Advice for a Lasting Good Impression

Starting a new job or internship can be nerve wrecking. Often it can make you so nervous that you forget what you should be doing to make a good impression that lasts. As a junior at Purdue who has had various internship, work, and leadership opportunities inside and outside of the university, I have composed 4 pieces of advice for making a great impression.

1. Punctuality

Being on time is the most important thing to do when starting any job or internship because it shows that you take your new position seriously. Being unable to arrive on time to work will always give the wrong impression, such as, lacking discipline, having little commitment to your new position, and being irresponsible.

2. Take Notes

Some may argue that taking notes while a superior is talking to you can give the impression that you are paying little attention. However, a previous employer assured me that, that is not the case. Taking notes while a superior is giving instructions or delegating tasks is exactly what you want to do because it shows that you are organized. Further, relying solely on your memory when given many tasks to accomplish at once is not a smart move to make because, in this situation, it is easy for assignments to slip your mind. Writing things down ensures that you will not forget anything and that every task assigned to you will be accomplished in a timely manner.

3. Be the First to Arrive and the Last to Leave

This piece of advice, which I believe is one of the best pieces of advice for young professionals, goes hand in hand with being punctual, and it actually comes from my parents. So, what exactly does it mean? How early and how late should you arrive or stay? The answer to these questions is…It is completely up to you. In my opinion, you should arrive early enough that by the time you officially start work you are ready to start working or are already working. As opposed to just beginning to get your materials prepared and start your work later. Further, being the last to leave, to me, means that if you are supposed to get off work by 4, you don’t prepare to leave the office at 3:30 but rather prepare to leave the office after 4. While this may add some time to your workload that will not be compensated with money, it will be compensated with praise and respect. In fewer words, develop an exceptional work ethic.

4. Always Present Your Best Work

Presenting your best work at all times, even if you are just sending a quick email, demonstrates that you are a true professional. No task is less deserving of your time no matter the level of difficulty or skill, because they are all representative of your abilities. Think of every single assignment as an opportunity to show off your best skills.

As I have mention, I gathered this advice from my personal career and educational experiences. I hope it will be helpful to you in the near future to establish a great, professional impression wherever you go. 

Using Rejection to Land Your Next Job

One thing all college students should learn to handle well is rejection. That’s right, whether you are applying for a summer job, internship, or your first job after graduation, rejection is sure to come your way because of the numerous candidates who are also applying. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing. That is, you can learn a great deal about yourself from these failed experiences and, then, learn from them to improve for your next interview.   

Matt Black, a freelance content marketer and creator of Matt Black Ink (a blog with insights on leadership, organizational culture, networking and writing), offers the following ways that rejection is actually helpful for attaining your next job, possibly your dream job.

“Ask For Feedback—and Use It!”

Instead of running away after an interview where you didn’t get the job you wanted, ask for feedback.  Most companies, typically managers or the HR department, are more than willing to give it to you. Ask why you weren’t selected and what you can do to improve. Most importantly, after you receive your feedback, make sure to apply it in your next interview!

“Grace Not Growl”

Venting, making excuses, blaming others, or just plain complaining after rejection from a desirable position is quite common. However, avoid this at all costs. This is the time to demonstrate graceful behavior. Handling rejection gracefully demonstrates you are a professional individual. Your interviewer will remember if you handled yourself with grace, and this will certainly make you more desirable for future position vacancies.  

“Dig Deeper… Much Deep”

Sometimes interviews go phenomenally well, but you may still not achieve the position. When this happens, it is usually due to external reasons. Therefore, stay in touch with the interviewer or other people in that company, network, network, network! Continuing the communication with people within the company you interviewed with can be a good thing for attaining a job in the future as well.

“Get Back On the Horse”

Don’t give up. This is the most important aspect of handling rejection like a pro. Even if it seems like you will never find a job, keep trying because you will. Just remember ask for feedback for self-improvement, handle your emotions gracefully and professionally, and network as much as you can.

If you’d like to read additional details on this topic, I encourage you to read Matt Black’s full article.

http://www.youtern.com/thesavvyintern/index.php/2015/06/22/how-job-seekers-can-handle-rejection-like-a-pro/. 

Top 5 LinkedIn Mistakes to Avoid

Mary Murcko, Purdue University alumna and current publisher of Self Magazine at Conde Nast, visited Purdue this spring, and she spoke to students about her career and gave advice about finding employment. According to Murcko, one tool that employers are using more than ever to do research on applicants is LinkedIn. She says that some employers, including herself, will not take a first look at an applicant’s resume if he or she does not have a LinkedIn profile.

However, simply having a LinkedIn profile does not guarantee anything if it is not created well or used properly. Savvy Intern posted an article by Power Formula with the 10 biggest mistakes made on LinkedIn. From that list, here are my selected top five.

1. Punctuation and Grammar Mistakes

Remember that you have an online reputation to create or uphold, and LinkedIn is one way that you contribute to your online reputation. As a result, punctuation and grammar mistakes are detrimental to your online reputation because they make you appear careless to your viewers. To reduce the chance of having these sort of mistakes, type what you want to display on your LinkedIn profile on a Word document, use spell and grammar check, and then copy and paste the information to your profile.

2. Not Having a Profile Picture

According to the article, a profile picture entices viewers to look at your profile up to 14 times more than if you do not have a picture. Further, think about your behavior on LinkedIn when you see a profile without a picture. Most likely, you skip that profile. This is what could happen to you. For tips on what to avoid with profile pictures click on this video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmNkSiV6AMk. 

3. Conversations That Should Be Taken Offline

Some people make the mistake of having personal conversations and confidential business exchanges on LinkedIn. It is more appropriate to have these types of conversations via a telephone call, email, or regular mail because more than just you can view these conversations. Remember that LinkedIn is a professional business site, not a social media for personal use like Facebook, and you should keep all dialogue as professional and respectful as you would in a real business conversation.

4. Using the Summary Section in Your Profile as a Laundry List of Keywords

While keywords are important to include in your summary, this section should be devoted to letting your viewers get a sense of you as a person. A list of keywords is not enough to transmit who you really are to your viewers.  

5. Not Having Your Most Important Job in Your Headline

On LinkedIn, your headline follows you everywhere you go. Make your most important position your headline, adding a little creativity or a “market punch” to it is a plus.

Avoid these top five mistakes and you will have a stellar LinkedIn profile, more connections on the site, and a higher chance of having your resume viewed by today’s employers.