Dear J.T. & Dale: I’ll be finishing college in ‘08, and I’m starting to think about the job market. How does one “get the job”?

– Rebecca
DALE: You’ll be competing for jobs with lots of people with degrees like yours, so the distinguishing factor is your answer to the (usually unspoken) question of “What else?” Besides a degree, what else does this applicant offer? It could be your personality, or an internship or a part-time job in the field.

J.T.: Let’s start with personality. “Getting the job” usually comes down to EQ as opposed to IQ; that is, emotional intelligence is more important than the old notion of intellectual intelligence. In short, having people skills is more important than book smarts. There are books on the subject of EQ that you can get, which allow you to test your EQ level. Also, there are lots of books on people styles that can help you as well.

J.T. is modestly overlooking her own assessment tool, the ISAT (Interaction Style Assessment Test), which will let you understand just what you need to work on. You can find it at jtodonnell.com. However, I’d like add another “Q” to the discussion, the “Adversity Quotient” which was developed by Paul Stoltz and refers, among other things, to a person’s ability to find creative solutions to problems.

So your “what else?” actually could be a “where else?” or “who else?” Instead of looking for jobs in all the usual places, you can find ways to expand your search. For instance, if you visit with recruiters at your campus, you might ask who are their toughest competitors, and thus identify companies who are not out there interviewing. Then, when you contact those companies, they’ll be impressed with all three of your Q’s.