Reputation Beyond Graduation. How?

It is that time of the year again — Graduation. Many of us have just recently graduated, for others graduation will take place (virtually) in the next two months.

COVID raises uncertainty and worries about our future. With a likely economic crisis ahead, the job market is uncertain. Thus, a strong and positive reputation matters more than ever — others will remember us when presented with interesting job opportunities, knowing that we have the required skills and are great to work with.

You may ask yourself:

How can I establish a strong reputation beyond graduation that will help me moving forward in career and life? How do I build a strong support network?

Jeff Lee, Stanford GSB alumn 2017, President of ARod Productions, and interim CMO of The Markup, and Jacob Rosenberg-Wohl, current Stanford GSB student, offer their wisdom.

“Every meeting is an opportunity. Take the job!”

“Be different!”

“It takes about 5% extra effort to make what you have already done public and part of your reputation”

Jeff Lee — Hard-working, funny, quirky, honest, confident, adaptable, & unique

Jeff Lee’s reputation proceeds himself — he will excel at everything he does. This is why he was the first to come to mind for the job as COO of Alex Rodriguez former Yankee’s baseball star.

“I was working on my own venture. Yet, when Allison told me about the job, I took the interview opportunity, learned everything about Alex for 2 weeks, and came prepared with a deck to the interview. I showed him that I did my homework and what value I can bring”.

For this deck: put yourself in the other’s shoes — what do they want from you? What will benefit them? Wait 10 minutes to feel the energy in the room. If they take notes or give you another signal, hand out the deck. Otherwise, give it to them on your way out as a succinct takeaway.

His former professor, Allison Kruger, vouched for him. In return, he felt the duty to live up to her and Alex’s expectations.

Whenever someone vouches for you, you are reflecting back on their reputation. You want to give it your best.

Jeff’s key recommendation was to treat every meeting as an opportunity. You might find your next advocate, mentor, investor, and/or friend. Most important is your reputation for competence. This credibility allowed him to make fluid moves to other territories, building his career trajectory.

So how can we manage our reputation now, close after/ to graduation?

1. Acknowledge the loss

Especially in uncertain times, we need to acknowledge our circumstances and feelings. It is okay to acknowledge what we lost this year. It is okay to feel anxious even though graduation is an artificial timeline. Yet, instead of comparing us with the career outcome of everyone else, let’s focus on gratitude for every opportunity. It is a unique gift in and of itself.

It is not productive to think about the opportunities of others — focus on yourself. We are allies, not competitors.

2. Distinguish what we can control

While we cannot manage uncertainty (of the pandemic), we can manage risk by increasing our personal skills. Of course, everyone has a different risk tolerance — so embrace your risk-taking and listen to yourself while having people you trust help you with a quick reality check.

“We control what we tell others to be the most memorable person, not what is being said about us behind closed doors. Communicate powerful one-liners of what makes us uniquely more marketable.”

Take the job: The MBA amplifies and does not replace our existing skillset. Even if we do not find the perfect job, every job is full of surprises of hidden opportunities. Take the 80% fit and turn it into a 90% fit. Your gut will tell you if its a good (enough) job — look at the long-game and make sure that all your needs are satisfied.

3. Build a reputation by doing, not telling.

At the entry-level, our resume and interview are our biggest assets. Good work ethic, SME, and specific talents and interests will open doors. When we progress, we prove ourselves on the job.

Ethics, trustworthiness, and adaptability/ resilience are among the most important characteristics — something you demonstrate, not tell.

Perfect each thing you are doing before you move on to the next skill/ task/ job. In addition, be strategic about prioritizing your contacts. My urgency is not someone else’s urgency. Restrain yourself, select key things you want help with, and if you do not hear back, follow up.

But what if I have a negative reputation? Am I doomed?

Good news — you are not. Here is a game plan for you:

1. Be self-aware and figure out the negative aspects of your reputation
2. Survey people around you (peers and mentors) and ask for criticism
3. Have others, who like you, vouch for you
4. Over time moderate the negative aspects
5. Lean into the strong aspects of your reputation — Different is better!
6. Don’t be afraid to talk about the elephant in the room and ask for the opportunity to prove people otherwise

How to best deal with negative feedback? Take on the feedback as it comes. Take notes on your feelings in the first minute — then again 1 day and 1 week later. This helps you to decide which feedback resonates best.

Jacob Rosenberg-Wohl — Returning consultant, strategic, supportive

Jacob is a current Stanford GSB student. As he is going back to the competitive and relationship-based consulting field, reputation matters a lot — not only with clients but also for internal advancement. Brand and reputation will help you succeed in the long-term.

He has developed the following framework to think about opportunities:

1. Goal reputation: What do you want to be known for? This should be something broad enough to transfer between contexts and jobs.
2. Rationale: Why do you want this reputation? What do you wish to achieve with it?
3. Relevant networks: Which relevant networks can help you?
4. Ask: What’s your goal with each of those networks? What can you help them with? Make it a win-win to make the network work for you.
5. Contacts: Whom can you contact? How can you become more involved?

So what do we take away for our reputation beyond graduation?

1. Acknowledge your loss, but don’t compare yourself with others — be grateful for your own opportunities
2. Take every meeting as an opportunity. Present you true, but best self. You never where you meet that person again.
3. Control what makes you uniquely more marketable than the rest
4. Take the job and transform it from an 80% to a 90% fit
5. Build a reputation by doing, not telling — focus on ethics, trustworthiness, and adaptability/ resilience
6. When looking at new opportunities that foster/ improve your reputation, think about 1) goal reputation, 2) rationale, 3) networks, 4) ask, 5) contacts
7. Take the 5% extra effort to transform your work into parts of what you are publicly known for

How did your current B-School / university experience prepare you for your future life and career? I am sure we all have professors, who give us advice on the most important things for life. They might not be applicable right away — keep them in a safe place. They will become valuable later on. Such as some parts of this article.