1) Do not present a resume or ask for a job in an informational interview. The purpose of your meeting should be to learn a company culture and network in your industry.

2) Arrive to the meeting prepared with thoughtful questions.

3) The informational interview is a relaxed setting to practice your answers to future interview questions (i.e. “tell me about yourself”). You should not feel as if you are in an interview or selling a product; however, this is an excellent opportunity to practice your personal brand story or pitch.

4) Follow-up is critical. Thank each contact for his/her time, information, advice. Thank-you letters should be sent via email; a hard copy should be sent through snail mail.

5) Each manager and/or executive should be updated on any progress in your career.

6) Keep good records of connections made, including dates and follow-up tasks. I personally keep a well organized, ongoing list in an excel file.

As a Generation Y, it is often difficult to know who to contact and what exchange is appropriate. I am signing up for alumni events, industry related associations and specific Meetup.com affairs.

Other personal habits I have acquired while networking are to 1) confirm meeting time and place the day before, 2) follow up with unique, outstanding stationary, 3) get a business card, and 4) remember to small talk. Small talk is an art; often when I am taking myself too seriously, I forget to ask my mentor personal details. Taking note of these personal details on the back of his/her business card is a great technique. Then when I follow up, I can ask about family, vacation, home, etc. Every little detail counts when creating lasting relationships.

How can we perform in an interview when we don’t know how to sell ourselves! Think of yourself as a brand. For example, on a bottle of shampoo you can read the strengths and benefits of the product: fresh fragrance, conditioning, strengthening, volumizing, etc. Define your natural abilities and learn how to highlight them during an interview.

We will never be fully prepared for all the extreme questions thrown at us in an interview. One time I was asked, “If you were a bottle of hairspray, what color would you be and why?” In retrospect I can clearly see several reasons why this question was asked of me: to understand my creativity, to gauge my knowledge of the industry and (most importantly) to see how well I know myself. Answering this question with confidence was crucial. Can you enter an interview with poise and self knowledge?

Yes, I have studied all the lists of “Interviewing Do’s and Don’ts.” I could drive myself crazy memorizing rules: research the interviewing company, look the interviewer in the eye when shaking hands, sit down after the interviewer has taken his/her seat, be prepared to turn the “weakness” question into a strength, be equipped with questions to prove interest, ask for a business card before exiting; the list could go on infinity. Trying to recall what to do and what not to do would make it impossible to focus on the conversation.

The best advice I have does not come from that list of tactics. What is my secret ingredient? BE YOURSELF. I think the anxiety of having done my homework before going into the interview is what makes me nervous. Am I really prepared? I remember, yes I am ready. Before the interview, when my heart is beating at double pace, I pause, breath, and close my eyes. I take a few minutes to regroup and repeat a mantra. I practice relaxing and realizing that no one is perfect during the interviewing process. Self-awareness has always been my greatest asset. With that assurance, I know that the appropriate response to any question is always within reach.

Why: Small talk is essential as it helps you establish more personal relationships, which can greatly enhance your professional success. It allows the other person to get to know more about your personal interests and more importantly, common interests. It can also alleviate stress from the professional encounter, allowing a better connection to be made.

How:

Prepare: Become well rounded. Expand what you read. People are “attracted” to knowledgeable and interesting people. For a quick fix, I sometimes tell people to do a quick scan of ESPN, CNN, Bloomberg, and the local news before they run into a potential, “small talk battle zone.”

Practice: Making small talk does not come naturally to many, particularly in a business setting. However, it doesn’t have to be scary either. Practice making small talk everywhere – on line at the grocery store, at the local bank, or waiting in the doctor’s office. You’ll be surprised how receptive most people are to chatting it up, particularly if you have something interesting to say.

1. Invest in a calendar: I forgot is a horrible excuse. Everyone should have a calendar to keep track of deadlines, upcoming events, and relevant information. I forgot only gets you so far – soon your internship supervisor will just say I forgot to hire you.
2. Utilize a daily planner: Keep your thoughts organized. It’s just as important to micro-manage as it is to macro-manage. What’s sexier? I can manage multiple large scale projects and micro-manage my team members to ensure high productivity or I can follow directions.
3. Find your niche: Most importantly, learn about your working habits and when you perform at your best. Keep a notepad with you, a blackberry, or a journal to jot down your best ideas which you can organize later.
   

Take initiative and start organizing your life. Show you can manage your own schedule along with your job responsibilities. Sooner or later you will run out of hand space. I hope you have plenty of yellow-colored hand-shaped sticky notes.

How do you keep organized? Send your thoughts to ken@jointap.com. Please no hands with scribbles all over.

Yes! Why fear change? You shouldn’t. The ability to handle pressure is enticing to employers. If you aren’t able to adapt to a changing work environment, then you may need to rethink the application to sell $5 footlongs.

I’ve taken a double take while working at TAP. Sufficient just isn’t enough in todays economic down turn. Finding and keeping a job is harder than ever. Unemployment is rising, jobs are scarce and the U.S. is in a recession.

Stay current and make effective use of free time to learn how to use social networking websites, latest software, and sharpen your communication skills. Most importantly: Invest in your future – do your homework and change for the better. Make it part of your routine and daily news consumption.

Send your ideas to ken@jointap.com on how we can change for the better. Pennies accepted.