One of the most essential skills that make you a successful student is even more essential once you hit the job search process: Conducting Research.

Before any application or resume is sent out, research is the most important thing any recent grad can do. But by the time graduation comes along, college graduates are usually chomping at the bit to get out there and get that first job, jumping right into the job search process by getting online and start filling out forms.

There is a more productive process to consider and it includes conducting research via the Informational Interview.

My latest post for ManagingAmericans.com is a deep dive into the art of the Informational Interview.

To learn about the why, what and how, go to the fresh post at managingamericans.com.

Your action for this week: after you read that post, leave a comment below and let me know what you will do to incorporate informational interviews into your job search strategy.

Last week, we talked a bit about why the transition out of college can seem like such a bumpy ride. Perhaps the outcomes fall a bit short of the “coming attractions” you’ve seen!

Now that we’ve talked about change and transition, let’s look at some of the things you can do to address what’s happening.

Essentially, you can’t have a new beginning (e.g. life after college) without first creating some kind of ending.

So today we’ll look at action steps you can take to:

1. Identify what’s “ending” as college life comes to a close, and
2. Embrace the sense of disequilibrium you might feel

Action steps for this life transition

The process for this life transition will ideally begin as the student approaches their impending departure from academic life.

The key to transition is to realize what is ending, so that you can make a new beginning.  And then, to begin conforming to the new expectations appropriately.

Here are Action Steps students and you can take as you approach the academic finish line, and prepare to take on young adult life:

1. Identity shift: Identify what’s ending as college life comes to a close:

• Keep a journal about all of the identity-related components of college (dress, friends, routines, activities)
• Visualize what life after college will be like, describe what that it will be like, and how you will adjust
• Express gratitude to professors, mentors, other students and colleagues as part of the separation ritual from academic life.
• If there are certain places and routines that will be missed, create a farewell ritual to acknowledge their ending before leaving the college environment.
• Form “transition tribes” with other students getting ready to graduate and discuss the issues, fears, and challenges you all share.

2. Embrace the sense of disequilibrium. This transition work is not easy, and might leave one queasy. That’s OK.

• Understand that sometimes it will feel like being “between trapezes;” not quite the future but no longer the past. This is an important, but not permanent part of the process.
• Have a support team you can go to when feelings or frustrations bring you down, or when you simply miss the college life. Perhaps the “transition tribe” from college can create a virtual space for this.
• Reflective processes like keeping a journal, blogging or professional counseling can help support the uneasiness of major life change such as this.
• Find an anchor element to carry you from college to life after college. Perhaps a volunteer position with a non-profit that can be done in college, and after graduation in your location. It will provide consistency and a sense of accomplishment and meaning.
• If appropriate, begin working with a career counselor or job search consultant who can help you prepare for the job search as college winds down, and thereafter.

The change from academic to professional life is a rich, rewarding and complex life milestone.

When the scale of change is accompanied by equal devotion to inner transformation, students will have a more meaningful, and successful, entrée into professional life.

Action for you this week:

What steps are you taking to make the transition from college to work life smoother? Leave a comment below and share what’s going on for you!

The Challenge of Life After College

If you’re a new grad, you may be struggling with the idea of “life after college.”

Many grads find themselves thinking hey, if this was supposed to be such a great achievement for me, why doesn’t it quite feel that way?

You might be making statements like these:

• No one told me the transition would be so hard.
• In college I was learning, now I’m selling myself.
• Nothing is laid out for me, I feel like I’m adrift on the ocean.
• I had no idea what to expect when I graduated.

Now you’re in the job search, not quite sure where you’re going, or why. You aren’t quite confident describing whom you are and what you have to offer to employers.

As a result, the job search can feel overwhelming; to the point you often don’t know where to start and relinquish yourself to the comfort of Mom and Dad’s sofa.

Often, those with jobs are shocked by the transition to the full time work culture, and struggle with onboarding and adapting to a new life and new routine.

Issues may show up in the workplace, or, they may appear in the social, financial and relationship aspects of young adult lives.

