When you’re in the midst of a job hunt, you never really know what will make the difference between being hired and coming in second place. When there are many qualified candidates, employers often rely on subtle, nuanced reasons to choose one candidate over another. Maybe one applicant seemed to have strong observational skills or one candidate seemed a better fit for the team than another.

One way to help you stand out from a crowd? Demonstrating the ability to learn people’s names. “Name recall will boost your image, earn you respect and differentiate you,” explains Nicholas Aretakis, author of No More Ramen: The 20-Something’s Real World Survival Guide. Dale Carnegie focuses on this important principle in his book, How to Win Friends and Influence People. In it, he says, “Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”

In his blog, Lee Silverstein, organizational development and training specialist, highlights how important it is to make an effort to remember names in a story about his first day of a new job. A member of his new team couldn’t believe he already knew her name. He reminded readers, “How often have you heard the excuse ‘I’m not good with names?’…What the person is really saying is, ‘I don’t have the listening skills, or the patience, to remember people’s names.’ Remembering someone’s name shows you care.”

You can read the rest of this post on my U.S. News & World Report column, but before you click over, take a look at this video Lee shares on his blog…It’s a funny example of “what NOT to do” when remembering names!

How to remember names (and why) on U.S. News & World Report…

photo by Cocoabiscuit

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  • http://ejobmate.com/ Nick Gronow

    I took the Dale Carnegie classes and will never forget that quote, it has come back to prove itself again and again to me over time. Whenever I fail to remember someones name, I make a double effort to ensure it doesn’t happen again because of how much it means to others when you call them by name, and not, “Hey…. man” There is nothing more awkward than being in that situation. As an employer who has hired a handful of people, I can reverberate with the truth of these statements. In the end, when faced with deciding between one 2 to 3 candidates who all have excellent credentials, it comes down to the small nuances that separate the hired one from second place.

    • http://www.keppiecareers.com Miriam Salpeter

      Nick – It’s true…a timeless quote and important to remember!

  • http://www.youtern.com Matthew Forrest

    I agree; remembering names is huge. I love the FedEx clip that you included here. It really drives the point home.

    Matthew Forrest
    Social Media Marketing Intern
    YouTern

    • http://www.keppiecareers.com Miriam Salpeter

      Matthew – Thanks for the comment! I liked that video, too…I’m glad Lee shared it on his post.

  • http://www.sitalruparelia.com Sital

    Great point.

    I must admit remembering names has never been a strength of mine (even whilst being a recruiter – thank god for the database)

    But one thing I always remember is the person’s story. Something small – even if we only met or spoke once I seem to remember often trivial things. Their favourite football team, that they’re renovating an old house or about to take a trip of lifetime to Australia etc. Just remembering such small details often lights up the person. And makes you memorable.

    I seem to do this naturally as I’m genuinely interested in people. So to add to comments above. If in addition to remembering names you can take an interest in the individual and learn something about them as a person – it helps you connect at a personal level and be remembered. Which in turn maximises the chances if being referred and hired.

    (…I’ll now go and brush up on my name remembering skills!)

    • http://www.keppiecareers.com Miriam Salpeter

      Sital – great point! It’s in the same “family,” remembering names, remembering something about the person — it’s all about making an extra effort to help make someone believe you care about them and took the time to think of them! Thanks for that great addition!