I’ve been reading quite a lot on branding lately and one of the things that we all have at our disposal right now are brand advocates…or ambassadors.  Unless you are unfortunate enough to have no friends, no respected colleagues or classmates and basically no one who likes you, there is a good chance you have someone, somewhere singing your praises.  It could be someone you’ve done business with; it could be a lecturer; it could be someone you met through someone else; it could even be a competitor (if they are confident enough to do so).  The element that is likely missing from this equation is that you haven’t taken ownership of these relationships.  You haven’t identified them, nourished them and then used them to their full capacity.  As a graduate looking for a career, this is something you need to get a hold of quickly.

A story: an employee called Jenny (fictitious name…true story) is working for a Telco.  Having studied and worked extensively in design, she is just finishing her undergraduate degree but of course, is needing to pay the bills as she does so.  This is where the disconnect between her current role and her passion lies.  Enter a hapless techno-illiterate named Brett with an issue on his phone.  Jenny takes it upon herself to deliver a level of customer service rarely seen in, sadly, the customer service industry.  She answers every question he has with detail or by seeking someone else who knows.  She explains with full disclosure and honesty why there is an issue with not only his phone but with the service he has received to date.  She sympathizes with his issues and brings understanding to the situation.  She also takes it upon herself to deliver a solution.  She does not pass it along to someone else or find a reason for the customer to be at fault, she simply takes the accountability on board and gets it done…even though it took three hours.  And even then, she took it upon herself to personally deliver his phone to him as he worked close by and couldn’t get back in time. 

Take a second and read the important words in the story: honesty, sympathy, understanding, delivering, and accountability.  Does that sound like the kind of character traits a graduate employer might find valuable?  The answer is a resounding yes.

I have since told this story to a number of people in passing conversation.  I only know this story because the techno-illiterate was so impressed by Jenny that he immediately became a “Jenny Ambassador” and after discussing her design expertise, he wanted to help get her career off and running.  Enter the Unimail design team.  Who knows, maybe Jenny will be working here in the not-to-distant future!

The point is, you NEVER know who will become an advocate for you.  As such, make your brand something that ANYONE will want to advocate!  Whether you are meeting with lecturers, working in student groups, networking with graduate employers or flipping burgers down the street, deliver your character and personality in everything you do.  Who knows, the next burger freak who you help out might just get you the graduate job you always wanted!