If You Want a Good Job, Promote Yourself
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The best employers keep their ears to the ground and listen for rumblings about college students who are getting things done. These employers maintain contact with professors, campus leaders, newspapers and community leaders, in order to stay on top of the “goings on” of students who are making an impact on and off campus. They want to learn of these students as early as possible, so they can follow their progress. In some cases they may even make contact or prescreen students, offer internships or summer jobs, sponsor campus activities or events and begin to build relationships.



Wise students are concerned with the number of positive impressions they leave behind, as they move through college. Those impressions should:



- Accomplish something worthwhile

- Be memorable

- Support the objective of obtaining a good job

- Make influential people take notice



Positive and memorable impressions help to make you stand out. When good students do good things and get noticed by respected and influential people, their chances for landing a great job increase dramatically. That’s why forward thinking students look for ways to get noticed and remembered.



When you do things of note, as an individual or within a group, try to get them into the newspaper and include a photo. Find ways to get “written up” in the Campus Paper or be interviewed on the Campus Radio or TV Station. If you are active on campus and in the community, seek coverage of from the campus and local media, whenever something special is about to happen.



Always invite high profile campus leaders, community leaders, business executives and politicians to participate. You will get much more coverage when these people attend. The more often you can get into the Newspaper or on the Radio or TV, the better. Your positive contributions will be more readily recognized by employers when your name and face are already familiar to them. Therefore, don’t ignore things as simple as passing out and mailing flyers for your events, e-mailing people in your network, making a video of the activity or performance and handing out your business card to influential people. In some cases, a press release or posting a video on “You Tube” may be helpful.



When your campus and community activities result in a positive outcome, don’t be shy about asking for a letter of commendation. Additionally, when your work performance is exceptional, ask for a letter of recommendation. Recommendations should also be obtained from Professors who know you well and are willing to provide you with a letter.



“When others trumpet your good work, no employer can ignore your star.”



To attract the attention of employers:



- Seek and accept responsibility for activities that are likely to be publicized

- Lead activities that will be covered by the media

- Perform to the best of your ability

- Act in a way that deserves attention

- Achieve significant results

- Demonstrate leadership and creativity

- Do good and help others

- Have others see, record, document or describe the results that were achieved

- Have influential people learn about your performance

- Be interviewed by newspaper, radio and TV reporters

- Include your accomplishments on your resumé

- Obtain commendations and letters of recommendation

- Build relationships with powerful references

- Associate with high profile and influential people who are likely to get noticed



When you perform an activity that deserves media coverage or achieve the results that would make it possible for you to obtain commendations and recommendations but you fail to pursue them, you have removed a powerful tool from you job hunting arsenal. Don’t make that mistake. If you want to receive job offers from the best employers, be sure to promote yourself.