Top 12 Enrollment Counselor Skills to Put on Your Resume

In enrollment counseling, the right mix of skills on a resume doesn’t just look good—it opens doors. The list below highlights twelve core skills employers expect to see from effective enrollment counselors, with quick, practical ways to sharpen each one and show your impact where it counts.

Enrollment Counselor Skills

1. Salesforce
2. PeopleSoft
3. Communication
4. Empathy
5. Multitasking
6. CRM Software
7. Banner (Ellucian)
8. Advising
9. Conflict Resolution
10. Data Analysis
11. Time Management
12. Student Information Systems

1. Salesforce

Salesforce is a customer relationship management platform that helps enrollment teams capture inquiries, track interactions, and guide prospects from first interest to enrolled student with organized data and timely communication.

Why It's Important

It centralizes prospect information, automates follow-ups, and surfaces insights, so counselors spend less time chasing details and more time guiding students with precision.

How to Improve Salesforce Skills

Make Salesforce work for you, not the other way around:

1. Customize for the funnel: Align objects, fields, page layouts, and record types to mirror your inquiry-to-enrollment process.

2. Automate the routine: Use Flows, assignment rules, and email templates for reminders, nurtures, and status updates.

3. Keep data clean: Standardize picklists, set validation rules, and schedule duplicate checks to protect reporting quality.

4. Track what matters: Build dashboards for response times, conversion by source, interview show rates, and yield.

5. Leverage CRM Analytics: Spot patterns in behavior and segment audiences for targeted outreach.

6. Integrate systems: Connect your SIS, forms, and communication tools so activities and outcomes stay in sync.

7. Document and train: Create quick guides and refreshers for the team; consistency boosts speed and accuracy.

Small, thoughtful tweaks compound into faster cycles and clearer decisions.

How to Display Salesforce Skills on Your Resume

2. PeopleSoft

PeopleSoft is an enterprise system used by many institutions to manage admissions, enrollment, student records, and related workflows.

Why It's Important

It serves as a single source of truth for student data, streamlining application processing, communication, and compliance while reducing manual handoffs.

How to Improve PeopleSoft Skills

Turn PeopleSoft into a smooth lane for applicants:

1. Use delivered workflow: Configure approvals, activity guides, and work centers to cut repetitive steps.

2. Tune the experience: Personalize tiles, navigation collections, and pages for the counselor’s daily flow.

3. Strengthen reporting: Build queries, schedule reports, and use burst distributions for team visibility.

4. Enable integrations: Connect with CRM and SIS components via Integration Broker to keep data aligned.

5. Adopt Fluid UI: Improve mobile usability for on-the-go checks and updates.

6. Audit data quality: Run routine checks for missing fields, mismatched statuses, and duplicate records.

7. Train by role: Short, task-based training beats long manuals and speeds up adoption.

Configured well, PeopleSoft cuts noise and speeds decisions.

How to Display PeopleSoft Skills on Your Resume

3. Communication

Communication for enrollment counselors is the art and discipline of exchanging clear, timely, and human messages—across email, phone, text, and face-to-face—to guide students through decisions with confidence.

Why It's Important

It builds trust, clears confusion, and keeps momentum. Done well, students feel seen and supported, which directly affects yield.

How to Improve Communication Skills

Lean into clarity and care:

1. Listen like it matters: Reflect back what you heard; confirm needs before advising.

2. Write plainly: Short sentences, concrete steps, no jargon. Always include next actions.

3. Show empathy: Acknowledge stressors—finances, timing, fit—before diving into solutions.

4. Follow a cadence: Set touchpoint timelines for inquiry, app started, incomplete items, admit, and deposit.

5. Pick the right channel: Urgent or complex? Call. Quick nudge? Text or email.

6. Personalize smartly: Reference program interests, deadlines, and past conversations.

7. Document interactions: Log notes so the next contact continues the story, not restarts it.

How to Display Communication Skills on Your Resume

4. Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand a student’s situation, emotions, and motivations—and respond in a way that feels helpful, not scripted.

