Choose your interviews wisely. Year after year, students flock to the “household name” employers that come to campus (Exxon, IBM, General Motors, etc.), while some of the best employers are unable to fill their available interview slots. Why? Because they are not well known. And few students take the time to do the research and find out about these companies. Often there are pleasant surprises when looking into many of the smaller companies, which are usually more growth oriented and offer better opportunities for career advancement.

Think about it this way. If you were deciding whether to invest money in a company’s stock, wouldn’t you take the time to fully research the company, find out its product marketing, potential growth rate, and competitive position in the marketplace? Of course you would. So why would you settle for anything less when deciding in which company to invest your energies for the all-important beginning of your career?

Ironically, many college students end up going to work for companies in which they would not invest their own money. Think about it. If you would not consider investing even $500 in the stock of the company, why would you consider investing your career in that very same company?

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