next month, or even within the year. But you will see it and you need to give it the opportunity to cultivate.

[00:10:26] Zach Busekrus: Alrighty, we're gonna play a game, guys. Okay. So first and foremost, get a pen, get a paper, pull out your notes, app on your phone, whatever it might be. Okay. Got it. Great. Alright. What keywords does your website currently rank for? Take a couple seconds, right? 1, 2, 3, 4. I give you a few, not just a couple. What doesn't it rank for that you think it should rank for?

[00:10:49] Okay. 1, 2, 3, 4. Now, what are a few keyword opportunities that you could be winning on if you just simply tweaked some of your existing website? Copy. [00:11:00] Got it. Okay. How'd you do? Ooh, not so hot. Not sure what you can, what you're currently ranking for, or not sure what you could be ranking for. Well, that's okay.

[00:11:09] Because our friends at DD Agency want to help you answer all of these questions. Didi Agency is a higher ed specific marketing technology agency that has conducted countless SEO audits for colleges and universities across the country. In these audits, they detail where you currently rank what you could be ranking for, exactly how copy should be tweaked on a website pages, and.

[00:11:31] Much more. If this sounds like something that you could benefit from, give the guys a DD agency a ping and be sure to mention that enroll I sent you to claim a 10% discount on any of their SEO offerings. So head on over to enroll i.org/dda seo. That's DDA as in d d Agency seo, or simply follow the link in a show notes below that will guarantee you get a 10% discount off of your audit.

[00:11:57] All right. Add a number to enroll [00:12:00] fify.org/dd A S E O, or simply Google DD Agency. Find DD agency's website and be sure to mention that you heard about them through enroll I when you request your audit. All right, folks, back to the show. 

[00:12:14] Jeremy Tiers: Did people tell you that in leadership roles when you were in year one and year two, 

[00:12:18] Carlos Cano: Absolutely.

[00:12:19] They most certainly did. And I, and I took them at their word because these were people that I trusted, um, and, and people that I felt were really mentoring me because they saw something in me. Uh, one of the, one of my mentors, At William Patterson was someone that I had met during my recruitment process to William Patterson.

[00:12:41] Um, Anthony Leki shouts out to him, um, who has known me for a very long time and really saw something in me e even if I didn't see it in myself a lot of the times. But he stuck with me, um, and, and really saw me. Um, going, [00:13:00] going within that. And so he was the one that would always remind me like, this isn't something that you're gonna see necessarily the rewards of the work in such a small timeframe.

[00:13:13] It takes time, but you will get there and. He was a hundred percent right. 

[00:13:17] Jeremy Tiers: If you're listening to this and you haven't defined your why, I encourage you to think about that. But if you're a leader listening to this, really think about how often you have those type of conversations that Carlos just talked about with your staff.

[00:13:31] Cci, I gotta believe though, you like everybody else, cuz I deal with it too. I don't think any of us are immune to it. Right. How do you deal with anxiety and just the mental health challenges that come from working in this profession? What do you. 

[00:13:44] Carlos Cano: I find a lot of comfort, uh, first and foremost in my family.

[00:13:49] Um, proud husband, girl, dad. Uh, I know you are too jt, and, and I know how much pride, uh, and comfort that that is certainly to bring you as [00:14:00] well. And so I find a lot of comfort in spending time with them and unwinding and unraveling. I remember, uh, a couple weeks. I was working on, on a project and my daughter happened to be home, um, from school.

[00:14:16] It was in the later afternoon, and she came in and I was kind of juggling with it. I honestly don't remember exactly what it was, but I was kind of tossing ideas around and I had been chatting with someone, um, and she came in and un I didn't ask her for it, which, but it was totally fine. Um, gave me her perspective and I was just like, shoot, I never thought of it that way.

[00:14:44] Right? Like, she's 13 years old. I recognize that very shortly I will be recruiting her friends, um, to, to the college, university to higher education. But that, just that moment and the fact that [00:15:00] she helped me, which was great, but just kind of having that moment with her just reminds me constantly of, of how supportive my wife and and daughter are of the work that I do.

[00:15:11] Beyond that, particularly from stemming from work, from home and, and the pandemic, I've found a lot of comfort as well. And just getting outside and going on walks, sitting down, uh, at the park and. Breathing some fresh air, listening to something, uh, whether, you know, in my earbuds or something along those lines.