Why It's Important

It lowers anxiety, uncovers the real blockers, and strengthens relationships that turn interest into enrollment.

How to Improve Empathy Skills

Practice, observe, adjust:

1. Active listening: Pause more. Paraphrase. Ask, “Did I get that right?”

2. Open-ended questions: What’s most important to you in a program? What worries you about timing?

3. Perspective-taking: Imagine the decision from their life stage, finances, and family commitments.

4. Grow emotional intelligence: Notice your own triggers; regulate before responding.

5. Feedback loops: Invite honest input after conversations; adjust your approach.

6. Reflect regularly: After calls, jot what worked, what missed, and one thing to try next time.

How to Display Empathy Skills on Your Resume

5. Multitasking

Multitasking for an enrollment counselor means juggling inquiries, application reviews, events, and cross-team coordination without dropping the thread.

Why It's Important

Volume is real. Deadlines don’t wait. The ability to switch gears cleanly keeps students moving forward and reduces bottlenecks.

How to Improve Multitasking Skills

Protect your focus while moving fast:

1. Prioritize deliberately: Use an urgent/important matrix; front-load high-impact actions.

2. Batch work: Group call blocks, email triage, file reviews to reduce context switching.

3. Time block: Put tasks on the calendar; treat them like meetings.

4. Cut noise: Turn off non-critical notifications; check email at set times.

5. Create playbooks: Templates for common replies and checklists for file reviews save minutes that add up.

6. Use short breaks: Pomodoro-style sprints maintain energy during peak seasons.

How to Display Multitasking Skills on Your Resume

6. CRM Software

CRM software tracks relationships with prospects and applicants, orchestrating outreach, tasks, and reporting in one place.

Why It's Important

It ensures timely follow-up, personalizes messaging at scale, and gives visibility into what’s working—so teams can steer efforts, not guess.

How to Improve CRM Software Skills

Get more from your CRM without bloat:

1. Automate thoughtfully: Trigger nudges, reminders, and status changes based on behaviors and milestones.

2. Integrate your stack: Connect SIS, forms, chat, events, and calling tools to keep records complete.

3. Segment audiences: Target by program, stage, geography, and engagement for relevance.

4. Go mobile: Use mobile apps or responsive views for quick updates in the field.

5. Train often: Short refreshers and office hours prevent workarounds and data drift.

6. Collect feedback: Maintain a wish list; improve fields, workflows, and dashboards each cycle.

7. Mind security: Enforce role-based access and FERPA-conscious practices for sensitive data.

How to Display CRM Software Skills on Your Resume

7. Banner (Ellucian)

Banner by Ellucian is a higher-education ERP that unifies admissions, registration, financial aid, billing, and student services.

Why It's Important

For counselors, Banner consolidates records and statuses, streamlines workflows, and supports accurate reporting across the enrollment lifecycle.

How to Improve Banner (Ellucian) Skills

Make Banner faster and friendlier:

1. Learn the modules you touch: Admissions, Student, Financial Aid—know where data lives and how it flows.

2. Optimize pages: Adjust forms, quickflows, and favorites for fewer clicks.

3. Guard data integrity: Standardize codes, run exception reports, and schedule cleanups.

4. Use analytics: Build shared dashboards for inquiry volume, conversion, and yield by cohort.

5. Connect systems: Coordinate with IT on secure integrations to your CRM and communications tools.

6. Share knowledge: Keep a living SOP with screenshots and tips that new team members can follow.

How to Display Banner (Ellucian) Skills on Your Resume

8. Advising

Advising means guiding students on programs, requirements, timelines, and fit—helping them choose pathways that match goals and constraints.

Why It's Important

Clear, tailored advice reduces melt, prevents missteps, and sets students up for a confident start.

