“How can students market themselves to get good jobs after graduation — and to succeed once they get there?”
In a few weeks I will address that very question in a keynote to the graduate business students at the University of Florida. Given the increasing pace of change, they will need to develop a proactive mindset and the skills necessary for frequent reinvention along the way. Here are three practices that should help them — and anyone who wants to get off to a fast start in his career — to stand out among the waves of millennial professionals:
♦ Positioning. In the marketing world, “positioning” means the attempt to influence buyers’ perceptions of your stuff relative to competing brands or products.
During my own MBA experience, I stumbled badly during my first interview for a professional internship. Appropriately chastened, I asked our management communication director for advice. “Jim,” he said, “draw a chart with five columns and three rows.” The columns represent important attributes that serve to define you, such as “persistent” or “creative”; the rows under each one are examples that support your claim. The examples might come from things you’ve done at school, at work, in church or as a volunteer.
The process for selecting the right attributes and examples will take a little time. But once you have them, you will have established personal positioning — and will be prepared to share real stories that help others predict how you will help their organization.
♦ Networking. Many professionals — across age levels — approach networking incorrectly. They treat networking as a discrete event, to be attended (and endured) a few times each year. I recommend that young professionals on the rise see networking as a relatively continuous state of mind. Those who do it well one, establish some level of relationship before asking for something, and two, engage people who are out of work or in transition. Someone might not be able to get you a job today, but he or she can be a valuable resource tomorrow.
Your mastery of networking will be vitally important to you. You will be changing roles and jobs frequently — in essence, reconstructing your career time and again. You will need a strong network on your side.
♦ Conversational skill. Some people lack the confidence to engage others in conversation, believing that it is a game best left to extroverts. Recent research tells us something very different. Studies of salespeople have revealed that extroverts are no more effective than are introverts. In fact, the best salespeople are neither extroverts nor introverts but rather in the middle. Researchers call them “ambiverts.” Ambiverts are in the majority.
Many other students and young professionals are so comfortable with social media and instant messaging that they have never gained experience in real conversation. Yes, it will take some effort and practice to add “face time” skills to your repertoire. But those skills will definitely help you to stand out from your peers. As a millennial, if you can confidently lead a professional conversation, your career will accelerate in ways you can’t even imagine today.
Taken together, these three practices comprise a sort of “ready, set, go” framework for people getting started in their careers (or changing careers, as I have done several times).
Positioning is the “ready,” through which you not only can figure out your marketable strengths but also prepare to share the stories that will help them come to life. Establishing your network is the “set,” through which you build relationships and earn a reputation for providing value. Engaging others in real conversation — where decisions typically get made — is the “go.”
Today’s market for talent is a mixed bag. Things might be different in a year or two. But regardless of the overall state of the job market, a proactive approach for marketing yourself will give you many opportunities to prosper.
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Jim Karrh of Little Rock is a consultant, coach and professional speaker as well as a consulting principal with DSG. Visit JimKarrh.com, email him at Jim@JimKarrh.com and follow him on Twitter @JimKarrh. |