The college grad: navigating change, and transition

The fact is that we overlook the major life transition taking place when a you move out of the academic sphere, and into the job seeking or employment world.

We get so focused on you “getting the degree” and then “getting a job” that we forget there are earthquake sized shifts happening in your life.

Often, the shock of this change is glossed over and we don’t take the time to deal appropriately with it.

To help you address these shifts as a new grad we need to start with a look at exactly what is happening, and how you can deal with it.

To do that we must discuss:

• The basic psychology of change
• The implication of personal transition
• The action steps you can take to launch with more confidence as you establish your independent life.

Change is obvious

When things happen to us externally, that’s change. Change is the stuff that happens to us, whether we choose it or not.

In the context of a new grad, there are big changes happening. For example:

• Leaving a place, like a college, university or city
• Leaving the structure of the academic system
• Leaving people, friends, a community
• Going from a very “planned” environment, to a very “unplanned” one that you now have to create
• Leaving the financial dependency on parents to becoming financially independent

In essence you are “trading in the jeans and hoodies” of academics, and moving into the professionally dressed young adult world.

And then there’s transition

Transition, on the other hand, is an essential and often overlooked component of many life changes, and a huge factor in the departure from academic life.

Transition is an internal process. It is the psychological shift: acknowledging and coming to terms with the external change that is happening.

It means getting yourself re-adjusted to, and accepting of, the new way that things are. Without transition, no external change will successfully take root.

For grads, this means not just changing out of your jeans and hoodies and putting on “business casual.” You also need to fundamentally see yourself differently. You do this by taking steps to:

• Relinquish your identity as a student, even if you aren’t quite sure who you’ll be next
• Prepare for the future reality after academics
• Appreciate the sense of disequilibrium (flux and uncertainty) that is a hallmark of personal transition

Getting through this transition is no easy task.

Working through transition is often a difficult task because your sense of identity is usually so impacted by it.

Think of the many life changes by which you are affected. Some you have already experienced. Others are still to come. Consider the attendant transitions that come with these big changes:

• Moving from high school to college
• Living with your parents, to living in a dorm
• Death of a close friend or family member
• Marriage
• Becoming a parent
• Divorce
• A new job
• Loss of a job
• A promotion
• Relocating to a new place of residence
• Serious illness or disability
• Organizational change in the job

If you learn to master the art of change and transition while departing college you’ll be well served. You’ll also form a pattern for dealing with change and transition, in a healthy and informed way in the future.

Action for you this week:

What bugs you most about leaving college? Leave a comment and let me know!

A few weeks back I addressed the issue of “I don’t have experience” in the new grad job search.  In one blog I posted this “tweetable:”

Most new grads have more experience and skills than they give themselves credit for, and then struggle with turning it into value statements for employers. [TWEET THIS!]

The truth is most grads do have experience. It just may not be in a j-o-b for which they were paid a salary. It could be experience harnessed from any of these:

• Leadership roles in Greek life, student clubs or academic projects
• Tutoring or mentoring
• Babysitting or yard work
• College athletics
• Campus work-study programs, summer jobs
• Paid or unpaid internships, externships or co-ops

After I posted my tweetable, one of my tweeps asked for an example of a value statement. Ah, good question! So today I want to give you “value statement” examples.

Developing your value statement

But first, I want to walk your through a methodology so that you can develop your own. This exercise intends to get you thinking differently about your experience.

Instead of saying “I only mowed lawns, that’s no big deal,” I want you to think about that experience differently. I want you to think about all the skills you had to exhibit in order to do that work. Suspend your judgment about how important it was – or wasn’t. That’s not the point. See my video and blog on Why Should They Hire You? for more specific examples.

The point is, that in order to get that work done, you must have demonstrated some skill.

Now that you are job searching, you take that skill, and turn it into a statement that provides a prospective employer evidence of your competence in that skill. Ideally, it’s a skill they need in the job for which they are hiring. And for which you are a strong candidate.

