Box of delight

It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently – Warren Buffet Your reputation is what people say about you when you are not in the room.

The job market is increasingly competitive. Now more than ever, graduates need something more than a good degree to be hot candidates, to make employers sit up and take notice. Once you could expect to be invited to interview for your dream job if you presented your certificates, a resume of your past experience and some glowing references from the good and the great. Now that's probably not enough. You may not even be shortlisted if you don't stand out from the crowd. The selection process is increasingly unforgiving. Employers have such a choice of well qualified but unemployed young people right now, new graduates often don't even get a look in. So what exactly will tip the balance and get you noticed?