You’re a smart fella.  You worked hard in school, participated in some meaningful activities, and dutifully read the Brand-Yourself blog every day.  Fortunately for you, all of your efforts have paid off, and you have some interviews scheduled! Now, everything on your resume no longer matters.  The only thing standing between you and that dream job is a friendly conversation with a hiring manager.  You only have a limited time to impress them, so listen up! 

Here’s what to do to stand out from the crowd and really wow your interviewers:

• Arrive 15 minutes early. This allows you extra time to find parking, use the restroom, get some water or just relax.  Also, if some unexpected delay comes up, it gives you an extra cushion to make sure you’re not late.
• Dress conservatively. Do not wear the latest suit or dress from the fashion magazine you pick up at the book store or in the grocery line.  Be conservative.  Until you learn the culture of the company, it is better safe than sorry.  There are exceptions to this rule such as small start up companies or a marketing/PR firm in New York.  Remember, it never hurts to ask the HR person at the company what is appropriate if you are unsure! 
• Research your interviewers. Ask the recruiter or human resources professional for the names of the people with whom you will be interviewing.  Take these names look them up on LinkedIn and  Google/Bing and learn about their work experience.  Maybe their background will provide you with some interesting talking points: do they write a blog, participate in an organization or perform volunteer work similar to what you are interested in?  Remember, these are real people who like to engage in real conversations, not necessarily all business all the time.
• Arrive prepared. Have a classy-looking portfolio notebook to take notes.  Always have a few extra copies of your resume, maybe even bring a flash drive with you that has your resume to be downloaded easily.  You never know who may ask for it. This is simple planning and only takes a few minutes the night before to ensure you have the opportunity for the best first impression.  Also be sure to have a list of your own questions prepared.  About the job, the company, and the interviewer themselves.  This shows that you actually care about this specific opening, and that it’s not just another interview.
• Collect business cards. Ask anyone you interview with for their card before the interview session starts.  Take their business card and put it at the top of your notepad.  Now you are able to glance down at your paper, casually, and see their name very easily should you happen to forget.
• Ask about the next steps. Before you leave, ask the manager or recruiter for the appropriate way to follow up.  Do not leave with “we’ll be in touch”.  Ask for a timeline as to when you may follow up for feedback if you have not heard anything.  Make sure you let them know that you understand their busy schedule and you are happy to call at their convenience.
• Thank you notes. Always write a thank you note!  One tip I learned right out of college was to bring thank you notes with you and write them by hand in the car before you even leave the parking lot.  This allows you to have all information fresh in your mind as you write your thank you note.  Do not write a generic thank you letter. Instead, make specific points about the conversation.  Even just one sentence which references something you talked about, or something personal about the interviewer, is much better than a canned response.  Feeling ambitious?  Hand-deliver your letters to the receptionist so they arrive later the same day or the next day (alternately, FedEx overnight them.  Consider the cost an investment in getting the job).

These may seem obvious, but you’d all be amazed at how many people still show up late, dress inappropriately, know nothing about their target companies, and generally goof up this process.  No matter how good your resume is, if you can’t nail these steps, you’re in trouble.

Have some other interview tips for us?  Share your best pointers in the comments section.

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What is a job opportunity after college? Is it a job posting on Monster.com or on your school career services site? I would consider these all job possibilities, not opportunities. There is a chance or a small possibility that you may get a job with the company you want in the position you love, but the odds are slim to none. You may have an excellent resume, a phenomenal cover letter, and the answer to every interview question in the book, but what you don’t have are serious job opportunities after college because of all of this. There are several reasons why the odds are completely against you when you are applying for a position blindfolded, which is when you don’t know anyone in the company and/or have never worked or interned with the company.

The reasons are obvious, but people try to put them to the side while looking for job opportunities after college. Let me divulge.

Your buddies (your competition) dad works for the company- Come time for the first round of interviews, this guy will get one, which is one less spot for you. Your chances have declined.

Another one of your classmates just met a high level executive for this organization at a networking event last week- One more spot gone, wow this is getting ugly, but how many people could actually have connections like this? Way more than you think

The slacker in your Finance class has a fraternity brother who interned with this company last summer, due to his brothers internship the year before that. He knows exactly what the recruiters are looking for in a candidate.- That is not fair! Um…yes it is. This person is playing the game and you are sitting on the bench waiting for people to hand you a job opportunities after college on a silver platter, via a web site that everyone in the college uses.

Unfortunately, this is the reality of the situation. Most of my buddies who had a full-time job offer after college either interned with that company the year before or knew someone who knew somebody in the company. These people had legitimate job opportunities. Okay, so it is now the time in your life to create these opportunities out of thin air. Here are some helpful hints on how to create meaningful job opportunities after college and the recurring theme will be networking.

Talk to as many people as you can about your dreams or goals- Talk to your parents friends, your friends parents, your teachers, the guy your playing golf with on Saturday, chances are these people will know somebody who could help you out. Be careful though; do not come across like you are using them. Just let them know what you want accomplish and if they think they can help you out, they will bring it up.

Use your schools alumni network- Alumni love to help out people from their school, so contact the alumni association and ask them if they know of anyone in the field that you are shooting for. Contact them and ask them if you could pick their brain and ask them some questions about their career path. Do not ask for a job.

Everyone you meet is a potential job opportunity in disguise; if you can distinguish the opportunities from the possibilities you will be able to increase the chances of working in a field you are truly passionate about. Get into the game and start creating your job opportunities after college today.