First,  practice your own using this model:     E –T – H – O – S

To get to your value statement, use this easy to remember formula. We’ll walk through an example. Then you’ll have the opportunity to create your own through by downloading the worksheet below. I hope you find this is a little less daunting than you are making it out to be.

EXAMPLE #1:  This grad worked on fraternity events in college.

E = Experience

Managed fraternity events in college during my junior year.

T = Task

Coordinated 3 events. Biggest event had 200 people attend.

H = How

Coordinated a planning team of other members.
Usually had about 60 days lead time between the time event was announced and when it was held.
Managed to a budget and timeline, and set goals for attendance we expected.

O = Outcome

All 3 events achieved attendance goals.
All 3 were within budget.
Often there were behind the scenes issues, but we were able to handle them without impacting the quality of the event.

S = Skills

Managing to a deadline (60 days)
Managing to a budget (usually $1,000)
Balancing multiple priorities (school work, fraternity function, overseeing team’s activities, being on site the night of the events to make sure things went well)
Had to make decisions with looming deadlines, budget; often didn’t have a lot of time.
Accountability to others, final product needed to meet the expectation of fraternity community.

Ok, now let’s craft a value statement. This is an example of how to talk about your experience in terms that an employer might find valuable:

The work I did managing fraternity events prepared me well for this job. I’ve coordinated three successful events for up to 200 people. Typically I had less than 60 days to make it happen.

I’ve learned how to manage to a deadline, balance multiple priorities to get the job done, and make decisions quickly in a high-pressure situation. Let me give you a couple of specific examples…

In an interview or networking conversation, you could offer a couple of specific examples or stories of how you demonstrated these skills more specifically.

You can download another example, and a template for your own ETHOS Value Statement by filling out the form below:

The whole idea here is to give you the chance to turn what you might think is “trivial” into confidence building statements that will help you see the skills you already possess.

You might not have the experience in a specific job. So use statements like these to show employers how you possess the skills they need.

Action for you this week!

I’d love to hear what you’re working on – or what you’re struggling with. Leave a comment below with your value statement or your question!

And check out the Facebook page where I’ve been posting examples each day this week!

Whether paid or unpaid, internships are a great opportunity to gain valuable experience, build your network, and leave a positive impression wherever you go.

If you are angling for a full time job offer, here are 10 ideas to make the most of your internship experience.

You can also download a PDF of this checklist so you can keep it and refer back to it while you’re interning! Simply fill out the form at the end of this blog post!

1. Treat every day like a job interview (because it is…).

Enthusiasm and positivity go a long way. Act like you want to work there. In fact, act like you already got the offer and are a full time employee. If that’s your goal, then treat every day like a job interview. Every day is a chance to prove “you’re the one.”

2. Don’t complain about tasks or assignments.

We all have parts of the job that are less desirable than others. Don’t expect to love everything you do, and you won’t be disappointed.

Say “yes” when someone asks for your help. And say it with a smile!

3. Take initiative.

Act without being asked.

Make a suggestion if you see an opportunity.

Pipe up with your ideas (thoughtfully) if you’re in a meeting or a conversation. Practice taking complete ownership for what you do, and how you do it.

And if you miraculously find yourself with a blank to-do list, don’t sit at your desk and check Facebook; find somebody who’s slammed and offer to help before they even ask.

4. Give your supervisor something to brag about.

Write up a daily summary of your activities, and share it with your supervisor, in a conversation or email. You could also include a plan of action for the next day.

When you do this, remember wherever possible to focus on results and accomplishments, rather than just a list of tasky stuff.

Managers like to brag about their staff. If you give your supervisor the chance to brag about you, you’ll be nicely positioned as a recommended hire when they all sit down to compare interns.

5. Build relationships with your co-workers.

Introduce yourself to people you don’t know, invite colleagues to lunch with you, and volunteer to do presentations where you might get exposure to more than just your immediate team. Attend happy hours and social events (of course, use good judgement around alcohol).

We know that building relationships is core to your career pursuits. There’s no time like the internship to start!

