For students finishing up their college careers or even business people looking to succeed in their current jobs, no question is more common than “How do I stand out?”. As one of our readers, “John Con”, put it in one of our previous posts,

What do you wish you did/didn’t do in college that would help you succeed today or more precisely- what will make a person stand out?

As I am constantly being asked this question by other friends just finishing college and even older friends who are looking to improve or change their careers, I want to put my thoughts and experiences thus far out for communal cogitation. These are not so much the specific actions I believe are best, there is no specific combination of activities that guarantees success however, it is a set of goals that allow you to stand out and can be achieved through any number of paths.

1. Be a Whole Person

This isn’t just the usual tip career services hands out as you fill in the last few lines of your resume, it is an integral part of any interview. If you spend every spare minute working and studying rather than pursuing your other passions you will quickly run out of material for situational interviews. In fact, a number of the recruiters I have talked to actually frown on a straight 4.0 students to the point of being especially critical of those with above a 3.8. Don’t take this as an excuse to not study but, when you’re faced with a choice between taking part in a student organization or a committee and studying to make sure you get a straight 4.0, go with the depth of experience that external activities can provide.

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As the corporate world struggles with the new millennial workforce, many employers are experiencing great success with rotational programs. Originally pioneered by a number of large corporations to train engineers, the programs now are used in all areas of business from IT to Finance. These programs satisfy Generation Y’s need for travel, new experiences and training through a number of four to eight month rotations in different businesses, locales and departments.

The advantages of these types of roles become quickly evident when you realize that breadth of knowledge, cross-departmental and cross-business, that can be obtained in an incredibly short period of time, two years for many of the programs. Program participants roll off with a great amount of diversified knowledge that may take 5-10 years for someone else to gain in a standard role. Sounds amazing right? It is but, whether you are a participant in one of these programs or a employer managing them, you need to make sure you don’t get vertigo from the accelerated spin of rotational programs. Here are a few tips to help you avoid vertigo:

1. Avoid Over-Diversification

The biggest strength of a rotational program is the opportunity to diversify but, it can be dizzying as well. Many people skip from rotation to rotation without focus, similar to the way some college students do between majors. Then, when they get to the end of their program they have had a number of great experiences but are left to wonder, now what?

Many college students have to stay in school for another year or two, which is not an option for those in a rotational program and can cause you to take a default role off-rotation that you may not like. After your first rotation or even during, start to figure out what you like and take rotations that will aid you in your end while still providing a good set of diverse skills.

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