Why The Poor Economy May Be Good News for New Graduates

Five things you need to do to set yourself apart (in a positive way) from the crowd

1. Learn about the company you will be working for BEFORE talking with them.  If you want to work for Southwest Airlines, it would be worth your time to read the book , Nuts, by Southwest Airlines founder, Herb Kelleher.  Although Herb is no longer flying the plane, his philosophy still fits, and the book is a good read.  What would you be willing to do for a chance to work at Southwest Airlines?  Consider showing them!  One manager interviewed by a group of grad students in Jacksonville, Florida stated she loved the company so much she got a tattoo with the Southwest Airlines logo.  Think she was joking?  She pulled up her pant leg to reveal the logo on her ankle.  Make sure the company’s culture is a fit for you, so you can work on convincing them they need to hire you!
2. Do not misspell or mispronounce the name of the company, or the products and services it sells.  If you make this mistake, start looking for another employer.  One of the most promising candidates I ever interviewed mispronounced the title of the position she was applying for.  To add insult to the injury, she continued to mispronounce the title numerous times during a team interview.  The final nail in her coffin occurred when in her thank you note (which wins points), she misspelled the title of the position. I shared with her the reasons she was no longer a candidate, and she was horrified, but the damage had been done as the team could not move past her perpetual error.  Because she had talent, I did talk to a colleague who had an open position in another department.  He interviewed her, recognized the talent, and they hired her.  She is doing great one year later, and they are wondering how they functioned without her!  And I can almost guarantee that she will never ever make that mistake again.
3. Leave the tongue ring and piercings at home and cover all tattoos.  Limit earrings to a maximum of two in each ear.  While society may be just fine with your tattoos and piercings, your future employer may not be.  (The exception is if you are applying to be a tattoo artist or piercing specialist.) 
4. Be genuine, but talk up your talents.  Not sure what you excel at naturally?  Ask your parents!  Parents are brutally honest; this is true!  Fortunately most parents have an idea of what your natural talents are.  Despite your eye roll right now (I know what you are thinking), everyone is good at something.  Yes…even you.  Let your employer know what that is.  If you have always been a morning person and are most productive in the mornings.  It is okay to tell an employer, “I love getting up each morning and can’t wait to start each day!”  If your future employer is not a morning person, they may ask you if you are serious.  “Of course!!  I am also brutally honest.  So although I may sound a little corny, I really do absolutely love mornings, and mornings are when I do my best work!!!”  Just make sure that if it is morning, your face and clothing reflect your enthusiasm for mornings!  Bed heads and baggy eyed sleep deprived people need not apply!
5. Be prepared to bargain!  Make your potential employer an offer they can’t refuse.  Offer to complete a small project for free, or ask to complete an unpaid internship.  While it will not put money in your bank account at first, it will show your potential future employer that you believe in yourself, you are a creative individual, and you are the one with all the risk.  Let the potential employer know that if you invest your time and energy into a project, they will get to see how you work without paying you.  If they like the way you work, they will make you an offer at the end of the short project or before the unpaid internship project ends.