Brenda Bence

If you walk out of an interview, breathe a sigh of relief, and think, “That’s it — I’ve done all I can, and it’s out of my hands now,” think again! I interviewed some of the country’s top college recruiters, who shared dozens of tips you can do after your interview to give yourself an edge when trying to land a great job. Here are just a handful:

Summarize Immediately. As soon as an interview is finished, find a quiet place to sit down, and write your summary of the meeting. You’ll probably forget some important points even if you wait just an hour or two after the interview. And, after several meetings with a number of companies, interviews will all start to blend together in your mind unless you take good notes right away.

What were the key topics you and the interviewer discussed? What were the names of the key decision-makers who were mentioned? What did you notice about the company environment? Did people look happy or harassed? Did you get a “good feeling” while you were there? Writing down notes after the interview will help you refer to important points in follow-up e-mails and also help you remember key points when it comes time for a second interview.

Follow Up. Don’t take it personally if you don’t hear back quickly from an interviewer. HR reps are often so busy that, even though the hiring process is important, they’re sometimes forced to put it on the back burner. In fact, some companies have fairly complex processes to follow before anyone can be hired, including asking other employees for input. So, don’t sweat it if you don’t hear back right away.

Don’t Let a Rejection Get You Down. If you do get a “no” response after an interview, that’s okay. In fact, look at it as a way to save you time and money. Now, you can focus on companies where you have more potential. Nora Bammann of The Kroger Company says, “Rejections are tough but (a) you got interview practice, and (b) you can use the experience to further refine your job search criteria.”

When a “no” happens, take the time to evaluate what you would have liked the most and the least about the job you didn’t get. You can then use that information to help you choose the best companies and jobs for you. It can also help you to come up with better questions to ask in future interviews. Retired professional basketball player Michael Jordan said: “I’ve missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot … and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

A “No” Can Still Be a Connection. Don’t get rid of any information you have about an interviewer! When I was looking for my very first job right out of college, I interviewed with a company that was offering a position that I really wanted. After a couple of (what I thought were good) interviews, I was told the crushing news: I didn’t get the job. I felt defeated, but I resigned myself to the bad news and wrote a thank you note anyway to the person who would have been my boss. In that note, I said that I liked the company and asked him to please consider me for any future openings. One month later, the person who had just been hired for that original job was fired. A phone call and one more interview later, and I was working!

You never know what can happen from the connections you make during an interview. You may be called in for a different job with that same company at a later date, or the interviewer may get a new position elsewhere and remember you. Hold on to recruiters’ information!

Don’t Relax Too Much in a Second Interview. If you get called back for a second or third interview, it’s easy to get lulled into believing you’re just a signature away from “You’re hired!” But that’s a dangerous attitude. Most HR experts agree that it’s actually in follow-up interviews that a large number of college grads fall out of the hiring pool. Remember: Be watchful about communicating your personal brand in every interview, not just the first or second one. This means continuing to wear interview clothes, even if everyone else at the company dresses in business casual. Once you have the formal hiring letter and you’ve signed it and sent it in, consider yourself hired; until then, keep a steady course and never stop communicating your brand.

The Subsequent E-mail Trap. Don’t suddenly get casual with your e-mails to the interviewer or anyone else at the company. As one recruiter cautions, “Don’t start forwarding jokes or funny e-mails to the interviewer or disclosing information about your personal life even if you begin to feel more comfortable with that person. It’s critical to keep a professional relationship with the interviewer no matter how friendly you may have become.”

It’s important to stay consistent in how you communicate your personal brand even after an interview is over. Doing so will keep your individual brand alive long after the interview is over and ultimately help you land a job you’ll love – right out of college.

So, you’ve defined your college graduate personal brand, and you’ve done the work to prepare for your interviews. Now, it’s the moment of truth. What can you do to make sure you put your best personal brand forward and ace the interview? I interviewed many of the country’s top college recruiters, and here are just a few of the tips they have for students to follow during job interviews:

Be Professional and Polite — Always. Do you say, “Hello. It’s nice to meet you”? Or do you say, “Hey there, how’s it goin’?” When you greet anyone in the company — no matter who it is (even if it’s someone you already know) — are you professional and polite? An interview is a time to be friendly, but not overly casual. And be sure to say “thank you” and “please” when it fits.