[00:15:33] And I guess more just recreationally, I'm, uh, I love to game, so I'm, I'm always on my PS five when I'm not doing anything family related or work related. Uh, and like you alluded to earlier, I am a huge wrestling fan. I'm a huge sports fan. Uh, so I'm either listening to Sports Talk Radio or Sports Talk podcast or wrestling podcast.

[00:15:56] Uh, and those things allow me to unwind and [00:16:00] disconnect a little bit. Uh, those are the things that also allow me the opportunity to get away from something that I may not be really being super effective with in the moment, and take maybe a couple minutes, an hour, even the rest of the day to. Decompress and then come back to it fresh, um, at a different point in time.

[00:16:21] So it's something that we all face and something that I think it's important to really do some self-reflection and identify and identify those ways to be able to disconnect for a bit, decompress and come back at it, uh, with fresh eyes and a fresh perspective. 

[00:16:37] Jeremy Tiers: Totally agree. And I either tweeted or put this on LinkedIn yesterday.

[00:16:42] I can't remember which one. I continue to get lots of questions around that, especially this time of year. And, and people CC will say to me, well, Jeremy, I, I can't, I can't afford the time to, you know, just take a day off or to take a couple. And I'm like, you can't afford not to, like for your mental health and your own sanity.

[00:16:59] Right? Like [00:17:00] none of us as a immune to it, are you able to power through a little bit more? If you're self motivated, you have an amazing boss, that's of course right, but like we all need it. And if you're listening to this again in April and you're feeling completely over. Please. Whether it's 20 minutes, an hour, a day, whatever you can afford to do, do not wait until post May one to do it.

[00:17:20] Carlos, what advice would you then give to somebody who maybe is at a turning point in their career right now, meaning they've been in higher ed, whether it's 12 months, 24 months, or maybe, you know what, they're like, you were at five or six years, but they're not a hundred percent certain. Do I want to go into leadership?

[00:17:36] Do I want to do this? Like what advice would you give someone who's having that debate right now in their. 

[00:17:42] Carlos Cano: You alluded to this earlier and it's finding your why. Um, I've watched that clip on YouTube more times than I don't even, I don't even care that I admit it. I, I do watch it very frequently cuz it's very powerful.

[00:17:55] What I would say to someone, and this, this is a conversation that I've certainly [00:18:00] had with folks who have. Approach me with that same question. Uh, is it time to move on? I'm feeling this way. And that's, that's usually my first response. And most of the time I get a little bit of the confused look because it's like, what does that mean?

[00:18:14] Like what am I, what am I looking for? Uh, that's why I'm asking you, right. What am I looking for? And I think I would say beyond that is, If you're finding yourself in that consistent kind of rut or funk, maybe it goes on for a day, a week, a month, or even a year, then maybe, yeah, it is time to start considering what might be next.

[00:18:40] But what I caution people about the most is. Just because you're feeling some kind of way about it right now is not a reason to make a rash decision about what you might do tomorrow or even two days after, or even a week after, right? You have to, like I said, be able to disconnect from that [00:19:00] situation or from that circumstance, even if it's for a couple of moments or a couple of minutes, or whatever the case may be, and really do that reflection.

[00:19:08] And if you find yourself in that consistent. Kind of moment where you're really not sure you're really questioning it, you don't really see the benefits. And again, maybe it's time to start taking those opportunities to reflect, do that self-reflection, but also do that reflection with other people that know you well, that you feel comfortable having those conversations with, uh, and people that you know that are gonna tell you.

[00:19:36] Not what you want to hear, but that they're going to tell you what you may need to hear, which you may or may not like, but that they're actually gonna tell you what it is that you need to hear and you also need to be ready to take that too. Uh, so it works both ways. Uh, but that's certainly the way that I, I would approach it when it comes to thinking about, do I make this move?

[00:19:56] Do I not make this move? Am I good here? [00:20:00] Those are definitely the right questions to ask, and I think it's important to be able to answer those honestly. When you 

[00:20:06] Jeremy Tiers: hit on earlier this concept of time and how when you started in the profession, it was like, Carlos, you gotta give it time, you gotta trust me, it's going to pay off.

