Brand Yourself in Your Contacts’ Minds

by Peter Vogt

MonsterTRAK Career Coach

If I were to say, "golden arches," what restaurant would you think of?

I'd be shocked if you didn't say, "McDonald's." After exposing consumers to the golden arches for decades, the company has trained us to think, "McDonald's," whenever we see those arches on TV, in print media or when we're driving. Powerful stuff, don't you think?

You can use a similar branding approach, albeit on a smaller and much less costly scale, in your internship or job-hunting efforts by networking with people on an ongoing basis.

You've heard me -- and others, no doubt -- preach many times before about the benefits of networking. It really is the best way to look for jobs and internships. But too often it can be sort of hit-and-miss. You talk to people, pick up a tidbit or two and then move on, never to contact them again.

That approach is not only somewhat rude, but it also fails to capitalize on the whole branding concept. You've given yourself only one brief chance to be remembered by the people you've spoken to. Instead, why not contact them several times over the course of many months? And while you're at it, why not do something to help them as much as they have helped you?

In other words, brand yourself positively and memorably.

How can you brand yourself among your networking contacts and create a mutually beneficial relationship at the same time? Try the following strategies:

Ask If You Can Keep in Touch

Almost everyone will say, "Yes," because they want to help you and know you might be able to return the favor someday. So after you've spoken to someone, send a quick thank-you note and tell the person you'll keep in touch. Then, do just that. Follow up every month or six weeks with a quick email or phone call. Let the person know how your internship or job hunt is going, and then ask how things are going with him.

Offer Your Help

You might think you have nothing to offer your networking contacts, but that's not the case. We all know people who might be able to help others. Furthermore, we all stumble upon information that might be useful to others. For example, if you see a newspaper article or receive an email that one of your networking contacts would find interesting, forward it along. You provide help in return for having received it, plus you once again brand yourself favorably in the person's mind.

Hang out Where Your Networking Contacts Do

Suppose you're pursuing an internship in the human resources field. You have a positive meeting with a local hospital's HR director, during which, the director suggests you join the local chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management, a professional organization in the field. If you follow through and attend those meetings, you'll run into this HR director, putting yourself in a position to be seen and remembered.

When You Land an Internship or Job, Tell Your Networking Contacts

Everyone likes to know when he has helped someone reach a goal. Once you land the internship or job you were shooting for, tell your contacts what's happened. Thank them again for their help, and offer them your help if they should ever need it. This strategy is not only a touch of class on your part, but also gives you another opportunity to brand yourself in the minds of your new networking contacts.

Networking is a time-intensive, long-term strategy, and branding yourself via networking generally takes an even larger investment of your time, effort and patience. But you'll set yourself up nicely, not just for short-term payoffs like internships and jobs, but also for long-term success and stability -- not unlike a certain fast food chain whose golden arches have helped produce customers and profits for many years.

© 2008 MonsterTRAK