6. Ask questions.

When you walk into an organization, as the “new” gal or guy people will forget you don’t know how everything’s done. They just keep motoring along. You will need to ask questions.

If you need to know about employee behavior and how to act in the culture, ask someone to explain it to you. Ask about dress code, demeanor with customers, personal phone calls, rules for using social media, and where to park your car.

Getting clear will help you feel more comfortable, and boost your confidence as you learn to navigate the organization!

7. Let them know if you want to work there.

No one can read your mind.

If you desire a full time position with this organization, tell your supervisor, and the people you work with.

Don’t assume that if you work hard someone will intuit you want a job there. You need to tell them.

Managers LOVE to hire employees who really want the jobs they have available. Your enthusiasm about becoming a full time employee will make sure they know you really want to be there.

8. Deliver solid accomplishments.

Start a Google Doc to track all the accomplishments and results you create while you’re there.

List all the projects you’re assigned to, and document what actions you took, and the impact you had on the project.

Remember to focus on results, and not just activity. Also remember to quantify your work as much as you can.

Also, note what relationships you are building, and how those people fit into the organization.

This is a great way to keep building your resume and LinkedIn profile content, as well.

9. Ask for feedback.

Feedback is a gift. And it can be intimidating to ask for it.

If your boss doesn’t give you structured feedback, then you must sit down every couple of weeks and ask for input on how you’re doing, what you’re doing well and what you could improve upon. Also, don’t forget to conduct your own self-assessment and reflective process.

Also, don’t hesitate to ask team members on the projects as well.

I find people who ask for feedback set themselves apart from the pack, as it would be so much easier (and comfortable) not to.

10. Schedule a “closure” meeting.

As you near the end of your internship engagement, take the initiative to plan a meeting with your supervisor to review your overall experiences and ask for her feedback.

Review your accomplishments document that you’ve been building. Restate your desire to receive an offer. Express your gratitude for the opportunity to intern there.

Give her all the evidence she needs to make you an offer you can’t refuse!

I’ve looked at enough new grad resumes and been involved in enough job searches to see that many are missing a key element to the whole job search strategy.

Somewhere, I’m not sure where, it feels to me like many take to the job search as they would to making a grocery list:

• Write your resume. Check.
• Write your cover letter. Check.
• Connect to people on LinkedIn. Check.

It’s not a grocery list.

The challenge is that it’s not a grocery list. It’s a highly customizable process of developing your message.

Then, put it in front of people in a way that’s relevant to them.

When you give information to employers, about you, that’s not relevant to them, you end up in the discard pile. Usually, this is when a client calls and says “I’ve been sending our resumes for months, and I’m not getting anything.”

There’s usually a couple of obvious red flags. In every case, there’s an issue with the content and presentation of the key marketing materials like resumes and cover letters.

It’s different from college.

Let me segue for a minute and put this in the context of a big change that happens after college. In school, you were communicating for a decidedly different reason. That is, you were in some way providing evidence that you learned something. You demonstrated your ability to ‘acquire knowledge.’

Now, however, your purpose in communicating has changed.

It’s now about promoting and marketing you to potential employers. To be a good marketer, your message must always relate to the wants and needs of the customer. In this case that is your potential employers.

This is a fundamental shift that I see many grads overlook, or that they struggle coming to terms with.

Ok, so how does this relate to personalization?

It means that all of the ways your communication need to be customized to your audience. Which means you can’t churn out one resume and send it to every job you apply for.

You can’t write one cover letter and mass mail it to employers.

These things will easily get you eliminated from contention, because you aren’t speaking directly to the needs of your audience. You aren’t providing the evidence that compels them to pick your material out of the pile and talk to you.

Your challenge for this week.

I challenge you to mix it up a bit this week. Work on customizing your job search tools as you pursue your job search.

To do that, ask yourself these 5 questions before you write any cover letter, resume or other marketing materials.