[00:20:15] And there becomes a point for all of us where sure if we've given it time to your point, maybe it's just not right for us. But I feel like the younger generation, and by younger, I don't only meet our daughter's age, right? Cuz you know, they're both 13. I have a 13 year old daughter as my listeners know, but even 22, 23 year old admissions counsel.

[00:20:34] You know, I get asked all the time, well, Jeremy, I have to do this, does this, I'm like, says who? Like if you're 27 and 28 and still trying to figure this out, do you realize how young you still are? And they kind of gimme that weird look. Like, what do you mean? And I'm like, I started doing what I'm doing when I was 38.

[00:20:50] I'm now 47. And if I had to pivot again tomorrow, because to your point, I don't feel connected anymore. I don't feel fulfilled. I feel like it wouldn't be a problem [00:21:00] at all, even though jokingly my daughter tells my wife and I all the time, right? You guys are old. You grew up in the 19 hundreds, like literally, that's the phrase she uses and we laugh about it all the time.

[00:21:10] I didn't have this concept of time figured out either. I think CC when we were in our twenties. So Carlos, we fast forward seven years and in 2017 you decide to pivot to what you're doing now, which is the enrollment communications world. Why'd you do that? 

[00:21:25] Carlos Cano: Because someone believed in. And someone gave me that opportunity, and it was so, it was kind of a, a two-pronged decision.

[00:21:36] It was, I, I want to do this. It was the right time, like we just said, it was the right time for me to make that, that decision. But how did you know 

[00:21:45] Jeremy Tiers: that, right? You, you got tired of the work or what was it? On the admission side? 

[00:21:49] Carlos Cano: No. So personally at William Patterson, I had kind of reached that proverbial glass ceiling.

[00:21:57] Where for [00:22:00] any number of reasons, I wasn't going to get beyond where I was from a title standpoint. Um, and from a responsibility standpoint, I was still loving the work that I was doing. Um, but I had reached kind of that ceiling at that time, given where I was. And so another mentor of mine, Rohan, how. Who was my director for a couple of years at William Patterson and then went to SUNY Maritime, which is where I ended up in that role in 2017.

[00:22:29] Going to more of the communication side, again, gave me the opportunity and believed in me. Went through a process of course, and he was, he's always been someone that I know will never sugarcoat anything and will always. Go about it in the right way. And so I knew that if he was going through this process and seeking out other candidates and whatnot, but I, he ultimately felt that I was the best person for the job.

[00:22:58] Uh, and so that [00:23:00] I was going to do it. Um, and at that point in my life, I was just about to get, I was just married. I had just gotten married, so I'd been married for a little over a. Uh, and it was the right time. It was the right time to make it, uh, to make the, the flip. Um, it was difficult. It was very bittersweet, obviously leaving my own moderate to go somewhere new.

[00:23:21] Uh, I had been at, at William Patterson for seven years, and so there was that just kind of, okay, I've been here for so long. What's it like to be new somewhere? And to go through that transition. But again, because I knew where I knew who I was going to be working with, I felt very comfortable making that choice, specifically going to enrollment, marketing, enrollment communications.

[00:23:48] During my time at William Patterson, organically I had gotten into social media on my own, leveraging the work that I was doing, leveraging William Patterson [00:24:00] University. And I took the dive into Facebook and Twitter and, uh, not Instagram at the time, that would come a little later, but definitely on Twitter specifically.

[00:24:12] Um, and that opened a number of doors and, and opportunities. But I think it was my ability to be able to story tell and at Mar when I went to Maritime, that was something that they needed at that time. Someone who could convey the story of maritime college and what, what it is and what the potential was there for students, uh, beyond the cover.

[00:24:42] Right? So again, being able to tell the story. You don't wanna judge the book by its cover. How do you get someone to open that proverbial book to be able to look into it further? 

[00:24:51] Jeremy Tiers: What's the biggest thing that most admissions. Professionals CC don't understand about the enrollment comms world? 

[00:24:59] Carlos Cano: [00:25:00] That's a very good question.

[00:25:02] I think that the most common misconception is that enrollment marketing, or even just higher ed marketing in general, is only about being able to slap a billboard somewhere that has your institution's name and something catchy. To draw the eye and fun colors and images and whatnot. And that's all you really do, right?

