WHAT IS A CAMPUS AMBASSADOR PROGRAM?
A Campus Ambassador program is the means for a company to maintain its brand presence among college/university students. In a campus ambassador program, companies hire and appoint ambassadors in colleges, and these campus ambassadors essentially represent the company in their campuses.
Why companies hire campus ambassadors? Well, for various reasons: it could be simply to spread the word about their product or service among students, or they simply want to create a community with the knowledge of a particular technology (Microsoft Students Partner is a good example where Microsoft offers its campus ambassadors training on various Microsoft technologies) Thus, a campus ambassador is the face and voice of the company in her campus representing the company’s mission and vision by organising various marketing and promotional activities such as hosting workshops, seminars, social media promotions, and so on.
WHAT DOES A CA PROGRAM HAVE TO OFFER?
A well-managed campus ambassador program can provide you with plenty of learning opportunities. It can help you develop multiple skills such as social media marketing, content marketing, organizing seminars, taking workshops etc. And the most interesting part is that you even get to earn rewards such as cash incentives, gift vouchers, and even some cool merchandises. A campus ambassador is usually expected to work 3 to 4 hours every week, and so it also helps you become a better planner in terms of managing your academic responsibilities along with your campus ambassador work. You can also include your campus ambassador experience on your resume – it is a valuable addition! 🙂
Now that you know what a campus ambassador program is and how it can help you in learning, and building your resume, here are 6 things that you should always check before going for one:
TIPS TO APPROACH A CA PROGRAM
Do a thorough research of the company – especially, when it is not a known brand. Read about the company – what it does, people behind it, and check their website and social media platforms for more information. It will help you deduce if the company is genuine or not.
Read and understand the program thoroughly – The program should have a clearly defined timeline, objective, campus ambassador’s responsibilities, and a reward system. This will help you get a clear understanding of your responsibilities, the time you would have to dedicate, and the learning (and earning) opportunities during the stint as a campus ambassador.
Understand their performance tracking mechanism – Make sure that the company has a proper performance tracking system for online and offline activities where you can regularly track your performance. Usually, a unique code is assigned to each ambassador to track their performance for online activities and photographs & videos are used to track offline activities.
After applying:
Understand if there is a proper assessment process – There should be a proper and well-defined assessment process of hiring campus ambassadors. If you just received an email saying you have been hired without any prior communication with the company, it is a red sign.
After being hired:
Understand the reward dispatch mechanism – A proper reward dispatch mechanism must be in place for you to avail the rewards. This should be communicated during orientation itself once you join. If not, ask the company to explain it to you.
Ensure that there is a point of contact in the company – Make sure that you have a dedicated point of contact in the company to resolve all your queries & grievances.
YLCC would like to thank Riya Gupta for her valuable inputs in this article.
