CollegeRecruiter.com Insights by Employers Blog

• Problem-solving/decision making (56 percent)
• Leadership (44 percent)
• Oral/written communications (40 percent)
• Team-building (33 percent)
• Performance and productivity improvement (31 percent)

HR is looking for students who have a combination of competencies, leadership, participation in organizations and being a team collaborator. It’s now essential for students to differentiate themselves and acquire these necessary strengths or they will suffer when applying for jobs. To make things worse, the value of a resume and the content on a resume has grown significantly. There is no longer room for errors, such as spelling, grammar or misrepresentation. Students must be authentic and exude original Personal Brands to be considered for the most in-demand jobs on the market, after graduation. The VP of Consumer Marketing for CareerBuilder.com explains that “In today’s competitive job market, it’s essential for a candidate’s resume to be flawless.”

Having a “flawless” resume is easier said than done, but students that look to create their brand will be successful in obtaining their dream job. Personal Branding is defined as an individual’s total perceived value, relative to competitors, as viewed by their audience. Before partaking in an interview, candidate’s resumes are screened, either electronically or, if the pool is small enough, by hiring managers. A resume is a student’s first attempt at his or her brand, as it contains all related information, such as experience, competencies, education, leadership and organizational participation. Students need to invest time in discovering who they are, what they are interested in and their goals and aspirations. Discovering your brand will pave the way for success and the earlier to do this activity, the more leeway you will have for incremental improvements of your brand. A resume is part of the creation phase of Personal Branding, where students will compile all this information in a resume format. The resume should lead the reviewer into a story, of who the student is and what they are capable of achieving.

When reviewing 50 to 100 resumes, it takes one single distinct piece of content to take a resume from the regular pile to the interview pile. In marketing, we refer to this quality as differentiation, which is composed of a value proposition that sets one product apart from another competing product. Students that adopt Personal Branding methodologies will have to worry less of getting into positions and more about their starting date.

Dan Schawbel has 6 years of experience as a marketing consultant, business owner, web designer, and market strategist. He has motivated, advised and mentored both students and young professionals, watching them excel and uncover new job opportunities. As the Personal Branding Spokesman, he has preached, blogged and written articles for major magazines and newspapers around the world. His blog is one of the top 25 recruiting blogs and his experience includes presenting to Fortune 500 companies and executives. You can email Dan at Dan@PersonalBrandingOnline.com