[00:25:29] You try to do that, maybe strategically, maybe not, but that's really kind of all it is. And while that's a very small piece of it, it is much more than that. It is again, how you communicate with students, how you talk to them, how you talk with their parents, what you're saying to them. Uh, and then. Also, again, the ability to be able to tell a story with the information from your institution with the information that you have on your [00:26:00] students and your audience.

[00:26:01] But the other thing that I also remind counselors of, which is why I still love working with admissions counselors and I still recruit as part of my role, I still recruit, uh, students and, and do the college fair thing and get in the car for a couple of weeks and, and do all of. But enrollment, marketing and communications is also the conversations that you're having with prospective students and their families.

[00:26:28] And I remind our admissions counselors all the time that even though I'm the director of admissions, communications, and marketing, you all are my front line. So I have to also be able to provide you with the tools and the resources that you. To be able to tell that story, to be able to provide the information that people are looking for.

[00:26:51] But beyond that, it's also being able to teach these admissions counselors and other folks in general across [00:27:00] campus, be able to teach them really what it means to actively listen and not information dump. Uh, that's one of, that's, but always been one of my biggest pet peeves. But one of the things that I picked.

[00:27:12] Uh, during my time as an undergraduate student, uh, was the concept of active listening and how important it is to be able to take the information that you're given when you pose a question and then be able to really turn it into the answer that that student, that the person that's in front of you is really looking for.

[00:27:31] And not going off on a tangent just because you have all this wealth of information full circle. That is ultimately. Uh, I think is that common misconception is that the admissions common enrollment world is just sending out canned responses and canned emails and putting up a couple billboards or digital displays on Facebook.

[00:27:52] Uh, it's a lot more than that and it does involve the interpersonal piece as well. It's funny cuz I had, uh, an admission [00:28:00] counselor recently tell, That a student and their family were beyond anything else. Were just impressed with the fact that out of everyone that they had spoken to at an event, our admissions counselor remembered what they were looking to study, what they were interested in, all of these little details that they had just from having a conversation, and they had said to her, Yeah.

[00:28:27] Out of everyone that we spoke to, you're the only one that remembered. And they had, they were telling their, their student, this is the school you should go to, just because she remembered who you were and no one else was able to, uh, it, it's, it's become more and more apparent and consistent. That students are looking for that beyond anything else, because we know everything else is, is, is more or less obvious.

[00:28:54] You don't take it for granted, but it's obvious they're looking to higher education cuz they want an education, [00:29:00] they want an experience. But beyond that, they want to feel that authentic organic feeling that you know them, that you know who they are, that you know what ma what push, what buttons to push, what makes them.

[00:29:16] Jeremy Tiers: Relationships, right? Connections, relationships, community. We can say it a bunch of different ways. It has and will continue to be, to your point, Carlos, how so many young people go through this decision making process. So then three years later, right, we get to 2020 and we're eight months into a global pandemic and you decide, ah, it's time to move into a leadership role now at a different institution.

[00:29:40] Walk us through a how that happened and just what led you to. Yep. This is with everything that's happening in the world and where I'm at in my career, this is the right move for me. 

[00:29:51] Carlos Cano: I have been very fortunate in my career that the moves that I've made have not been out of [00:30:00] necessity, but they've been, because someone either said, I think you're the right person for this job.

[00:30:07] I want you on my team. Word of mouth people. And during the pandemic, we know there was a lot of movement and there still continues to be a lot of movement within the world of higher education and particularly within admissions and enrollment. And so it was a situation where, Georgian court had a need.

[00:30:28] People were doing their due diligence and trying to find, okay, who can we get that w that is someone, uh, that's someone trustworthy, that's someone that's reliable, that we can get here to make an immediate impact. And I applied to Georgian Court University, uh, director of Admission communications and marketing.

[00:30:50] Uh, I was certainly, uh, in a position where I was a little a. Uh, because it was a director role, it would've been, it, it, it became my [00:31:00] first one and it was, it almost got to a point where I was l My wife told me as I was going through the decision making process, she says to me, Carlos, what do you like? What do you keep harping about?

[00:31:14] You're looking at this point for more reasons to not, to not to make this move than there are. There really aren't any reasons for you not to do this other than yes, you're in the middle of a pandemic, so what does that really mean? But at the end of the day, any transition that you make is always gonna involve a little bit of a gamble, and it's always gonna involve a little bit of risk.