Take Notes. Most recruiters say that the candidates who bring a notebook and pen to interviews stick out. Taking notes during the interview shows that the candidate is genuinely interested. But some interviewers also say that about half of the candidates they meet arrive without a notebook. So, set yourself apart by bringing a nice pen and a neat and professional looking notebook (one without any tears or scribbling on it). It communicates a conscientious personal brand and helps you remember key points you covered during the interview.

And be sure to write down names and titles of key people who are mentioned during your interview. You may need those later.

Don’t Fake It. If you truly don’t know the answer to a question, absolutely, positively avoid making something up! Tell the interviewer you’re not sure of the answer, and say you’ll get back to him or her as soon as possible with a response. Explain that you’d rather do the research and make sure you’re answering correctly. Most interviewers won’t see this as a negative; they may even see it as a sign of integrity.

Let’s say that an interviewer asks you about your “non-major” GPA (the GPA for courses you took outside of your major), and the question takes you by surprise. Be honest. Tell the interviewer you’ll send him or her an e-mail with that GPA calculation within 24 hours. Then, as soon as you return to your dorm, do the calculation and send that important follow-up e-mail. This is how to turn a potential negative into a positive by showing that you keep to your word.

Another mistake to avoid when it comes to “faking it” is to pretend you understand a question when you really don’t. You shouldn’t feel badly about asking the interviewer to repeat a particular question or explain it more clearly. You might think you’ll look “stupid” by doing so, but the truth is you’ll only look stupid if you give an answer that doesn’t fit with the question that was asked!

Posture. Powerful self-confidence is communicated by holding your shoulders straight and not slumping. Look straight ahead as you walk, not down, especially as you enter an interviewer’s office, and you will convey the kind of self-assurance that — let’s face it — we all want to communicate as part of our personal brand. And be careful not to slouch when you sit in a chair in the interviewer’s office. Recruiters say this is a definite personal branding mistake.

Extensions of the “Trademarked You.” Your personal brand is like your trademark — “YOU™” — so your briefcase, folder, notebook, or whatever else you carry in to an interview represents your college graduate personal brand as much as you do. So, if you have an old worn-out briefcase, or if you bring important documents in a ragged manila folder with writing or stickers all over it, think about how that might look to an interviewer. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on a briefcase, but being neat and orderly does matter.

Ask Questions in a Way That Sells Yourself. Learn how to ask questions during an interview in a way that focuses on your strengths. Here are some examples:

• “Given my experience as a top seller in my part-time job, what opportunities for advancement would you see here for someone like me?”

• “I took some courses in marketing and applied what I learned as a volunteer at a non-profit to help them raise more money. How open is the company to exploring new ideas like that from entry-level employees?”

Those Interfering Cell Phones. Be sure to turn off your cell phone before you enter the company’s building. Letting your phone ring or buzz during an interview is a top pet peeve of recruiters and could cause your resume to land in the trash can. And don’t even think about talking or texting on your cell phone or checking your e-mail on your Blackberry while you’re in the company’s waiting room! Remember: What you say to your roommate could very well be reported back to the interviewer through the receptionist. Plus, your phone beeping and clicking is likely to annoy employees and anyone else near the waiting area.

Keep these points top of mind, and your college graduate personal brand will come through loud and clear during interviews. You’ll gain a decided edge over most other grads who haven’t bothered to learn what interviewers want and look for.

As a college grad, defining and communicating a personal brand is the best way to stand out from the crowd and make sure potential employers know exactly what you have to offer. But, did you know that your personal brand is communicated not only during the interview, but before the interview, too?

After speaking with over 50 of the country’s top recruiters, I learned dozens of powerful tips that they suggest college grads consider during their job search. Here are just a few:

Network, Network, Network! To land an interview, you can’t just send out resumes like darts into the wind. Instead, get the inside track through people you know and meet. It’s estimated that as many as 60% to 75% of all jobs are found through networking. So, pick up the phone, make connections with anyone and everyone you can, and let them know what kind of job you’re interested in after you graduate.

Put Yourself in the Shoes of a Potential Employer. What would you think of someone who sends you an impersonal form cover letter that has obviously been sent to lots of other companies, too, like a letter that starts off with “Dear Sir or Madam” instead of a person’s name? Or how about receiving a resume with not much “meat” in it — no evidence that the grad has made efforts to achieve anything or get involved on campus or in the community?

Norman Saale, Chief Operating Officer at a multi-office accounting firm, recruits candidates on college campuses, and he says, “College students applying for jobs need to show that they’ve spent time developing themselves.” This might include part- or full-time work, internships, volunteer work, or involvement in campus government or athletics, for example. “Show that you have commitment — that you are working toward something and have thought out a longer term plan,” he says.

