What Every HE Professional Should Know About Using AI in Recruitment and Outreach

AI is already reshaping student recruitment and outreach. This guide breaks down what you need to know and where to start—offering practical, jargon-free tips for using AI tools in your day-to-day work.

Introduction: Why Now, Why You?

AI is no longer just a buzzword reserved for coders and Silicon Valley startups. It’s an everyday tool, one with the potential to transform how student recruitment, outreach, and events teams work across the UK HE sector.

Whether you’re trying to personalise your presentation with local context, reviewing feedback from schools, or juggling hundreds of student queries, AI tools can help you move faster, personalise more, and make smarter decisions. But with so much hype, where do you even begin?

This blog is for anyone working in a busy recruitment or outreach role, looking for simple, practical ways to use AI in their work—without needing to become a tech expert.

What Is AI, Really?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the ability of machines, especially computer programs, to perform tasks that would typically require human intelligence. Think recognising patterns, learning from data, responding to questions, or generating new content.

Machine learning (ML) is a key part of AI—it allows systems to “learn” from data and improve over time without being explicitly programmed. A great example in higher education? Your data teams might use predictive models to identify students most likely to enrol based on past engagement.

Then there are large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, and Google’s Gemini. These are trained on massive amounts of text and can understand and generate human-like language. They’re brilliant at tasks like:

Drafting copy
Summarising complex info
Suggesting ideas
Translating tone or language

They don’t “think” like humans, but they’re incredibly good at producing plausible, context-aware responses—especially when prompted clearly (more on prompts at the end!).

3 Practical Ways AI Can Support Your Work Today

1. Automating Repetitive Tasks

Let’s be honest: parts of your job are repetitive. AI tools can help with:

Summarising meeting notes from recordings or transcripts—you can even invite them to your meetings. Try a free Fireflies account!
Drafting first versions of emails, reports, or presentations. You still edit, but it gets you 60% there in seconds.
Cleaning and reformatting data, such as contact lists, session signups, or event feedback.

🛠️ Try this: Ask ChatGPT, “Summarise the following transcript into 3 key points for a team update.” Paste your raw notes. Voilà, an editable summary in seconds.

2. Improving Student Engagement at Scale

With limited time and teams, personalising outreach to thousands of students can feel impossible. AI helps by:

Generating tailored follow-up emails based on a student’s event location or interests.
Powering chat-bots that answer FAQs about your university, campus life, or application process—24/7.
Testing and refining messaging, such as comparing how different email subject lines might perform.

🎯 Real use case: Use AI to write three versions of an open day invite—one for teachers, one for students, and one for parents/supporters. You plug in the right detail and let AI help tailor the message.

3. Supercharging Your Personal Learning & Development

AI isn’t just for external work—it’s a powerful personal tutor and brainstorming partner.

Need help understanding UCAS trends? Ask ChatGPT to explain recent reports in plain English.
Want a second brain? Use AI to sense-check your thinking or explore creative ideas for your next school visit plan.
Upskilling? Tools like Claude or Gemini can explain technical concepts like CRM segmentation or AI ethics without the jargon.

📘 Tip: Start with, “I’m new to this. Explain X like I’m five.” You’ll be amazed at how accessible complex topics become.

Understanding the LLM Landscape

Not all AI tools are created equal. Here’s a quick breakdown of the most common LLMs and when to use them:

LLM	Key Strengths	Ideal For	Access
ChatGPT (OpenAI)	Conversational, reliable, integrates with Microsoft	Drafting, summarising, brainstorming	Free & paid
Claude (Anthropic)	Great at reasoning and tone, very safe	Sensitive data, nuanced tasks	Free & pro
Gemini (Google)	Integrates with Google tools, image understanding	Google Drive workflows	Free & pro

Each tool has its pros and quirks. The best one? The one that fits into your daily workflow. If you’re already using Google Docs, try Gemini. If your university has Microsoft Copilot, lean into ChatGPT.

Choosing the Right Tool for the Task

Here’s a quick cheat sheet:

Task	Best AI Tool	Why
Drafting a newsletter	ChatGPT	Fast and creative writer
Analysing student feedback	Claude	Handles nuance and long text well
Preparing school visit Q&A	ChatGPT or Gemini	Fast generation, context-aware
Brainstorming outreach ideas	ChatGPT	Flexible, creative
Writing for Gen Z	Gemini	Great at tone testing

⚠️ Always review the output. These tools suggest, not decide—you always know what’s best. If something doesn’t sound right, change it.

Conclusion: Start Small, Stay Curious

You don’t need to be a data scientist to use AI. Start by experimenting with one or two small tasks each week—write an email, summarise an event report, or get help brainstorming. Over time, you’ll find where AI adds real value and where your human touch is irreplaceable.

As student recruitment professionals, we’re already experts in communication, empathy, and student experience. AI won’t replace that—but it can enhance and amplify it.

Next Steps

🛠️ Want to try something today?

Perfect your prompts! Spend time refining what and how you ask to get the best results. You can even ask, “What prompt should I use to do X better?”
Test AI on your next email draft or meeting notes.
Share your AI experiences with colleagues and learn from each other.

Let’s explore what’s possible—together.

Written by Jonny AW with excellent assistance from ChatGPT.