1. PROFILE: What are the most important qualities the employer needs in this position?

2. FIT: What do you offer that demonstrates your ability to fill those qualities?

3. ALIGNMENT: How does this job and employer match up to your experience and what you are looking for?

4. MESSAGE: What stories or anecdotes do you have that you can include in a cover letter, resume summary or interviews that address your fit and enthusiasm for this job?

5. COMPETE: How can you be memorable, and differentiate yourself from others applying for this job?

Once you’ve answered, customize opening paragraphs in your cover letters, and professional summaries in your resumes, that speak directly to these concepts.

You can spend a bit more time in your research because you won’t be wasting hours applying to jobs for which you are not creating custom materials.

Action for you this week:

Get more personal, and personality, in the materials you are using to apply for jobs. Go through these questions and then craft your marketing materials with a statement that keeps you in the running.

Leave a comment below, and let me know how that worked for you, or what you’re still struggling with.

“My path has not been determined.
I shall have more experiences and pass many more milestones.”
Agnetha Faltskog

I recently had the distinct pleasure to co-host a tweet chat with Jackalope Jobs. We discussed job searching when you don’t have a lot of experience.

Although this situation can apply to career switchers with experience, I want to focus this message on the issue this presents for new grads. In case you missed it, last week we talked about the implication for current students.

For more on how you can get ready for life after college, relative to getting experience, check out that post here.

Now, if you’re a new or recent grad, the lack of experience can easily disqualify you for many jobs you apply for. This can become a major point of frustration as you attempt to launch your career.

However, I’ve seen numerous success stories with clients who have overcome this dilemma, and I want to share some strategies about how you can do that, too.

What are some ways for entry-level job seekers to stand out when they don’t have a ton of experience?

1. Network

With limited experience your network, existing relationships, and eagerness to pursue new connections will go a long way. It will be easy to disqualify you if your resume does not have deep experience.

If you can build new relationships, demonstrate your enthusiasm, exhibit your energy and enthusiasm, you can make inroads on the “lack of experience” issue.

2. Focus on Skills

In the debate about experience I like to point out that only a few years ago, the iPhone didn’t even exist. No one could have hired app developers with deep experience, because there weren’t any.

Experience may matter, and adaptability matters as well. Find a way to take the experience you DO have, and translate it into the skills that employer is looking for. See my video on Why Should They Hire You which walks you through translating your prior experience into value statements.

Most new grads have more experience and skills than they give themselves credit for, and then struggle with turning it into value statements for employers. TWEET THIS–>>

3. Investigate the Employer

When you’re competing with little experience, one advantage you can have is to gather as much information as possible.

If you have an information edge, and really investigate a potential employer, you can ask more powerful questions and have a different conversation than someone who didn’t do their homework.

Investigate the employer, the competition, the customers, and even former employees to get immersed in their position, issues and opportunities. Then develop killer questions that will make you stand out.

4. Ask Better Questions Than Anyone Else

Take your investigative information and develop a great list of questions that will set you apart from other candidates. Even as an entry-level candidate, show your interest in the organization by bringing your best game in every network conversation, informational interview or networking conversation you have.

5. Differentiate Yourself With Work Product

Find a way to take what experience you do have and produce a work sample with it.

• If you coordinated a sorority event, perhaps outline your role, the objective, your action plan and the results you got.
• If you started your own business perhaps summarize your plan, progress and results in a quick slide deck, white paper or video.
• If you had an internship, bring work product that summarizes the projects you worked on, your role and your contributions to the team.

Even though your experience may not be identical to what the employer is looking for, work product can go a long way in demonstrating how you think, present yourself, and approach problem-solving and results.

6. Offer a Start-Up Plan

When I was a hiring manager, I always wanted to hire someone who really wanted that job.

I didn’t want to hire someone who “wanted to get his or her foot in the door.” In fact that often got them eliminated right off the bat.

One way you can show your enthusiasm for that job and overcome the experience gap, is to present a startup plan if you get the job. I once presented a 30-60-90 day plan for a job I really wanted (I was hired). I knew the industry but I didn’t have the experience they wanted in the job. By presenting a plan, I was able to demonstrate my critical thinking skills, ability to see the field and then shift the conversation to talk about what I would do in the job.