Make Lists for Each Interview. Prior to each of your interviews, make three separate lists:

1. List the key points you want to get across in the interview about your experience, your education, and how you “fit” with the job you’re going for.

2. Develop a second list that outlines all of the info about the job or the company that you don’t currently know. Split this list into two: (a) the information you need to know in order to decide if the job is right for you, and (b) the information you would like to know.

3. Based on your first two lists, make a final list of the questions you want to ask during the interview. Make choices! Remember: You may only be given enough time to ask one question.

Your Clothes. Actors can often immediately step into character when they’re given the right costume. So, how you dress not only impacts the way others perceive you, but it can also impact how you perceive yourself and, even more importantly, how you act. Think of it this way: If you want to “act” professionally, you need to wear the right costume for the play you’re in.

Unless you’re applying for a job as a fashion designer, you want to be remembered for your skills, not your clothes. So, make sure what you are wearing is of good quality, clean, and free of rips or missing buttons. And avoid bright colors and too many accessories. Whether you like it or not, more conservative blacks, grays, and navy blues work best in most interview situations.

In other words, dress for success — literally — as if you’re going to meet the most important V.I.P. of your life. Unless the interviewer specifically tells you to dress casually, play it smart, and don’t take chances. Beverly Friedman, Senior Recruiter at Google, says, “Business casual does not include jeans or tennis shoes. Show respect for the process and that it mattered enough to you to dress nicely.” As another recruiter put it, “How someone dresses for an interview gives a picture of how they will ‘dress up’ for important meetings once in the job.”

Positive Self-Talk. When you feel anxious, angry, or worried, you can bet those negative thoughts will affect how well you do in an interview and how well you communicate your personal brand. Psychologists say that one of the best ways to move into a better state of mind is to talk yourself out of it. Just hearing your own inner voice telling you to stay calm can take the edge off of the situation. It’s a way of soothing your mind and affirming the positive, and you can even do it right before you walk into the interviewer’s office. But it’s even better to use this method to talk positively to yourself about the interview in the days before the appointment, the same day as the interview, and again while you’re sitting in the waiting room. You’ll be amazed by how much this can help you to keep your nerves in check.

The truth is: If you just “wing it,” your chances of getting hired drop dramatically. Defining your personal brand is the first step, but being prepared to communicate it in your interviews is everything. And that means doing the best prep work possible before you even walk into that important interview.

Statistics show that, on average, only about 10% of college grads write a thank you after an interview. So, should you? Absolutely! It’s a great way to distinguish yourself from the sea of other candidates, and it will help your individual personal brand stay memorable. In fact, if you’re in the “maybe” pile when you leave the interview, a well thought-out thank you could easily move you to the “yes” pile.

Here are some tips for making your follow-up thank you note a powerful statement that will help you build your college graduate personal brand and land a great job:

Personalize it! If you send a “cookie-cutter” thank you that sounds like it’s the same one you send to everyone after an interview, you could easily be moved from the “maybe” pile to the “rejected” pile. So, no cutting and pasting! Mention something specific that happened in the interview to help the interviewer remember you. One company recruiter says, “It shows that you were listening and paying attention.” She suggests writing something like, “I really liked the culture of the company, and I feel I can contribute in that kind of environment because…”

Express your interest in the job. Be enthusiastic about it! Be willing to show your excitement and passion.

Remind the interviewer what you can offer. Mention why you believe you’re a great fit for the job. Veda Jeffries, Assistant Director of Counseling Services at Stanford University, says a well-written thank you note “gives you an opportunity to reiterate or point out a skill you may have overlooked during the interview.”

Don’t forget anyone. If you interviewed with more than one person, send each of them a separate thank you note.

Proofread, proofread, proofread! Triple-check the thank you note to make sure everything is correct — especially the interviewer’s name and title and the company’s name and address. Accountemps conducted a survey of 150 senior executives that was published in USA Today, and 40% of them said it would only take one typo for them to decide against a candidate for a job! Norman Saale, Chief Operating Officer at a multi-office accounting firm says, “A thank you note can provide an opportunity for someone to make a mistake, and bad mistakes can actually change the recruiter’s mind. If you’re not a great writer, it can work against you.” So, if you can’t write a great thank you note on your own, get someone to help you. You want your thank you to get you the job, not lose it for you.