How to Improve Advising Skills

Bring structure and warmth:

1. Ask better questions: Goals, career outcomes, time availability, financial realities.

2. Personalize plans: Map prerequisites, milestones, and deadlines to each student’s situation.

3. Use the tools: Degree audits, pathway planners, and CRMs keep guidance consistent and traceable.

4. Align with academics: Meet regularly with program leaders to keep advice current.

5. Follow through: Schedule check-ins post-admit and pre-start to catch last-minute blockers.

6. Keep learning: Stay current on policy changes, catalog updates, and labor-market signals.

How to Display Advising Skills on Your Resume

9. Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution is the practice of navigating disagreements—about decisions, policies, timelines—toward outcomes that are fair, clear, and sustainable.

Why It's Important

Handled well, conflicts become trust-building moments. Handled poorly, they spiral into complaints and churn.

How to Improve Conflict Resolution Skills

Steady, respectful, solution-focused:

1. Listen fully: Let the person finish; acknowledge emotions and facts.

2. Clarify: Summarize the issue and confirm the desired outcome.

3. Separate policy from preference: Explain what’s flexible and what isn’t.

4. Offer options: Present viable paths, trade-offs, and timelines.

5. Agree on next steps: Document commitments and timing; follow up promptly.

How to Display Conflict Resolution Skills on Your Resume

10. Data Analysis

Data analysis is the process of examining and visualizing data to answer questions, spot trends, and guide decisions across the recruitment funnel.

Why It's Important

It reveals which sources convert, where prospects stall, and which messages move the needle—so budgets and time go where they pay off.

How to Improve Data Analysis Skills

Turn numbers into narratives:

1. Know your metrics: Response time, inquiry-to-app, app-to-admit, admit-to-enroll, melt, and yield by segment.

2. Master core tools: Spreadsheets for cleaning and modeling; BI tools for dashboards.

3. Standardize data: Consistent sources, codes, and definitions keep reports trustworthy.

4. Visualize smartly: Use simple charts; highlight trends, not noise.

5. Experiment: A/B test subject lines, scripts, and sequences; measure lift, keep winners.

6. Tell the story: Pair charts with clear takeaways and recommended actions.

How to Display Data Analysis Skills on Your Resume

11. Time Management

Time management is organizing your day—tasks, meetings, follow-ups—so deadlines are met and students aren’t left waiting.

Why It's Important

In peak cycles, structure beats chaos. Strong habits protect quality and reduce stress.

How to Improve Time Management Skills

Build a rhythm that lasts:

1. Set daily outcomes: Define the three wins that would make the day successful.

2. Prioritize: Use an urgency/importance matrix to stack your queue.

3. Plan the week: Block time for outreach, file review, meetings, and admin.

4. Limit distractions: Batch email and message checks; silence non-essential alerts.

5. Delegate and templatize: Share tasks where appropriate; use checklists for repeat work.

6. Take breathers: Short breaks keep focus sharp over long stretches.

7. Review and adjust: End-of-week lookback to refine your approach.

How to Display Time Management Skills on Your Resume

12. Student Information Systems

A Student Information System (SIS) manages core student records—applications, enrollments, grades, attendance, and more—powering admissions and ongoing student management.

Why It's Important

For counselors, an SIS centralizes data, streamlines processes, and supports timely, accurate guidance throughout the student journey.

How to Improve Student Information Systems Skills

Make your SIS a teammate, not a hurdle:

1. Integrate widely: Connect SIS with CRM, LMS, forms, and communication tools to reduce double entry.

2. Refine usability: Configure layouts, tiles, and navigation for fewer clicks and clearer views.

3. Elevate analytics: Track funnel health, engagement, and outcomes; share dashboards with stakeholders.

4. Enable mobile: Ensure counselors and students can review and act on tasks away from a desk.

5. Prioritize security: Enforce least-privilege access, audit logs, and FERPA-aligned practices.

6. Choose flexible platforms: Favor systems that customize and scale with enrollment growth—modern options like Anthology Student, Workday Student, and PowerSchool SIS are common in the sector.

How to Display Student Information Systems Skills on Your Resume