You can do the same. Create a simple 90-day plan, identify the important tasks and objectives you would target and present that as part of your interview process.

7. Stamp Your Foot and Whine

I share this with you as a funny story that could have gone either way.

A recent grad knew exactly what she was looking for in a job, and was getting a number of interviews. She was frequently on the short list, but then told, “We went with someone with more experience.”

At a point of frustration, after many rejections for someone with more experience, she said to the employer, “How am I supposed to get experience if no one will hire me because I don’t have experience?” She was exasperated.

Funny thing is, they called her back, said they agreed with her, and offered her a job! She’s been there ever since. I’m not advocating this as a strategy, but sometimes, funny things happen in the job search!

Ok, action for you. How many strategies can you implement to respond to the “lack of experience” objection? Leave a comment and let me know what actions you take, or what questions/challenges you are having.

P.S. Want to read the #ResuChat recap? Go here.

Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ‘em, ‘Certainly I can!’
Then get busy and find out how to do it.

― Theodore Roosevelt

The other night I had the distinct pleasure to co-host a tweet chat with Jackalope Jobs. We discussed job searching when you don’t have a lot of experience

Although this situation can apply to career switchers with experience, I want to focus this message on the issue this presents for new grads and young adults. Often, the lack of experience can easily disqualify you for many jobs you apply for. This can become a major point of frustration as you attempt to launch your career.

However, I’ve seen numerous success stories with clients who have overcome this dilemma, and I want to share some strategies about how you can do that.

Still a Student? Get Ready To Face the Experience Dilemma

This week we’ll talk about what you can do if you are still a student and have the opportunity to build experiences while you are in school.

Next week I’ll address this same issue for those that have already graduated, and need to take whatever experience they do have and turn it into a value proposition for employers.

Sound like a plan? Ok here we go.

Your Job Search Has Already Begun

Since you are still a student you have a bit of an advantage. You can start, or continue to, build your experience profile while you are in university. The truth is, your job search doesn’t start a few months before graduation. It starts the moment you land on campus. Tweet this!–>>

You need to build your credentials and begin filling out your resume. Kind of like when you needed to start getting extracurricular activities in high school, to be an attractive college applicant!

In the spirit of “begin with the end in mind,” here are ideas you can use to build your credentials well before your graduation.

Start now, because it’ll be much harder to get “experience” when you are immersed in life after college.

Get work experience

• On campus |  A campus or work-study job is always a great experience. You’re holding a job, and pursuing your studies. If you’re financing your education or part of it, that’s a plus you can add to your future job search stories.

Action for you: Check with your campus work-study program or student employment office to see what opportunities you have.

• Internship |  Internships are a great way to get work experience. And it’s never too early to begin looking. Some of my clients have completed multiple internships during their time in college.

Your Action: See if your college subscribes to The Internships Series Online. These publications cover 19 online resources (one each for industries such as advertising, non-profit, top companies, media, etc.) covering over 2,800 organizations.

Also check out online sites such as YouTern.com, Monster College, Intern Queen, and others listed in this recent online 2013 Resource Guide . Don’t forget to network with friends, family and others who can connect you to internships. You can also design your own internship with an organization that’s willing to work with you on that.

• Summer or seasonal employment | Any job you take during school vacations or over summer break will yield experience that you can use to begin building your professional portfolio.

Your Action: Check out local job boards and resources. Network with the career center, professors, and friends/family to find a summer job that would work for you!

• Start something |  Can’t find the perfect summer job? Start something of your own. Wash cars, power wash driveways, dog sit, house sit, write blogs, write and sell a book, create art or music. Put your creative ideas to use and explore your entrepreneurial spirit.

Your Action: Take a look around your neighborhood, town, or virtual community and see what need you can fill, then develop an offer to meet that need. You’ll learn a lot, and have some great stories to tell.

