Your Job Search Is A Marketing Campaign (Part 2)
Here's a continuation of my article from a few months back on how the successful job search is really just a personal marketing campaign. To recap, the same marketing techniques that have sell billions of dollars worth of products and services on TV, in print and via direct mail can also help you find a job. All you have to do is look at the advertisements you see with an eye toward borrowing their best ideas for your job search. Here are three ways to do that, and get hired faster by emulating successful marketing. 1) Define Your Target Market Smart marketers don't try to sell to everyone. Instead, they clearly define their ideal prospects in terms of age, income, hobbies, etc. Then, they create advertisements that appeal to them directly. Example: McDonald's wants to be the #1 choice for children, so they target them by advertising Happy Meals with toys based on popular movies. Result? Kid sees toy on TV, kid pesters parent, parent takes kid to McDonald's. You can do the same with your job search. Define, in as much detail as possible, the kind of work you want to do and the company you want to do it for. Then write your resumes and cover letters to appeal to that target market. Speak the language and say what they want to hear. Leave everything else out. Focusing on a "target market" this way will bring immediate clarity to your search for the perfect job. And it will give you an edge over approximately 80% of other job seekers, who really have no specific idea of what they're looking for. 2) Develop a USP A USP, which stands for unique selling proposition, is at the heart of all successful marketing. Any business that can't answer the question, "What can I get from you that I can't get from your competition?" won't be in business for long. FedEx ("When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight"), Domino's Pizza ("Fresh, hot pizza delivered in 30 minutes, or it's free"), and Avis ("We try harder") all built billion-dollar businesses on a good USP. To develop your USP, answer this simple question: "Why should I hire you and not the other guy?" Simple, yes. Easy, no. But you absolutely, positively can NOT expect busy employers to figure out your unique value. You must do that thinking for them. Avoid trite claims like, "I'm hard-working and trustworthy." That's not unique. (And it could also describe a good hunting dog.) Instead, focus on your unique combination of skills, knowledge and experience. Example USP: "With five years of helpdesk experience supporting 400 users on three sites, I've seen and solved just about every problem imaginable. In college, I completed officer's training as an ROTC student while earning my MIS degree. This gives me a broader range of technical, leadership and problem-solving skills than typical applicants." Here's a fill-in-the-blank statement for you to complete. When you do, you'll have your USP -- "Because of my ________, I can do ________ for you better than typical applicants." 3) Contact Employers Repeatedly It's an old saw in advertising that you must contact prospects at least 7 times before they will buy. Why? Mainly because people are busy, and easily distracted by the hundreds of marketing messages they get every day. It's the same in your job search. Employers are easily distracted by hundreds of resumes and may lose sight of yours. Or they may not understand your true value the first time you contact them. By reaching out and touching employers at least 7 times (unless they tell you to go away), you demonstrate the following: * you are persistent, * you can manage details, * you really, really like them and want to work for them. As a result, you'll gain an edge over other candidates who sit back and wait for the phone to ring. Warning: do not contact employers seven days in a row (that's stalking), or send them the same follow-up letter seven times (that's lazy). Instead, give employers one more reason to hire you with each email, fax, letter or phone call. Examples: you could share a new bit of market research, or a proposed solution to a problem they're having. Be creative and prove you can do the job with each contact. Now, go out and make your own luck! Kevin Donlin is President of Guaranteed Resumes. Since 1996, he and his team have provided resumes, cover letters and online job-search assistance to clients in all 50 states and 23 countries. Kevin has been interviewed by USA Today, CBS MarketWatch, The Wall Street Journal's National Business Employment Weekly, CBS Radio, and many others. As a reader of this publication, you're eligible for a special offer. Get your Free Job Search Kit ($25.00 value) at the Guaranteed Resumes Web site - http://www.gresumes.com
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
10 Major Signs of Job Dissatisfaction
The New Year is a great time to analyze your job and the satisfaction you get from doing it. Running the rat race is just that, scurrying around only to find that at the end of the day or week you are still not happy about who you are and what you do. For many people they think exercise, changing their eating habits, or learning a new sport or language will make a difference in their emotional and physical well being. Fortunately for some that's all it takes, but for others a complete job makeover is the only way.
