Mandy Roth (pictured) is one of hundreds of thousands of college seniors scheduled to graduate this Spring. And, like her peers, Mandy faces a formidable task: finding a job.

But, that's not enough of a mountain for Mandy to climb. She also wants to work for the public relations firm of her dreams. (That would be Peppercomm, who else?)

So, Mandy set about setting herself apart from the hundreds and hundreds of applications we receive every year from upcoming graduates. And, to say she succeeded is akin to calling North Korea a rogue state. 

Here's why we'll be interviewing Mandy this Friday and, if her in-person skills match those of her strategic branding campaign, offering her a paid Summer internship:

1.) Mandy created her own website JUST for Peppercomm. See: http://filebox.vt.edu/users/mandyy/Peppercomm/PepperCommsNextTopIntern.html. On the site, she included her resume, a cover letter and our personal favorite: 'The 10 reasons why Mandy Roth would be Peppercomm's next top intern.'

Note: Mandy says she built the specially-tailored website because she'd LISTENED to Peppercomm's messages and wanted to ENGAGE in our conversations with a site that demonstrated her talent and creativity.  FYI, our firm's tagline is: 'Listen. Engage. Repeat.'

2) In her cover letter, Mandy detailed the journey she'd taken during her college years, how she'd discovered Peppercomm and why our culture is perfectly aligned with her personal and professional goals.

3) She cited two separate Peppercomm blogs as truly inspiring her subsequent actions. One was written by our resident male fashionista, Jason Green, and entitled, 'Don't be boring in life, don't be boring when applying' . The other one, happily, was one of mine, and entitled, 'Third party endorsement'.

4) Last, and definitely not least, Mandy's 10 reasons why Mandy Roth would be Peppercomm's next top intern was a show stopper (insert link). For the record, Mandy, you had me at 10 reasons. And, BTW, her number one reason (as well as the final sentence in her cover note) killed: 'I know I could be the salt in your Peppercomm.'

Whether you're 19 or 90, you MUST create, and continually refresh, your own, personal brand. Why? Two reasons:

– There are more people searching for fewer jobs than ever before.
– There has never been less corporate loyalty. I can personally attest to the fact that many clients will toss away their agencies of long-standing like yesterday's newspaper if it'll save their jobs. And, sadly, most businesses today place profits over people.

I don't know how Mandy's interviews will go on Friday. But, I can tell you this: regardless of whether she clicks with us, Mandy Roth has a bright future because, at a very early stage in her career, she's figured out how to breakthrough the clutter AND build her own brand in a cool, compelling way.