• Volunteer | Experience is experience; it counts even if you weren’t paid for it. Many grads have great skills and experience, but they tend to undervalue them in general. They especially do if they didn’t get paid for putting them to good use. Don’t discount experience for which you did not get paid! It’s just as valuable as a paid job. TWEET THIS–>>

In fact, in recent research by LinkedIn, 20% of US hiring managers indicate they hired a candidate because of their volunteer work experience.

Your Action: Check with the career center, or local organizations to see what opportunities exist for you to help others in the college or home town community.

• Build relationships with your professors | Your professors are often well connected within the business and organizational community. As tempted as you might be to sit in the back seat as an anonymous student, I challenge you not to!

Connecting with your professors, and giving them a chance to know you, can help them recommend you, your work, and your capabilities when it comes time for the job hunt. They may also be connected to organizations that have internships and that hire entry-level employees.

Your Action: Identify 3 to 5 professors you believe would be good relationships for you to develop and nurture. Then follow through as you progress through your college career!

• Take a Leadership Role | Whether you’re in a fraternity or sorority, or head of the Accounting Club, find a way to become an influencer or leader in a campus organization. Maybe you plan and execute events for your club. Or perhaps you chair the membership function. Use that opportunity to gain valuable organizational experience, and note how you have the capacity to create impact and results.

Your Action: Identify possible leadership engagements that would be a good fit for you. Explore what options are out there and set a goal to have at least 2 leadership experiences on your college resume.

Ok, I’d love to hear what you are taking away from this post! Leave a comment and let me know what action you are taking, to start building those job search credentials now!

PS. Want to read the #ResuChat recap? Go here!

We prepped for the interview process and he said that he was SO GLAD he followed my suggestions on the research for the employer.

He dug into their web site, checked out the interviewers on LinkedIn, scanned the media for information on competitors in the area, and got a sense for their business model.

He also connected with a recruiter who happened to recruit in that market and had some inside scoop on the organization.

He blew them away in the interview. Now, he wants to “crush it” in his performance so he can continue to grow and advance in this new industry. A-mah-zing story!

They can tell, you know

When I was hiring people, my team and I could always tell when someone had done their homework on the company or not. The bottom line was if they didn’t do the research, they were out.

In retrospect, it’s regrettable we even had to waste an interview on someone who didn’t investigate us. Unfortunately testing for whether or not you did employer research is not a significant part of the screening process. Maybe employers will catch on and start qualifying candidates BEFORE they offer them an interview!

But I digress.

The point is, that digging in and researching an employer better than the other candidates gives you a huge competitive advantage in an interview. TWEET THIS! It’s such an easy way to make inroads yet so many people go into interview unprepared. “Hoping for the best” is not a rational interview strategy. TWEET THIS!

If you want a quick refresher course, see my blog on how to get interview ready in 3 hours. Even if you’re strapped for time there’s a quick and dirty way to get ready. There’s no excuse for not showing up prepared to talk about the organization you’re interviewing with, the people in it, their competition, competitive advantage, and biggest problems you are going to help them solve.

Research the High Tech Way

A couple of Stanford Grads felt so strongly about researching potential employers, they took it a step further and created LifeSwap. This tool matches job seekers with potential employees so that the jobseeker can get a glimpse of what it’s really like to work inside that company. Talk about your first hand company research! And, a win for both the organization and the potential employee as well.

Create Your Advantage | 5 Unique Employer Research Methods

If that inspires you to go “above and beyond” in your potential employer research, here are five ideas that take your basic research and kick it up a notch.

1.    Look for organization executives on LinkedIn. See if they have any media like company videos, slide decks, or other messages included on their profiles that can provide a deeper level of information.

2.    Talk to a customer of the organization. Ask them what works well, and what they see as opportunities for improvement.

3.    Talk to a competitor of the organization. Ask what they see as their competition’s strengths and weaknesses.

4.    Engage in a transaction with the organization. If they have a product that’s affordable, buy it and use it. Call or message the customer care organization and see what kind of response you get. This will tell you a lot about the organization’s culture and practices.

