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.

This all goes back to the age old question: Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?  To get to the other side (of course).

The answer should have footnote added: “it’s just that some chicken’s do it better than others”.

The same goes in a career search.  Think about your last job search, or maybe you are currently involved in a new search, or maybe you know someone who is actively looking, or re you seeking a career after college?  Whatever the case, how is the search progressing?  How are you differentiating themselves from the competition?

Are you looking hard but only searching on the job boards and are not seeing much of anything?  Have you posted your resume but are only receiving calls and emails from “work at home” or insurance or financial positions?

This kind of talk calls for an intervention!

How are you able to maximize your search time and value if you are doing the bare minimum?  This is the time to create a strategy which will allow you to better target and focus on key positions.  Some ideas to consider and build upon:

1. Take a break from the job boards. You need to get somewhere that more people know you and are willing to talk with you outside of the job application blackhole.  I don’t care how strong of a resume you have, going into a pool of candidates is not your best avenue.
2. Hit Google and Bing. Take a few days to conduct research on your targeted industry(industries) and targeted position(s) within that industry(industries).  This will allow you to focus more on what you want to do and less on let me just get anything.
3. Find the “trusted” contacts in your network. Take some time to examine your network to see who you know in that industry or in a similar position to what you are targeting.  Reach out to them, take them to lunch, tell your story and ask for their story.  Get the insight on how to position yourself for this type of career.
4. Get on social media. Share your story with others.  Get on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and whatever else will help you target positions.  Connect with others.  Gain their insight.  Share your insight.  Let them know you are looking but… DON’T BE PUSHY!
5. Make cold calls and introduction emails. You need to put yourself out there and that means connecting with others.  Use these calls not to focus on YOU but to learn from others.  Ask questions, almost interview them to understand their career path and see what helpful tips you may learn from others in positions you are targeting.

Remember, the goal isn’t to knock down doors but instead to open doors.  Being pushy or rude will get you absolutely nowhere.  When you are nothing but polite, nice and greatly appreciative… you will get much further along your path.

Whomever you connect with in these activities, please Please PLEASE remember to send a thank you note (email) for their time and insight.

Now get your plan into place and make it happen!

Are you getting close to graduation?  Do you have any idea what career after college you would like?  There are some lucky college students who have it all figured out and know exactly what they want to do in their career.  Then there are others who think they know what to do after college (but will change later).  And there are those who have no idea what to do in their career after college.

For the lucky few that know exactly what career you are going to pursue, good for you and I wish you nothing but the best of luck after college.  For any others in either the “I think I know” or the “I have no idea” category, then I hope you find this a bit helpful.

Social media and social networking have opened the doors for you to get greater insight to almost any career you choose after college.  You are able to read blogs, review articles, connect with “friends” or follow others on any number of sites.  But here are a few actionable items that may help you better understand your choices for a career after college.

5 ways to become to become more hirable for your career after college

1. Use Twitter to follow people in industries you think you are interested in entering. Follow targeted people to expand and enhance your knowledge and contribute to the conversation.  Interaction can open doors!
2. Use LinkedIn to cold call and do a quick interview of people in companies or positions you find interesting. Find target companies and people within departments of interest to call and introduce yourself.  Do not make it a pressure call, explain your strong interest in the company and you wanted to gain insight as to what makes a great hire for the team.
3. Join Groups and Fan Pages on Facebook to expand your insight to a topic or career. Network, plain and simple.  The more people you connect with and share ideas with, the higher the chance that someone will begin to take an interest in you.
4. Read Wiki’s to see who subject matter experts are in a particular field and gain their knowledge. Add value to wiki’s which will help you to introduce yourself to other subject matter exerts.  Add value to important topics and you will also be able to find out those that are “experts” within the industry.
5. Read blogs on topics of interest. The more you read and find out who is also passionate about a particular topic will allow you to begin to leverage a wider network and reference new points of view in your conversations.

Then, after you have gained some insight to what it is you are either interested in or might be interested in after college, then you may begin to focus on the how of getting into that career.

I will elaborate on the “how” in my next post but hopefully this will provide you with some thoughts to stimulate your thinking on landing that career after college.

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Keith McIlvaine is a Social Media Strategist within HR and Recruiting for a Fortune 500 company.  When he is not focused on leveraging social media and networking, Keith is also a personal branding coach and social media mentor.  He is passionate about his family and is a major soccer fanatic.  The statements I have posted on this site are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer.

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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.