Retirement: Is It A Career Change Option?
Retirement might be the answer when you ask yourself "why do I want to make a career change" and you decide that what you actually want is not so much a career change as to stop what you've been doing altogether.
Stacking The Deck In Your Favor
Many people do not bother to look at their own magnificence and without that view it is not likely that we will recognize the need for strategies to maximize our strengths. When we buy an outfit for a special affair, we automatically try to coordinate each piece so that they enhance one another and amplify our sense of "looking good" from head to toe. A man will make sure his socks and tie are in sync while a woman will adorn herself with color coordinated makeup, jewelry, nail color, etc. But when it comes to our gifts and talents, we get extremely casual or sloppy and so we stack skills on top that don't bring out our best and sometimes we are so off kilter, our skills are actually a tacky appendage that detracts from our gifts and talents.
Thankk-You Notes: An Integral Part of Your Career
There is one little practice that is vital to generating the interest of potential employers. It is critical, but very few job seekers actually do it.
Whats Stopping You from Getting Your Next, Good Job?
This question comes up often when I'm working with someone to help them move forward in finding their next job.
Ive Got the Big Bad B Word on My Job!
That "B" word---B O R E D O M.
For My Second Career, I Want to Do Nothing!
Q. For my second career, I'd like to know "What to do when you have done a lot and nothing really interests you anymore. The things that interest me are not financially feasible right now, because one of the things I'd like to give up is working!"
12 Steps to Targeting Success in Your Career or Job Search
Is your job search sagging? Are you still looking for that ideal next job? Or are you about to begin looking for new work and are not sure of the best way to go about it? What you need is a way to evaluate your job search strategies to see whether or not they are working effectively for you.
From The WorkWise Collection: Job Hunting in the New Economy
To succeed in today's global marketplace, companies must hire the best and the brightest. Having talented employees can make the difference between success and failure.
Closing the Gap on Your Career Goals
If you still picture a steady progression up the ladder when
you think of your career goals, it is time to shift your
thinking. For most people, climbing the career ladder is no
longer an option. The working world has changed so dramatically
that linear career paths rarely exist, except as historical
symbols.
How to Prepare for A Performance Appraisal
Performance appraisal should be treated as an ongoing developmental process rather than a formal once-a-year review. It should be closely monitored by both employee and reviewer to ensure that targets are being achieved. By preparing yourself diligently and demonstrating a willingness to co-operate with your reviewer to develop your role, you will create a positive impression.
Dissatisfied With Your Job? Stop Believing The Myths!
If you are dissatisfied with your job, you are in a self-imposed career slump!
Get A New Job - Career Choices
Career change is tough but rewarding
Alert! An Over-50 Jobseeker Has Just Entered the Building
Interviewing Tips for the Older Job-seeking Population
Career Transitions: Creating Complementary Careers in a Day
Down-sized? Outsourced? Burned-out? Wizened up? That's what I said. Wizened up! Now is not the time to be depressed. Now, is the perfect time to assess your life and what you want to do with the rest of it. One easy way is to explore career options that are complementary to you. Whether you are leaving by choice or have been asked to leave, you probably have more courses of action then you think.
10 Warning Signs That You?re Ready for a Career Transition
1. You dread getting out of bed and going to work.
Choose Your References Wisely!
So, you need to submit employment references. A simple task, right? Sure, you could contact three of your closest friends and ask them to be your references. They may be able to testify to your character, but do they know how well you would perform on the job? Probably not. Let's explore the types of references you must seek, the number of people you should include, and to whom references should be submitted.
Career Discovery - Pinpoint Your Ideal Career
Determine your ideal career--one that's in alignment with
your values, passions, and talents--and discover the work
you were born to do
Find A Job In A Fast Growing Field Using Labor Market Information For Your State
The question confronting most people who want to find a job is "what's a good paying job with growth potential?"
Job Interviews -- What Your Pre-Interview Research Should Cover
When you go in for a job interview, you're not just a candidate seeking a job. You're a potential problem solver and contributor. To play that role effectively, you must be armed with the right kind of information. That's what pre-interview research is all about.
|