[00:31:35] And so I had this opportunity in front of me. Uh, I did think about it long and hard, but it was the right choice for me to make again, at the time, given where I was, uh, from a personal standpoint in terms of my career. I said, you know what? Opportunities like this don't come up very often. Um, and they also made it very difficult for me to say no.

[00:31:57] Right. And so that also led me [00:32:00] to, to really believe and, and think that, okay, they really want me, um, for one reason or another. I don't know why, but they really want me at Georgian court. And I, I went ahead and took the deep dive 

[00:32:13] Jeremy Tiers: well, and it feels great to be wanted. Right? I don't, I don't think any of us would argue.

[00:32:17] It does get me thinking though, right? You talk about multiple opportunities you've had in your professional higher ed career to make those moves. It's not, well, I'm just randomly going to a job board and finding these jobs, people who are reaching out to me. How much do you truly feel like. Those opportunities are in part because of how either a active you've been within NACA and especially the New Jersey, a C A, C over the years and or B, the social media presence.

[00:32:46] Because again, in my opinion, you're one of the most active admissions and EM people on social media that I know. Any connection there, in your opinion? 

[00:32:54] Carlos Cano: Oh, 1000% on both ends. Uh, I was fortunate enough [00:33:00] to, in 2013, uh, I became involved with the New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling. Uh, was, how'd that happen?

[00:33:08] By the way, Carlos, I was voluntold to a position, so I went to the conference for the first time. Again, that was an experience that kind of blew my mind, uh, because I didn. Again, so early in my career, I didn't know that there were these events where you would get together with other people that do the same work that you do or in that same, or in that same world, uh, with you, cuz you have secondary school counselors and independent counselors and whatnot.

[00:33:36] They're all in the same place and they're all talking about the same things. Right. And especially on the college. To me it was, wow. Like we're all in the same room and these are my competitors and people that I'm trying to get students from. Right. But it was so collaborative and it was so powerful. And then, you know, at least back then, everything's online now.

[00:33:58] But I remember back then [00:34:00] specifically filling out a piece of paper because I've always been that person. I was always like that in undergrad, where it was like, okay, we have. This thing we want you to do, or Hey, sign up for intramurals or sign up to do the clothing drive, or whatever it was. And I always signed up, and even if it was being super involved or just having a small role, I always wanted to be involved.

[00:34:23] And I said, okay, this is the time to do it now in a professional setting. So I filled out that sheet of paper that said, okay, I'm interested in this and this and this. All of a sudden I get an email that says, okay, you need to be here for our summer retreat. And I'm like, what am I getting myself into? But at the same time, I was like, okay, why not?

[00:34:43] Like if this is a way for me to be able to meet people that again, are doing the same work as I am and we're able to collaborate together, then why not? And because I, I've always believed that in many [00:35:00] regards, it's not always about what you know, it's about who you. As well. And so through that I became very involved, uh, especially then got to become, uh, a delegate for, for NAC act, which then brought me to the, the national level and the national conference, uh, and the social media stuff.

[00:35:19] Uh, you know, shouts to em. Chat shouts to Alex Williams and Jenny l Strother, um, who I came across em chat on a whim. Um, I honestly don't remember how it came about, but I suppose probably from something I tweeted that was work related. And all of a sudden I'm getting tweets with hashtag EM chat. And I'm like, what is this?

[00:35:43] And then all of a sudden I am getting connected with people like you, JT, and Adam Castro, and just again, there's so many names that are in there and then all of a sudden finally meeting people like that in real. [00:36:00] Having these conversations about the work that we do, and it's just been great. It's, it's such a, a wonderful thing to be able to have, um, and to be able to run ideas past people, uh, like yourself.

[00:36:15] You know, we've had conversations in the past many times about different things, whether it's with staff or with communications or whatnot. Um, and all those things have been great and they have. A significant influence on my career and where I've gotten to, uh, up to this point. Well, 

[00:36:32] Jeremy Tiers: until that point, Carlos, I would argue younger again, admissions professionals, whether you're voluntold like you were or you have this opportunity, or even if you don't, for budget, for timing, for whatever it is, we all have access to social media.

