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Brand  You  Presentation  –  CB  Creative  February  7,  2012      STATS  Where  are  you  positioned?    19.7  million  The  projected  number  of  students  enrolled  in  the  nation's  colleges  and  universities  this  fall.  This  is  up  from  14.4  million  20  years  ago.  Source:  U.S.  National  Center  for  Education  Statistics  as  cited  in  the  Statistical  Abstract  of  the  United  States:  2011    1.5  million  students  graduated  with  a  Bachelor’s  Degree  in  2011.  The  same  is  expected  in  2012  according  to  the  US  Department  of  Education.    According  to  US  News  and  World  Report,  Employers  surveyed  by  the  National  Association  of  Colleges  and  Employers  (NACE)  say  they  plan  to  hire  9.5  percent  more  graduates  from  the  class  of  2012  than  they  did  from  the  class  of  2011.  

Salary  offers  for  recent  college  grads  also  continue  to  inch  higher.  Students  landing  jobs  from  this  year's  class  will  be  paid  more,  on  average,  than  the  class  of  2010.  The  NACE  Fall  2011  Salary  Survey  shows  that  this  year's  class  of  graduates  will  make,  on  average,  about  6  percent  more  than  last  year's  graduates,  from  just  over  $48,000  to  just  over  $51,000.    If  you're  still  in  college  and  looking  to  get  a  leg  up  on  the  competition,  another  NACE  survey  reveals  that  paid  interns  had  the  most  success  attracting  job  offers  in  2011.  "Class  of  2011  graduates  who  took  part  in  a  paid  internship  were  more  likely  to  get  a  job  offer,  have  a  job  in  hand  by  the  time  they  graduated,  and  receive  a  higher  starting  salary  offer  than  their  peers  who  undertook  an  unpaid  internship  or  no  internship  at  all,"  according  to  a  NACE  press  release.  More  than  61  percent  of  students  who  took  part  in  paid  internships  in  the  for-­‐profit  sector  received  a  job  offer.    The  World  of  Brands    You  are  not  just  competing  with  those  1.5  million  other  college  graduates,  you  are  also  competing  within  the  world  of  brands.  Kim  Kardashian,  Donald  Trump,  David  Beckam,  Lady  Gaga.  We  all  don’t  look  at  things  separately,  everything  jumbles  together  –  even  with  potential  employers.      YOU  MUST  LEARN  TO  BRAND  YOURSELF  AND  STAND  OUT.    How  to  Brand  Yourself?  

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 First  you  must  ask  and  answer  a  few  questions:    Who  am  I?  What  makes  me  different,  unique,  special?  And  not  I  don’t  mean  how  nice  you  are  I  mean  your  experience  –  internships,  jobs,  service  trips,  clubs,  GPA  You  must  differentiate  yourself  from  the  competition.    Why  must  you  hire  me?  What  will  you  bring  to  the  table  that  no  on  else  will?    We  don’t  expect  you’ll  stay  with  the  same  company  for  40  years,  everyone  job  jumps,  but  here  is  what  you  need  to  SHOW:  

-­‐ willingness  to  work  hard.  I  mean  hard.  -­‐ Learn  fast  -­‐ Don’t  make  the  same  mistake  twice  -­‐ Team  player  -­‐ Gets  along  with  others  -­‐ Can  write  -­‐ Can  talk  

 What  do  you  want?  Look  most  will  not  find  the  perfect  entry  level  job.  But  what  are  your  goals?  Where  do  you  want  to  work?  Start  there  and  fan  out.  Where  are  you  willing  to  work?  What  areas  have  transferrable  skills?    Write  down  your  goals  1  year,  3  years  5  years  and  beyond.  Statistics  show  the  people  who  write  down  their  goals  have  over  an  80%  higher  success  rate  of  achieving  them.  Start  a  Goals  journal.  Make  sure  they  are  SMART  goals-­‐  specific,  measurable,  achievable,  results-­‐oriented  and  time-­‐limited.      CREATE  A  PACKAGE    Now  you  have  answered  all  these  questions,  now  you  have  to  “package”  yourself.    Present  a  strong  image.      Professional  looking  cover  letter  template  in  Word  with  address,  phone    Email  address  that  isn’t  jakelovesblondes@aol.com  -­‐  professional.    Resume  matches  your  cover  letter.    Learn  how  to  create  a  PDF  of  your  resume  and  cover  letter.  No  one  wants  word  attachments.    Creative  –  portfolio  as  PDF,  writing  samples  as  PDF,  etc.  

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 Create  a  free  website  on  Wix.com  that  showcases  YOU.    No  typos    No  questionable  facebook/twitter/you  tube  posts.  Potential  employers  do  look.    RESEARCH  EMPLOYERS/INTERVIEW  TIPS    Take  time  on  their  sites.  Get  to  know  them,  what  they  offer,  and  how  you  can  help  them.  Let  them  know  you  know  them  and  have  taken  that  time.    Follow  up  with  a  thank  you  note/email.    Give  them  a  sell  sheet  that  reminds  them  why  you  are  the  ideal  candidate.  Remember  you  are  a  brand  and  you  are  selling  yourself.      No  perfume,  no  hair  in  face.  Clean,  ironed  clothes,  shined  shoes.  Pay  attention  to  the  details  of  your  own  brand  to  prove  you  can  pay  attention  to  the  details  of  someone  else’s  brand.    Ask  questions  in  the  interview-­‐  intelligent  ones  that  are  not  self-­‐serving  about  salary  or  vacation  days.  Nothing  is  worse  than  a  candidate  who  is  more  interested  in  how  much  vacation  he’ll  get  then  what  the  job/company  entails.    Do  not  haggle  over  salary  in  your  first  job.  Take  it.  Learn  from  it.  Learn  how  to  budget  yourself.  Move  on  to  a  bigger  job  in  a  year  to  two  years  max.    YOU  HAVE  THE  OFFER  DON’T  SCREW  IT  UP    Keep  your  attitude  in  check.      No  stupid  social  media  posts  about  the  job  or  interview.    Remain  professional.    Go  out  and  buy  a  professional  wardrobe.    Work  harder  than  anyone  else.      Don’t  be  stupid  and  screw  it  up.  Don’t  take  sick  time/  vacation  time.        

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