Earlier this week I found myself in a meeting room at The Peninsula Hotel, assisting our marketing lead with a roundtable for board members and chief audit executives. We arrived early to ensure that the room was set and ready to go. It was a beautiful morning – the sun splashed in through the windows, the smell of fresh coffee was refreshing, and the room was decorated down to the last detail. But what impressed me the most about the meeting room was what I found to be noticeably missing: a big, awkward, distracting screen and LCD projector.
Corporate America is a world dominated by PowerPoint presentations and bullets. The goal is often to communicate critical details in the least amount of time or space. However, the most significant interactions in business are still the candid exchanges between people. The trick for any organization is to utilize technology and marketing resources without losing that personal connection to the audience.
The same issue is evident in campus recruiting, as so much emphasis is placed on your resume and your ability to provide a 30-second “elevator speech”. Through most of the recruiting process, you are encouraged to present your candidacy in easy sound bites and structured bullets. These are valuable techniques to get you through the career fair introductions. However, when you sit down face to face with an interviewer, your communication should take on a more personalized tone.
As you meet with companies on campus this year, don’t hide behind the figurative projector and screen. Instead, take your interaction beyond the bullets to make a meaningful connection with your interviewers. This will help you stand out as a unique prospect to any potential employer!
– Bridget