[00:36:48] Hashtag em. Chat is still a thing. You know, shout out absolutely to Jenny l and Alex, who are two of the most amazing humans, just like you in the world who I, I'm happy to call good friends [00:37:00] Adam Castro as well. There are just opportunities to connect with people. I, I tell people all the time, I literally did it this morning with ironically, somebody that is a mutual friend of ours who works at a school in New Jersey as well.

[00:37:13] She's just getting an opportunity to expand her leadership role right now. And she said, Hey, Jeremy, like, do you know anybody I can connect with who can? Absolutely. And I've already put her in contact with somebody who I, that is available to every single person listening to this. Regardless of whether you're in an enrollment comms role, an admissions counselor role, a vice president role, there are all kinds of people doing the same thing you're doing right now.

[00:37:37] And I don't think enough people are intentional about doing what you clearly did. When you started that leadership journey, what did you prioritize as a new leader? 

[00:37:48] Carlos Cano: My biggest priority when I started as a director and, and it's funny because even before I started, I was thinking to myself, how [00:38:00] do I now take this really bold?

[00:38:04] As a director to really distinguish myself to my new colleagues and my new coworkers. So one of the things that I did was went on a listening tour, really within my office. I met with every member of our staff, including our vice president, who I report to, our assistant vice president for undergraduate, director for graduate, all the admissions counselors on both sides of the.

[00:38:30] Sat with them 30, 45 minutes and asked them super simple questions like, Hey, what would you like to see, uh, from, from someone who's in my role? Uh, what do you think my predecessor did that work? That didn't work? Um, things that you would like to see continue. Things that maybe just didn't work and so we need to go in a different direction.

[00:38:52] Uh, but more importantly, uh, was getting their feel as to the camp campus culture. Again, it [00:39:00] was a really interesting time just because of the pandemic and so. We weren't in the office as much. The campus, uh, community wasn't as lively and as active, but I wanted to hear from all sides of the, of, of the proverbial table people on my staff who have been there for 30 plus years.

[00:39:20] So they're very, very connected to the institution in a different way. Uh, and then folks who are a little bit younger, but also connected because they're alum, um, or they've been there maybe five or six years. So really just kind of. The full scope of what's going on and what's needed, and then being able to pick out what's what, right?

[00:39:40] Because you certainly hear consistent messages from folks when you ask. Consistent questions, and so when you get that consistent feedback, you're able to then take that and say, aha, this is something that we definitely need to touch on and definitely have to have an impact on in some way, shape or form.

[00:39:57] Also, having that [00:40:00] open door policy like, look, how do I help you to help me and how? How can you help me to, Uh, that's, that's really what, what it was. And I think that's very important when you start out, especially in a position where you have that title of director, which I think means that people look at you in a, in a slightly different way.

[00:40:19] Jeremy Tiers: So you've talked a lot in this time. We've been chatting cece about mentors, just anybody listening, talk about the importance of having one or more mentors. It 

[00:40:29] Carlos Cano: is so important. And in hindsight, hindsight's always 2020, right? In hindsight, if I don't have that conversation, uh, with, with my mentor who basically said very bluntly, you need to go back to school.

[00:40:44] You like it or not, you gotta go back to school because you are way too talented and way too good at this work to just kind of pigeonhole yourself into this, into where you are right now. Um, and so that in itself makes that [00:41:00] that relationship very important. I think it's also understanding that a mentor doesn't necessarily have to be someone that you talk to all the time or that you even see all the time.

[00:41:13] Uh, so I, I think, and I know in my head that there are people that I consider mentors that are not necessarily people a, who may not even know. I consider them a mentor. Um, but b are also just not people that I talk to all the time, but I still really feel that they're mentoring me, whether it's through their example, through words that they share directly or indirectly.

[00:41:40] Um, I always think about one person who con, who I consider a mentor, um, SIIS Vanny, who is, uh, a legend in New Jersey in Pennsylvania. He's an independent counselor who I've known for many, many years now, and it's his way of telling stories that [00:42:00] has always inspired me to be that storyteller because when he talks about the experiences that he.

[00:42:07] As a college student, the experiences that he's had counseling students for many years in a public school setting, and now what he gets to do as an independent counselor, um, it just has meant so much to me in my career. Um, and I consider him a mentor and I don't think that I've ever told him that I probably should.

