MichaelGowin.com/blog

Brandon Laughridge is an ambitious guy: he wants to work with Seth Godin this summer and he’s set up a web site, SethsFavoriteIntern.com, in pursuit of that goal. Brandon read my post about Seth’s internship then contacted me and asked if I’d be willing to comment on his efforts. I said I’d be willing to do so, but only if he was open to taking my thoughts both good and bad. He quickly said he “wouldn’t have it any other way,” so here we go: will Brandon Laughridge, a finance student at Mizzou, be Seth’s favorite intern this summer?

In Brandon’s Favor

• Brandon is being very proactive in his efforts. He’s pounding the virtual pavement, knocking on virtual doors, and courting other bloggers to get his site reviewed. And it’s paid off–as of today, he’s had mentions on at least five other sites. One word of caution: there’s a fine line between enthusiasm and blatant self-serving self-promotion. Brandon will need to carefully (and genuinely) manage his efforts and relationships so people don’t feel “used.” If you get the internship, Brandon, remember those who helped get you there!
• Brandon has some impressive achievements to his credit. Googling for “Brandon Laughridge” turns up some interesting results: a personal blog, profiles on various social networking sites, marketing manager of a wedding site, etc. Of course, this assumes these are all the same Brandon Laughridge (more on that). References to Brandon and his work appear on other sites as well. In other words, the buzz precedes Brandon rather than the other way around.
• Brandon has received two excellent endorsements from friends/clients/bosses (the relationship is not exactly clear). These kinds of testimonials/references can be very influential to those making hiring decisions.

Some Points for Improvement

• Don’t make me work to find out who you are and what you’ve done. Brandon has some good experience; unfortunately, I had to Google to find it. To make it easy for us to learn about Brandon, the sites detailing his accomplishments should all be linked to SethsFavoriteIntern.com.
• Show, don’t tell. On the Why Me? page of his site, Brandon describes himself as a hard-working, big-idea implementing, goal-pursuing kind of guy. Again, rather than telling us this, he should show us with his examples. For instance, Brandon says,
  

  I’ve chosen to make a run at success and I’m working my tail off to get there.

  Instead, he could show us a marketing plan he’s written or the before and after results of a project that he’s worked on that reveal his hard-working big ideas. Concrete examples are always more powerful.

Summing Up

I’ve never met Brandon and I’ve only exchanged a couple of e-mails with him. But, frankly, I like him. Or, at the very least, I want to like him. He appears earnest, intelligent, creative, and teachable—all valuable qualities in an intern or employee. Will he land that internship with Seth Godin? That’s Seth’s decision. But Brandon appears to be a candidate worth a closer look.

Good luck, Brandon—I wish you well.

Filed under: Job Hunting, Marketing by Michael