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So you’ve graduated. You now have a piece of paper that you paid $200,000 for and you’re soaring on top of the world with your limitless hopes and dreams. You’re marketing yourself every way you know how. Yet, you can’t seem to find a job anywhere and you’re rapidly sinking into despair. Wow, this recession really bites, especially for us recent college graduates. I really hope it ends soon. However, the question is, what are you doing in the mean time? Hopefully, during this recession you’re marketing yourself. Though the job market is a rough one with unemployment of roughly 10%, which is extremely high no matter which way you look at it. If you’re part of this percentage, don’t fall prey to the crushing weight of a recession. Utilize this time to your benefit.

Internships are Virtually Recession-Proof (and a Great Way to Market Yourself)

The company gets an employee that doesn’t get a paycheck, take that recession! Besides, interns don’t just get the coffee anymore. As an intern you are just as much a part of the team as everyone else. Granted you might still get more of the little work that nobody else want to do but at least you’re working for the company. Now, a big part of this is that you make sure you get an internship in a field that you want to be in. We’re told all through school to make sure we have an internship or 20 under our belts. Well don’t just get an internship to have one. Make sure it’s beneficial to you and your future career. Another good thing to remember about internships is that you’re working for a company for free and if you’re willing to do this and you do it well, you never know, there may be a job waiting for you at the end of the 3-6 month tunnel.

Volunteers are Selfless (and Marketable)

Well the selfless thing isn’t always entirely true. Odds are you’re doing it to make yourself look better, but that’s not always a bad thing. It can be a great way to beef up the résumé while at the same time benefiting society, but there’s more to it than that. This is another great way to show you’re able to work hard even with no pay. Though it would be nice to be in something that could potentially benefit your future career, I personally feel that not as necessary here. It is a great way to spend your time being productive and keeps you from getting lazy.

Entrepreneurs Rule (and Guess What? Marketable)

Now’s your chance! You’re probably insanely in debt, have no job or if you do it’s only part-time and you’re college loans haven’t come due. Your mind is swarming with ideas. With the age of the Internet and technology being relatively cheap and affordable, what’s stopping you from taking all this free time you have and making something great out of it. Write a book, write a business plan about that Internet start-up you’ve been thinking about and there’s always that fun little freelance thing you hear so much about. You can do any of these and hopefully a million that I’ve not listed, just do them.

These are but a few of the options for marketing yourself during a recession. Remember, just because school is out and we’re in a recession doesn’t mean you get to quit learning or marketing yourself. It’s an eternal process. The more you do and learn outside of college, the more impressive your résumé becomes and the more beneficial you become as a working member of society. This of course will lead to the job of your dreams as long as you put forth the effort.

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Friends, followers, wall-posts, notes, blogs and messages– all familiar terms of social media websites and now, terms used in the classroom. More and more school teachers and professors are using social media as a way to communicate with their students. One website in particular that is being used in many college settings is called Ning.

Ning is a social platform for networking opportunities much like Facebook and Twitter but in schools it is primarily being used as a discussion forum and a way to communicate academic information between instructors and students. No longer is it sufficient for teachers to send periodic emails to their students regarding class assignments; e-mails are too much of a “one-way street.” Social media websites create a social “hub” for everything going on in a particular class.

Posts can be visible to all or just one person. Open discussions about topics can be easily accessible to all involved in a group or network. In fact, many instructors have been facilitating extra class discussions online because it gives more people the chance to participate outside of school hours. Shy students with plenty to contribute can prove their analytical skills by participating in online discussion forums. Some classes rely on social media websites because they are completely instructed online.

Here is a list of my favorite social media features that I use for schoolwork:

• Blog posts. Almost everything I need to know about what is happening in a class at a particular time can be found in blog posts. An entire syllabus may be posted here for my reference, and it’s something I won’t lose track of.
• Announcements. Anything a teacher may have forgotten to mention in class or maybe did mention but wants to reiterate might be posted in an “announcement.” Other sites that don’t have an “announcement” feature may have a similar feature for brief messages to be sent to everyone involved in the group or network (as explained in the very next bullet point.)
• Notes. These are usually used for reasons of brief mentioning, and sites that do not have an “announcement” feature may use a note as a substitute. In any case, it’s very useful and just another way to keep users in the know.
• Discussion forums. I like to see what other people have to say about an issue and I also don’t like limiting what I have to say. In a forum I’m able to take more time to gather my thoughts and opinions before I share them. I can be as brief or thorough as I want. With the time constraints of a class setting, one may not get as much of an opportunity to respond to a topic precisely the way they wish.
• Home page. As simple as it may sound, the home page is one of my favorite features. I can see everything that is going on at once. I know who has posted what and when it was posted, what news has been generated, if a new blog has been written or if anything has been added or changed to an assignment. It acts as a “student union” in the world of social media.

The future looks bright for social media sites

I can’t predict what exactly is in store for social media websites but one thing is certain– the future is looking bright. What do you think will come next in the relationship between social media and education? What advancements will be made in the way of the internet for education purposes? Will middle and high school students start using social media for school? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Adrienne is a Syracuse University student from Danbury, CT majoring in Writing and Rhetoric with a Leadership Communication minor. She is a big fan of impressionist art, ocean views and classic rock. She hopes to one day have her name in the credits of a hit film whether behind the scenes or in front of the camera.

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