[00:42:27] You a hundred percent should. Um, and, and, and I, I definitely should. And it, but again, it's someone that I talk to maybe once every couple of months, um, if that, or we see each other at a conference or something like that. And so anyone that's listening to this, if you haven't identified that someone, and again, it doesn't have to be someone that you talk to all the time or that you see all the time, but it is so important that you have that someone that you draw inspiration from and that you also are able to.[00:43:00] 

[00:43:00] Something beyond just the normal conversation banter. Right. I think that's one of the things that helps define, uh, a mentor, is that they provide some form of inspiration, um, as well. And the, the folks that I call mentors in my life definitely, uh, have done that for me. The last two 

[00:43:19] Jeremy Tiers: things we do on every episode, cc a signature question.

[00:43:25] What's been the most influential resource for you in your. 

[00:43:29] Carlos Cano: Most influential resource for me has always been my network of people. And again, it isn't because I'm able to name drop and say, oh, I know so and so. It's the ability to be able to send a tweet to you, for example, and say, Hey. Jt, how do you, what do you think about this?

[00:43:55] The fact that I can, that I know that I can send a message on LinkedIn to [00:44:00] somebody in, in, at another institution and be able to pose a question. Um, I did it just recently as I'm doing some, um, some research on, on a product, and I saw the client list and I said, oh, I, I know someone there and I know someone there and I know that I can pick their.

[00:44:18] About this particular venture that I may want to go on. Um, and so that's been my, my biggest resource, 1000%. 

[00:44:26] Jeremy Tiers: Last thing we do is something I call fun rapid fire. So I'm just gonna give you a handful of quick things and I want to get your quick takes. You ready? Absolutely wrestler. With the best walkout music.

[00:44:39] Carlos Cano: Don't cold. 

[00:44:39] Jeremy Tiers: Steve Austin. That's a pretty good one. You have to give up one for the rest of your life. Soccer or wrestling? Which one are you giving up? 

[00:44:48] Carlos Cano: Wrestling. That's so hard. That's not even fair. Marvel or dc? DC Batman, all day. 

[00:44:57] Jeremy Tiers: Most underrated Video game. [00:45:00] 

[00:45:00] Carlos Cano: Metal gear. Solid. I have no 

[00:45:02] Jeremy Tiers: idea what that is. And then fun fact that not too many people know about.

[00:45:07] Carlos Cano: I am a fourth Dan Black Belt in Taek Kwon. 

[00:45:12] Jeremy Tiers: Carlos, it's so fun that we got to do this long overdue, my friend and I, I appreciate you being willing to open up and share so much. I have no doubt it's going to help a ton of our audience. If anybody does want to follow up with you and connect, what's the best way to do that?

[00:45:28] Carlos Cano: Best way is LinkedIn. You can find me right by my name, Carlos Kano. Um, and then on. At em, Carlos C uh, those are the two best ways to reach out to me. 

[00:45:41] Jeremy Tiers: Awesome. Thank you for spending some time with 

[00:45:43] Carlos Cano: us today, jt. Thank you so much for the opportunity. It's been a pleasure. 

[00:45:49] Zach Busekrus: Hey, Y’all Zach here from Enrollify.

[00:45:50] I hope you enjoyed this episode of Mission Admissions with Jeremy Tiers. If you like this episode, do us a huge favor and hit that follow and subscribe button below. Furthermore, if you've [00:46:00] got just two minutes to spare, we would greatly appreciate you leading a rating and a review of this show on Apple Podcast.

[00:46:06] Our podcast network is growing by the month, and we've got a plethora of marketing admissions and higher ed technology shows that are jam-packed with stories, ideas, and frameworks that are all designed to empower you to become a better higher ed professional. But Enrollify is far more than just a podcast network.

[00:46:23] Enrollify is where higher ed comes to learn new marketing skills, discover new products and services, and find their next job. We're a growing learning community of 4,000. And we'd love to welcome you into the fold. You can access our free blog, articles, newsletters, e-courses, and more, or purchase our master course on how to market a University with Terry Flannery at enrollify.org.

[00:46:45] We look forward to meeting you soon and welcoming you into the community. Again, you can subscribe for free at enrollify.org.[00:47:00]