2/11/09 - Final Leader Selection

We finally have class leaders. After going through the 20 second interviews and the assessment center exercise, the top 15 candidates are now the class leaders. When you select someone to be a leader, they have to be compelling. Many of the potential leaders were far from that. We talked about being compelling when applying for jobs. Most companies will not take you unless you show them a good reason why they should. Harnessing what makes you compelling and then communicating that gives you a huge edge in the job market.

I attempted to prove that this was true in the recent career fair on campus. I showed the retail companies that I was looking at that my experiences can directly benefit them with better sales, strong customer service, and fresh ideas. I shall see if it pays off. I did, however, get three interviews.

Sometimes you need to script out what you will say to a recruiter. Feinberg called them "life scripts." Before one of my interviews this week, I thought through some points that I wanted to make sure I mentioned. I rehearsed some ideas about my experiences and how that relates to their company's goals. Because I did that, I found myself going right into those thoughts during the questions in the interview. Being prepared kept me focused.

When going into an interview, you have to prove that you will be the leader they are looking for. We could see this demonstrated in our leader selection in the class. The people selected were compelling, prepared, and interesting enough to get our attention.