You've worked hard in school, and now it's time for all of your hard work to pay off . But when it comes to starting your career, you may feel like you have more questions than answers. For example, "How can you stand out from a large pool of qualified and seemingly homogenous candidates?"

In Landing Internships and Your First Job, Jerome Wong, founder of Real World Experts, shares insights from working in the technology and global finance industries for over twenty-five years. From Silicon Valley to Wall Street, he has been on both sides of the interview table countless times, and now Mr. Wong offers the cutting-edge advice students need to stand out from the crowd.

Finding a job is not just about what you've done but also about who you are, and how you can communicate that clearly, professionally, and in a unique way. Who inspires you, what motivates you? This type of self-reflection is an often-ignored part of the career prep process but is very necessary as you construct your authentic story to convince hiring managers that you are the right candidate. The objective of the book is to help students effectively communicate their brand and value to potential employers - using methods and techniques that best resonates with hiring managers. It will also dispel common misconceptions about what students think employers "want" to hear.

• Develop creative networking techniques.
• Prepare results-oriented resumes.
• Compose compelling stories to engage interviewers on an emotional level.
• Uncover the real goals behind many common interview questions.
• Provide uncommon answers to common interview questions.
• Ask truly insightful questions to make you shine above the competition.

Don't spend your time after you graduate asking, "Would you like fries with your order?" Use the transformational strategies revealed in this book to launch the career of your dreams!

Throughout his career in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, Jerome was actively recruiting college students for the companies he has worked for. His experience sitting on the other side of the interview table from the candidates, combined with his sales experience, provides him with unique insights into the hiring decision process. It is this experience that led him to write this book, as well as create his company Real World Experts.

Upon graduating from Tufts University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, Jerome started his career in technology. After working for several years in technical positions, Jerome transitioned into a series of sales roles where he found his true calling: being in front of clients and closing deals. After graduating from Columbia Business School, Jerome began his career in finance in the emerging area of credit derivatives at Chemical Bank in 1996. After working several years in New York, he relocated to London for Citibank with his young family. He ran credit structuring groups in Europe, which involved explaining complex products to clients in the simplest terms possible and continuing to develop his sales skills. After three years in London, Jerome moved to Hong Kong to expand UBS's credit structuring business in Asia. He returned to the US during the financial crisis to build the credit structuring and advisory platform for BNP Paribas.

Over the past twenty-five years, he has continued to learn about salesmanship and hone his sales strategies. He describes the sales style he has developed as "a soft-sell by showing, not telling" and focusing on both the direct and less obvious requirements of clients to win deals. These are the exact same skills candidates need to convince companies to hire them.

Jerome is looking forward to this next chapter of his career, in which he will advise college students on how to land their dream jobs and launch their careers!