When I first began looking into colleges, I didn’t feel like I had many options. I could either remain in-state and live at home with my parents to avoid rent, or attend a college farther from my home town where I would have to live on campus.

So, I ended up going to a state school 7 minutes away from my parent’s house. I worked throughout the school year after classes, and everyday during summer, about 10-12 hour days. I graduated early with an Investment Finance degree, and a few IT classes on the side.

When I landed an interview at a large financial firm in D.C., I was the only girl in the room, up against 15 guys. Everyone went around the room and briefly described themselves. The majority of the other applicants all went to Ivy League schools and made sure to mention it (sometimes repeatedly).

When it came around to me, I didn’t think my school was what defined me or was what people needed to know first.

I shared my story: I had been working since I was 14, grew up near the beach, and have been investing my own money since I was 16.

After realizing none of the amped up Ivy Leaguers listened, and hearing the way these guys spoke to each other, I detected weakness.

I realized that I could beat out the Ivy League “competition” by showcasing things I had learned in life, not in textbooks at school. I had been learning from anyone I deemed worthy, with or without recognizable credentials.

After nailing the three interviews, I received an offer the next day and started a few weeks later. I asked about the other 15 guys. Only one other had received an offer from the group of 15.

How did I beat the Competition?

After thinking back about why I got the job, asking the recruiter, and talking to my department, they told me they were most interested in what I had done outside of school. GPA was nice.. but my side projects, consulting, and mini-businesses had added up.

This trend is only continuing: Google no longer focuses on GPA. Top tier non-profits like Khan Academy are doing the same, instead asking applicants:

“what have you done, what can you do, and how can you help us right now?”

This trend will only continue, and has to make you wonder why companies weren’t asking this all along?

So what types of things did the interviewers like to hear about? And what will set you apart from the Ivy League competition?

• Odd Jobs that were held during the school year, and throughout your younger years. — Every person who interviewed me asked about the jobs I held while I was in college or in high school. They liked hearing about someone who has worked ever since they could. It shows you can balance many things by being able to go to school and work part time. This is also something that I have noticed many Ivy League graduates do not have under their belt. Many I have talked to have told me that they had never worked until after they graduated college, or they worked for their parent’s company here and there. Sorry.. No matter what job you held at your family’s company, no one will ever think as highly of that in comparison to hearing about an individual who goes to 10+ interviews and finally lands one at the local chain steakhouse.
• Self-Taught Skills. The interviewers loved hearing about my drive to teach myself new things. I told them about how I taught myself SEO when I needed to learn it for a friend’s company. I learned how to run SEO campaigns, bid on trending keywords, and rank our webpages highly. I taught myself how to analyze stocks, and invested the bits of money I had saved up over time. I did a consulting project for a entrepreneur who owns a large retail chain. Showing recruiters you take the initiative to learn and implement new skills is powerful. This is also one that is often lacking from students who believe they went to a “premier school”.
• Willingness To Learn. Showing the interviewer, and your coworkers that you have a great willingness to learn is a trait that many people (especially Ivy Leaguers) have not acquired. I have noticed that the employees who went to the “premier schools” are usually the ones with the least willingness to learn. These graduates/employees start to squirm when they need to ask for help. They are not as willing to learn from others whose education might be “beneath them”.

Being on your toes and having the willingness to learn from everyone will set you up for a bright future. People say to learn from the best. I try to learn something from everyone and anyone I can each day. Don’t like the way a coworker talks to you? Use them as an anti-model and remember not to do that. See a small Excel trick that an intern is doing? Ask them to teach you, and thank them for that tip. Learn from everyone and you won’t have any competition.

Remember, it doesn’t matter where you went to school. There are always way to differentiate yourself and showcase your skills. So go crush that interview, land that opportunity, and keep looking for ways to improve each and every day!