Timing is everything. If you know the company is going to make a quick hiring decision, send your thank you right away by e-mail. But…if they’re going to take a couple of weeks or longer to hire someone, you can stand out even more by sending your thank you note by snail mail. These days, receiving snail mail is pretty rare, so it can actually help you be remembered. Use your best handwriting, and send it on a professional looking note card.

Shannon Boehm, Manager of Undergraduate Recruitment at a major retailer, says this about thank you notes: “I am far more impressed when I receive follow-up handwritten thank you notes instead of e-mails. Thank you e-mails are actually the most common for me to receive, and I generally just file them away. But handwritten thank you notes are posted up on my office wall. A generic one is not as impressive, but one that is well thought-out can make a candidate stand out.”

If only 10% of applicants write a thank you note after an interview, imagine the edge you will automatically have when you write yours! The odds are definitely in your favor. Again, just make sure that it’s written well and that it communicates your college graduate personal brand in the best possible way. If you do, you’ll be one step closer to landing the job you really want upon graduation.

In the third of this three-part article, we will discuss the last two resources that will make successful marketing possible for your business, no matter the size of your budget.

Resource #4: YOUR TEAM

In your company, who is responsible for marketing? If you think “the Marketing Department,” I couldn’t disagree more. The truth is: No matter how big or small your company, every single person that has the ability to impact your brand or business is in “marketing.” Learning how to enlist that team of people can help grow your business exponentially, and it doesn’t have to cost you much.

Do your employees know the full extent of your company’s offerings and your desired positioning so that they can be your company’s biggest cheerleaders? Each member of your team represents a walking/talking potential billboard for your company. They are literally “free media” for you, providing on-demand marketing for your business every time they shake someone’s hand and introduce themselves.

After all, what’s the first question that someone asks after you’re introduced? Usually something like “Where do you work?” or “What do you do?” Think of the hundreds or thousands of people your employees meet throughout any given year – both personally and professionally. You can turn that seemingly inconsequential “where do you work?” question into a potential business-building one by training your employees to speak effectively about your business to others.

Remember: Employees can’t represent the company well if they don’t understand what you do. Ensure that they have the key message you want to get across by developing for them an “elevator speech.” That’s a 20-second synopsis of your brand or business that could be delivered in the time it takes to go from floor to floor in an elevator. Everyone on your team should be trained and ready to deliver that message in a convincing way.

Also, offer incentives for all staff and team members to bring in new business, even if they’re not in sales or marketing. The incentives can be modest (buy them lunch) or more substantial (a small percentage of new revenues when a new client signs up). It doesn’t have to cost very much, but it can be extremely motivating and can potentially bring in a lot of business.

Resource #5: COMPETITORS

Surprised that your competitors could be a marketing resource for you? It may seem counter-intuitive, but your “enemies” can actually be your allies in developing a successful marketing strategy for your company. The key is to know your competitors as well as you know your own business. You may know your competitors by name, but do you know the product benefits they emphasize, how well they’re meeting the needs of your niche, or how they are perceived by their customers?

This is why athletic teams watch and analyze the competition before they play against them – to assess their strategies, figure out how they operate, and turn that information into a winning game plan. You should do the same when it comes to marketing, and it doesn’t have to cost much.

Begin by developing a strong grasp of all aspects of your competitors’ operations from positioning to distribution to marketing to production. It takes more than looking at a web page to answer these questions, but even the most financially frugal enterprise can troll for information inexpensively. Here are just a couple of ideas:

• Creating an in-house “clipping” service: Designate one member of your staff to gather website info, newspaper ads, and other materials about your competition on a daily or weekly basis.

• Become a subscriber: Opt-in to your competitors’ mailings. They’re free and filled with the type of information you need.

Lastly, don’t be too quick to assume your competition isn’t any good. Their customers obviously think differently, so take some time to figure out why. The goal is to uncover not only what your competition is doing wrong, but – more importantly – what they are doing right.

An Abundance of Marketing Assets

The ideas shared in this three-part series are just the tip of the iceberg. With a little ingenuity and guidance, there are dozens of additional low-cost or no-cost ideas out there just waiting for you to market your brand effectively. Now, that’s smart marketing.

Nice news to share! Dr. Mark Goulston, who authors a regular column for The Los Angeles Times, did a full write-up on my second book, “How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo for Job Seekers.”

Curious what he said? So was I! Click here to find out…. http://www.brendabence.com/media-room/news/LA-TIMES-NEW-Final.pdf

Brenda