5.    Compliment or acknowledge the company on social media, and see how they respond. This will give you an idea for how they deal with constituents, and what their public voice is.

All of these methods will give you a deeper level of information that will ensure you have an engaging conversation during your interview. On one hand the organization will get a much better sense for what you offer, based on your feedback and observations from these research experiences.

And on the other hand, YOU will have a much better idea if that organization is for you. That’s an important part of the interview process we don’t talk enough about!

Your action for this week:

Try one of these unique research methods on a target employer. Let me know what you find out, and how it shifts your readiness and confidence, for the interview!

If you are a student or recent grad using LinkedIn as a strategic job search tool, kudos! You are light years ahead of many who are reluctant to, or haven’t gotten around to, establishing their LinkedIn identities.

Now that you’re comfortable with LinkedIn you might want to check out a couple of features that often get overlooked, even by more experienced professionals and job search veterans.

Fair warning, some of these are “advanced” features. My intent is not to overwhelm you if you’re just getting started. However, if you’re feeling adventurous, these features might give your job search the boost you were looking for!

1.    Your Vanity URL

Ok, not really an advanced feature, but I’m including this because I still see so many grads (as well as experienced professionals, ahem) who haven’t customized theirs yet.

Here’s why this makes a difference. In a recent session I was doing for students, the coordinator did not have her vanity URL. For discussion’s sake, let’s say the coordinator’s name was Georgia Brown.

If her resume had just landed on my desk, and I wanted to check her out on LinkedIn (as recruiters are wont to do), there were pages and pages of Georgia Browns. Pages.

There is no way a recruiter is going to sit there and hunt for your particular profile.

So, make it easy for recruiters and hiring managers to find you on LinkedIn. Create your vanity URL and include it in all your marketing correspondence. Think of it as another part of your online identity address.

2.    The Projects section

This section allows you to detail specific projects you’ve worked on, in academics, internships, or research. If there’s a web site you can include a URL to the project site. You can also connect with other collaborators who worked on the project.

Doing all this allows you the chance to showcase skills and results you’ve accomplished that will be pertinent in the job search and career space. Employers can see where you’ve demonstrated skills that they need.

What goes into this section? Anything from research projects, business case studies, simulations, technical presentations, creative outputs (like videos, music), or events you’ve worked on.

Go to the “edit profile” view in LinkedIn to get started.

3.    The LinkedIn Alumni Tool

This handy dandy little tool will tell you all about the demographics of your fellow alums. It will tell you where they live, where they work, and what they do.

Go to the LinkedIn Alumni tool to get started.

The device will default to a specific timeline, but you can change the filter by looking at different start and end dates for attendees.

You can then look by company, location and role, and drill down for each category.

If you have a good job search strategy, and are targeting companies, this can help you find alumni in the industries, cities or roles that you want to learn more about. Then you can connect or reach out to them via the Alumni Groups page.

Don’t forget to join your alumni group as well.

Go to the Groups Directory and find yours.

4.    LinkedIn Today

Choose the news stories you want to see each day by visiting the LinkedIn Today settings. Choose only the industries and news sources you want to follow.

This is a great tool for your job search (or career). You can hone in on and learn about the industries and organizations you have targeted in your search.

When you do, you’ll have outstanding information for interview preparation and networking conversations.

Go to http://www.linkedin.com/today/ to get started.

5.    Signal

Signal allows you to see and filter updates from LinkedIn members who make their updates visible to anyone.

You can search for updates by a number of parameters listed on the left hand side.

This would be good for you to search for updates with specific keywords (e.g. those related to your job search), specific people, companies or industries. It’s a chance to see what they believe is important enough to share with their base.

You can then “like,” comment, share, or respond. It’s a simple way to begin engaging with people or organizations that are interesting to you.

Go to the Search Updates link to find the updates you want to know about.

Action for you this week:

If you don’t already have your vanity URL, it’s the one thing you MUST do before you do anything further on LinkedIn. If you try any of these advanced features, leave a comment below and let me know how it went!