Do you have what it takes to stand out as a rockstar candidate?

The holidays are over and it's back to school time! This means one thing: company recruiting efforts are in full swing starting in week one! For companies, this is a great way to bring their employment brand to life. For students, this is the perfect opportunity for you to bring your personal brand to life.

Three Tips to stand out to prospective employers:

1. Do your research and don't be afraid to show it!

It's all about knowing your audience. Find out everything you can about the company before the event. Look at the company from different sources.

Check out their webpage, their jobs page, and watch for a specific campus recruiting page. You also want to see if there are any reviews on the company—although you should take the reviews with a grain of salt and keep an open mind.

Take this to the next level by trying to find out who's going to be there to represent the company. Sometimes a simple call to the Career Centre can give you this information. It's a nice touch when potential candidates have an idea who they're talking to. Look at their LinkedIn profile and learn a little bit about their history (how long they have been at the company, their role, etc.). The trick is showing your research in a natural way.

Proof this works:
I had a candidate once who saw that I checked in at a career fair on Foursquare, which is linked to my Twitter account. I had a call-to-action on my check-in to meet our recruiters and that we were looking forward to seeing everyone. He not only attended the career fair but when introducing himself, mentioned the tweet, his interest in social media and how that tied to the position he was applying for. And yes, he was a successful candidate who not only landed an interview but received a job offer!

Your research goals:
At the end of your research, you should be able to answer why you're interested in the company, why you want to work there, and what you would like to do. The additional information that you'll learn from the event should be the icing on the cake to really make your CV or cover letter sing.

2. Look and act the part

Now that you have an idea of what the company culture is like, position yourself like you would naturally fit in. By knowing the culture, you can adjust the way you present yourself and your questions (and you should have questions prepared) relating to the company vision.

Are you gunning for a spot at a dotcom company? It's best to be in business casual attire and leave the tie at home. Also, know the lingo and current trends within the industry to speak about.

Making Small Talk That Matters:
Leave the generic weather and hockey talk behind—boring! Use this as your time to shine. People often feel awkward by highlighting themselves saying I did this, and instead they often say we did this. I'm not saying to take all the credit but make sure you're demonstrating what you did and why it's relevant to the situation.

Another easy open is I'm interested in XXX company because of XYZ and highlight something current in the news about the company. By doing your research and knowing facts about the company and brand, you can leverage this and drive the conversation with it. Mention a recent award or accolade they received or maybe ask about a recent release of a product.

Stay away from controversial topics! This is not the time to mention the Miley Cyrus #twerkgate, unless maybe it's a PR company or a record label. Even then, it's a stretch. You want to brand yourself at this event as the perfect fit for the role or the company.

Been seen, be heard, and be remembered! Position yourself as if you're already working there. Balance this though and don't seem overly cocky!

Have a leave-behind:
Be professional and have a resum├® or business card. Don't bring your resum├® folded and wrinkled. Instead, have it printed on quality paper and in a nice file folder. Alternately, bringing business cards is a nice touch. I see this more often these days, especially from business students.

As a recruiter, I use your leave-behind to keep track of the candidates I meet at the event and pass on the feedback to my team. As a potential candidate, this shows your professionalism right out of the gate. There's no need to get 1000 fancy cards printed, a nice basic one with your contact information and link to LinkedIn or maybe to an about.me page will do.

3. Call me? Maybe.

Better than a phone call, follow up on LinkedIn after the event.

Don't send a generic LinkedIn invite (read our tips for personalizing the invite and follow-up) but use this time to thank the company contact for their time at the event. Add a conversation nugget of what you spoke about at the event to jog their memory. We see hundreds of students on campus each year, be unique in a good way.

Don't be too grand in your follow-up:
This brings me to the follow up using grand and over the top ways, like sending gifts. There are mixed opinions on this and, in my opinion, these are tales of what not to do.

I've had past candidates follow up with grand gestures and other attention-grabbing tactics. One offered to take me out on a dinner date after the interview (#awkward), but that's another blog post. For me, this doesn't float my boat! A simple follow up on LinkedIn and perhaps a simple thank you on Twitter with a link to your Linkedin page is a better fit. Anything over that seems a bit irrelevant and stalker-ish.

In summary:

By being prepared before the event, you gain time to strategize your fit and build your confidence. Be confident, stick to the facts and work the room. Show your personality; know why your values align with the company and why you're the perfect fit. And most of all, don't talk about the weather or hockey unless you're meeting a meteorologist or someone from the NHL.

Grace Lanuza is a contributing blogger for Talent Formula. Follow talentformula.ca for latest news and opinions on growing your career! 

About the author: Grace's 10+ years in the ever-changing world of experiential marketing taught her the importance of having the right team in the right roles. Expanding her passion for people, Grace recently grew her career in the talent acquisition and employment branding space managing campus recruiting across North America for Mosaic, a top marketing agency. You can expect Grace's unique voice to be found blogging about Gen-Y hiring, motivating your team, interviewing tips and tricks, and best practices to keep remote employees engaged.

[Image: Silverije]