We all remember as freshman those first awkward ventures into the caf. Clinging to your heaping plate of pizza, mashed potatoes and other such carbs, you awkwardly look around at the sea of crowded tables, not quite sure which one you belong at.
Fast forward four years and you’re a senior. You probably have a good sense of who you will sit with on the rare occasion you go into the cafeteria. You’ve been shaped by the emotional wins and losses of college dating and after what feels like 1,076 hours of classes, you know your strengths and weaknesses like the back of your overly exhausted hand.
Then one day you’re sitting in an interview when your future employer says, “So tell me about yourself,” and everything you’ve come to know about yourself the past four years takes a suicidal dive out the window. Ten minutes later you find yourself babbling about your childhood, wondering what your own point is.
The question is an inevitable one and it’s better to start rehearsing your answer now so that you have a polished brand story to tell. That’s right, I said brand (and I do not use this term lightly). The moment you walk across that graduation stage you might as well slap a big fat price tag on yourself, because you have inevitably become another product on the crowded store shelf, begging for someone to employ you.
So how, you may ask, do you sum up your entire life experience and sell yourself in a few short sentences? This is a question I’ve been asking myself so I decided to read a book all about it called “From B.A. to Payday” by D.A. Hayden and Michael Wilder. Here, in my own words, is the advice they had to offer.
Create a unique and concise story (two to three sentences) that tells who you are, your experience and what skills you bring to the table without blowing your own horn too much. Keep the experience relevant. For instance, an event planning student’s brand story may be something like this:
“I’m a senior event planning major. Last summer I had the opportunity to intern at (some fancy shmancy firm) and I really loved the business. I’ve always been a part of the American Marketing Association and my professors have told me I am a strong leader and event planner.”
Note – be truthful about your experience and received praise – otherwise it will come back to bite you in the rear.
Now rehearse that story until you can say it in your sleep, but don’t sound like a robot.
Once you have your distinct brand story, it’s time to advertise. As you near senior year or graduation, begin telling your brand story to every single person who will listen, and tack on a call to action like, “I would really love to stay in Little Rock, so if you know of anyone positions in my field that will be coming available please let me know.”
The fact of the matter is, people love matchmaking, and when they know your field, your attributes and that you’re job searching, they will want to help set you up with your dream career.
