10.3: Getting the Job- Personal Brand Pitches and Interviewing

As we noted earlier, you are a brand. Your personal brand is the sum of what people know you to be. Are you a hard worker? A team player? Smart? Competent? Courteous? Polite? When a potential employer asks you for references, what they want to know is, what do others believe your personal brand to be?

Studies have found that people assess politicians largely by how pleasant their faces appear to be. (The exception is the rare politician who gives voice to people’s legitimate anger.) And jurors assess doctors accused of medical malpractice by how humble and pleasant they appear in the courtroom. The doctor whose demeanor says, “It was impossible for me to have left that sponge in the patient” will end up paying a lot more than the one whose demeanor says, “I don’t know how that could have happened. We have safeguards in place. We followed the protocols. It’s a mystery and a tragedy.”

It may be true that “past performance is no guarantee of future success” when it comes to picking mutual funds, behavioral-based interviewing is one of the most commonly used interview techniques. It's based on the premise that your past performance – at work, in school, in leadership roles, in athletics) is the best predictor of your future performance. How well you did in the past will help your interviewer decide how well you will do in a new job.

That shouldn’t surprise us. After all, someone who knows who the best stables and jockeys are, and places their bets accordingly at the Preakness, is more likely to win than some who bets on a random horse simply because the odds are greater. The same is true at the Indianapolis 500. The winningest drivers and owners win more often than others. It’s true, too, when it comes to news coverage. You’re more likely to trust The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, or Washington Post than the National Enquirer because their reporting in the past has been more accurate.

This textbook was written specifically for students at Prince George’s Community College, although we hope other colleges will adopt it, too. At PGCC Interpersonal Communication is typically taken in the first or second semester of a student’s career. It also will be used in some classes we teach in high schools. So, not all students will be immediately looking for employment. For that reason, we are going to ask students to prepare practical exercises for the job-search process, a Personal Brand Pitch Video, and a job interview.

One of the most common employment interviews is the behavioral-based interview. It’s based on the idea that your past performance is a clue to your future performance on the job. In the behavioral-based interview, you will be asked to describe situations where you displayed the skills, abilities, and personal traits that are sought for the position for which you are applying. These questions are open-ended and often begin with phrases such as, “Tell me about a time when . . . “ or “Give me an example of . . . . “

The questions are best answered by using the STAR framework – Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Begin by describing the situation, the task, the action taken, and the result of your actions. You might discuss two or three examples in the course of an interview.

A Personal Brand Pitch video also uses the STAR framework to tell a story about yourself. It is short – just one to two minutes – so it is just one story. If you have a personal website, you can use it to introduce yourself or to sell yourself. Here are some Personal Brand Pitches produced by students at other colleges. Some are pretty simple; some suggest a student in film production must have helped. Let’s start with a student from Prince George’s Community College:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NV5bSVts5U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZYyBXqFA5k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwfhVe0CMfw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qmThA7W4Zk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2AUdvv6SIE

Preparing a Personal Brand Pitch

Remember What a Personal Brand Is

· It’s about the real “authentic” you.

· It differentiates you – it tells your audience how you’re different than other students.

· It is based on (and proven by) your stories.

· Everything you say and do goes into it – every interaction, email, phone call, etc.

Define Your Goal

Write down the major and career you feel is the best fit for you right now. (It’s okay if this changes over time.)

Your Big Impact

Think about experiences you’ve had in your life (projects, events, jobs/internships, service, adventures, major life events, etc.) and consider where you have had the biggest impact. Write down what that is. Then, write down the skills, values, interests/passions, and or personality traits associated with what you did that made an impact.

These can be in bullet points. This will help you think about what differentiates you, the stories you have, and your values and impact. For example:

How/Where I Made a Big Impact	VIPS Involved
I made my biggest impact in my music class. I’ve done music for 11 years, and will obtain my equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in November.	· Persistence · Musical ability/talent · Passion for music

My Three Brand Themes

· Good ethics/morals

· Loyalty

· Optimism

Differentiators (What are some things that make you and your experiences unique?)

· Not a lot of people do classical music

· Not a lot of people do activities for 10 years

· I’m completing an associate’s degree in music as a freshman in college.

My Unique Value Proposition (What do you want to be known for? What can you offer to an employer that is special and unique?)

I want to be known for never giving up regardless of the task at hand and for experience with critical analysis and problem-solving skills.

My Mantra or Mission Statement (optional)

My Top STAR Story (supports each of the above)

· Situation: I had an internship the summer before my senior year and it was a business analytics internship for nine weeks total.

· Task: To add features to BigDash, a software that helps hotels and resorts maximize their revenue, using JSX and React Native.

· Action: We used business analytics concepts and programming languages that we learned to improve the software.

· Results: The CEO was impressed with the changes we made and the team got a certificate for our internship work.

The next step is to pull all this together to draft the outline for your Personal Brand Pitch.

As you develop your outline, keep the following in mind:

· What would you like to showcase as part of your personal brand? (You don’t need to include everything above. Just choose a few to focus on.)

· What memorable STORY can you tell that pulls your brand together and will make you stand out? For some tips to get started, watch Perfecting your elevator pitch - what to do and what not to do!

Outline for your Personal Brand Video

· Look for a theme that ties your personal brand together: Your instructor needs to be able to say, “This student’s brand is about ___________”

· Consider your audience (recruiters, potential networking contacts).

· Remember, be focused, concise, authentic, differentiated, and memorable.

· Write an outline for your statement. Bullet points are just fine.

Outline:
-- Experience with critical analysis and problem-solving (business analytics internship)

-- I’m dedicated and show it by having done music for 11 years and receiving my associate's degree.

-- Never give up is my mission statement.

Before you do your Personal Brand Pitch, watch this video. (A personal brand pitch and an elevator pitch are the same thing.)

Perfecting your elevator pitch - what to do and what not to do!

PRACTICAL EXERCISE

• Open a YouTube or Vimeo account. Prepare a Personal Brand Pitch. Upload it to your YouTube or Vimeo account. Provide the link as instructed so both your classmates can see it and your instructor can grade it.

Preparing for a Job Interview

A behavioral-based interview’s questions are also best answered using the STAR framework: Situation, Task, Action and Result. Here are some same questions:

· Tell me about a situation when you persuaded someone to accept your ideas or point of view.

· Describe a time when you had to convince a person or group to re-evaluate their decision.

· Tell me about a situation where you did not get along with your supervisor.

· Provide an example of how you’ve used creativity and analytical skills to solve a problem.

· Describe a situation in which you faced an ethical challenge in the workplace and how you resolved it.

Watch this video for some practical interviewing tips:

How To NAIL A Job INTERVIEW - Advice From Kevin O'Leary

And before you do your practical exercise, watch this video to get inside the mind of a recruiter and find out exactly what they are looking for when you are being interviewed.

Amp up your interview

PRACTICAL EXERCISE

Role Play – Job Applicant

After being paired with a partner, conduct a short job interview. You should first be the interviewee, and then, after being paired with another partner, should be the interviewer. You will be graded on how well you perform as the job applicant.