What the 2016 Campaign Can Teach You About Presenting Yourself To An Employer

I admit it. I am enthralled with the 2016 presidential election. I have watched each of the first two Republican debates, and plan to watch each of the remaining events of both parties. As I was watching, I of course began thinking, ‘what lessons are the candidates providing for law students looking for a job?’ After all, campaigns are the longest and most grueling job interviews in the world, and you the citizen are the employer! We talk a lot around here about standing out and being memorable. One of the mistakes students make is playing it safe, not sharing too much about themselves, and leaving the interview room not having made an impression. The result is the next day or later in the week, when the interviewer is going over the list and determining who to issue callback interviews or offers to, he/she simply doesn’t remember you. You would be surprised how much more that is the scenario that plays itself out, as opposed to you doing something in the interview that is well-remembered as negative and candidacy eliminating. Let’s think about the candidates who are doing well in the polls at this point and who are not, and whether they are memorable when given the opportunity. Clearly Donald Trump is a master at standing out and being memorable; and though it’s not always for something positive, he resonates with the audience he is speaking to. Bernie Sanders is another candidate who is standing out, more so with his ideas than his persona (a la Trump). Carly Fiorina has stood out through her preparedness, focus and command of the debate stage. In different ways, each of these candidates is making their presence known, and being rewarded for it in the polls. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker dropped out of the race yesterday. It’s quite astounding how quickly he has fallen, but he’s an example of how you can fade when you don't stand out. You may look great on paper and have all the credentials (as Mr. Walker appeared to have), but when you get in front of an employer you have to be able to sell yourself. He was not able to do that on the campaign trail or at the debates, and has now paid the price. Don’t let that happen to you! One more note on what the successful candidates (both presidential and you) are doing. They are each finding ways to be memorable while being themselves. Ms. Fiorina makes her mark talking succinctly and forcefully about specifics and details. Mr. Sanders trumpets his ideas in an understated, no frills way. Mr. Trump does what Mr. Trump does. Your presentation to employers should be similarly based on your strengths, skills, interests and style. Figure out what those are, and find ways to highlight them on paper and in interviews. An example: you’re a bit of an introvert and are extremely detail oriented. You may not feel like you can be memorable in an interview because you don't have the outgoing personality of the other candidates. But what if you made exactly zero errors in any of your application documents, knew the name, law school, practice area, etc. of each interviewer, and asked specific, detailed questions about the firm and their practice? Trust me, you will stand out, and do it while being yourself! Connect with Daniel at Daniel_Hare@Baylor.edu and/or @BaylorLawDaniel on Twitter. Job of the Week: Each week I highlight a job in Symplicity you might be interested in but may have missed. This week's job is: Law Clerk with Arguello, Hope & Associates (Houston, 2L) Log in to Symplicity to view this job and apply. ]]>