July 10, 2007 9:53 AM

Break away from the pack - with research
Posted by Douglas Eisenhartat 9:53 AM

How do you stand out from the competition during the job hunt, especially early on in your career?

When you are a recent graduate, your resume typically doesn't have the depth of experience to distinguish you from other candidates, so resumes can tend to blur in the recruiter's or hiring manager's mind.

Well, the authors of our new "Getting Real" column in the Student Center, D.A. Hayden and Michael Wilder, have at least one answer - research:

If you ask any ten job applicants what kind of research they do before an interview, nine will say, "I Google the company and look over their corporate website." Period. Nothing else. Then ask them if they got the job. Chances are, unless they knocked the socks off the interviewer with the force of their personality (or they are the chairman's son), they didn't. Why? Because looking at the company website is the cost of entry. Smart interviewers look for thoroughness, curiosity and initiative in their candidates. A perfunctory visit to the company website doesn't cut it.

So, once you've reviewed the website, think of approaching your research as an opportunity to show the interviewer what you're made of. Want them to think you're smart? Then use your research to come to some smart conclusions. Want to demonstrate your motivation and creativity? Get off your butt and do something unexpected.

See, all that experience reading and writing those papers does come in handy.

And just by reading this blog entry you are already in research mode. Carry on by reading the entire piece.

And good luck breaking away from the pack.