Business Posting - Mihran O.

I am currently employed as a tutor at the Campus Learning Center in the University College. This job has allowed me to learn some subtle lessons which can be applied to the business world. As a tutor, the product I "sell" to students is knowledge and just like any business, knowing how to package my product makes all the difference.

Students who are in need of tutoring can set up private appointments for one on one tutoring. This private tutoring is a classic example of knowing how to package my product.

The student usually comes into the tutoring room and I introduce myself as their tutor. The first thing I do is try to get an idea of how much background information they have on their topic in question. If the student has a pretty good idea of what is going on, I will answer their questions as directly as possible. If the student is not too sure of themselves, the "packaging" begins. Before answering their specific question, the student and I work backward to figure out the last pieces of information the student understood. Then from that baseline knowledge, I try to explain the answer to their question in a way that I think they will clearly understand. If that’s not possible, it becomes necessary to explain some new information that will allow the student to have the baseline knowledge to figure out the answer to their own question. Each step the student and I take towards achieving their ultimate goal of resolving their questions is another way of packaging information for their consumption. The payoff occurs when the student says something to the effect of, "That’s it? That was easy." And I say, "Yes, it was that easy."