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How To Successfully Market Yourself |
What would you
do if tomorrow you were terminated or you decided to resign?
In today's business
climate, you have to prepare for what has become an inevitability. Sooner or
later, by your own choice or your employer's, you will need to market
yourself to other companies.
During my 25 years of
working with hundreds of firms on recruitment and training issues, I've
regularly received calls from all levels of people who are unexpectedly
forced to market themselves. Most people are surprisingly inexperienced in
creating a successful recruitment strategy. Typically, they possess the
skills and experience to get a new job; only their lack of job-hunting
knowledge stands in their way.
If your company
provides a comprehensive outplacement program, consider yourself fortunate.
Many outplaced workers receive little support outside of some networking
referrals. Going it alone can be a frightening prospect in a business
environment in which the competition for top paying jobs is so fierce. But
you can win this
competition. What you'll need is a foolproof recruitment strategy.
Foolproof?
Yes!
A foolproof plan is
one that provides a diversified approach to securing interviews. The
interviews are the key to getting the job because, obviously, you can't
get a job without one. The more interviews you go on, the better your
chances of getting hired. Many people who do very well in interviews have
trouble securing those interviews.
My foolproof
recruitment strategy breaks down to a few simple steps.
Step 1:
Qualify Yourself
Write on a sheet of paper: a) what you want and need from a job, and b) what
you have to offer an employer. Clarifying in your own mind what you have to
offer--what I refer to as "Why Hire Me?"--is a crucial part of your
preparation for the job hunt. List three "why hire me's" to accompany each
feature you "want" and "need" from a job.
Step 2:
Analyze Your "Why Hire Me" Points
Many job seekers fail to inform potential employers of key facts about
themselves, because they have not fully acknowledged their own strengths and
skills. Ask friends and associates what they see as your strengths. Round
out these points you've already identified with others' input to reach a
total of at least 25 reasons an employer should hire you. This will help you
more honestly and fully express yourself and improve your chances of being
hired. Remember there are many laws that restrict an employer from asking
you key questions that will give them information; however, there are no
laws preventing you from asking any question and offering information that
makes it safer for them to hire you. Reassure their fears by making it very
safe to hire you.
Step 3:
Prepare a Resume That Will Secure Interviews
The real purpose of your resume is to get you interviews. If necessary,
enlist professional help to develop an effective resume that summarizes the
key strengths you identified in Step 2.
Step 4:
Implement Your Recruitment Strategy
Many
professionals market themselves solely through resumes and networking. These
tactics are limiting. You'll do better by creating multiple paths toward the
central goal of getting interviews. List on a sheet of paper every method
you can think of that could generate leads, and then follow up every lead
until you get either the interview or another lead. The following are ideas
you might not have thought of doing.
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Call people and companies you've always wanted
to work for.
Whenever I receive a
call from someone who says, "I want to work for you," I almost always grant
the caller an interview. Try expressing that idea to people you truly want
to work with, and you'll likely get the same favorable reaction.
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Tell everyone you know that you're looking for
a job.
This doesn't apply as
easily if you're still employed, but even unemployed people sometimes keep
their job hunt a secret. The most well-meaning people can't help you if they
don't know you're in the market. Broadcast your search and enlist support.
Practice saying this in a request format. "Will you tell me about any leads
or openings you hear about?" or "Will you ask your president if he will give
me an informational interview?"
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Ask for information interviews.
Call companies and ask
an executive for an "information interview" to obtain information about the
firm and the industry. This is just a meeting of one person speaking to
another. Also, it may generate additional leads for you.
When someone turns you
down for an interview, he or she usually feels badly about it. Most people
want to help if they can, so ask the person for ideas or the name of a good
recruiter who may generate interviews for you.
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Field prospects from the news.
When you read about
the accomplishments of companies and people, send them notes acknowledging
their successes. Then follow up with a phone call, and ask for an
information interview or a lead. Or use this opportunity to try the "I am
interested in working with you" approach.
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Join a job-seeking networking group.
There are many free
networking groups that offer support, supply leads and make available
computers and phones. Two are the Career Resource Center in Lake Forest, IL
and the Jewish Vocational Services in downtown
Chicago.
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Post your resume on the Internet.
Today, many recruiters
are going online to find the best candidates to interview. This service is
often free to the job seeker. Consider posting your resume on
our site, other internet recruiting sites, your college alumni site, and
your industry's trade association site.
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Take advantage of The Human Resource Store's
"Personal Search Assistant"
The Human Resource
Store's Personal Search Assistant takes the drudgery out of finding a
job by helping locate suitable positions for you. In addition to your own
job search efforts, the Personal Search Assistant works on your behalf in
searching out job leads, posting your resume, investigating target
marketplaces and providing administrative support to you.
Step 5: Secure
Interviews
When you
target a person and company, call
before you send your resume. Request an interview
at least twice.
If your request is
denied, counter with: Do you know someone who is hiring? Which search firm
do you use? Will you keep my resume on file for future reference?
Make your job hunt a
daily routine. Don't go to bed until you've taken some direct or indirect
action toward getting an interview. A direct action might be calling a
prospect to ask for an interview; an indirect action might be mailing out a
resume or developing a new lead.
The combination of
fully acknowledging why someone should hire you and implementing a
diversified marketing approach can give you the confidence that if you are
displaced for any reason, you will know how to go about finding a job. This
knowledge may ultimately be as important to your security as the skills
you've learned on the job.
A Guide Through The Interview Process
Your
Commitment to Yourself
The greater
your commitment to yourself, the great our ability to help you achieve your
career goals. By giving us a complete and honest picture of your skills,
achievements, and background, you enable us to represent you with honesty
and enthusiasm to any prospective employer. And by fully understanding your
abilities and the opportunities open to you, you will be able to cultivate
an attitude of success that will help carry you through the next step: the
interview.
The Employer's
Commitment to Us
We develop as
honest and open professional relationship with employers that we work with.
Almost all of these employers work with us exclusively. You will hear about
their openings only through us, as they are not advertised in the newspapers
or listed with other services.
We like to visit the
offices of employers so that we can offer viable candidates a fuller picture
of the companies they may be joining. Employers encourage these visits and
provide us with complete information about their companies. We always create
a one-page recruitment description of the open position that includes an
outline of the benefits the firm offers.
The Interview
Our goal:
We cannot get you a job; you alone can do that. We'll present
your qualifications to the employer, and we'll brief you on what advantages
the employer has to offer.
Our goal is to secure
interviews for you. We work hard to match your qualifications with the
position. So please treat each interview with the importance it is due-as if
it is the only one you will even have.
Before the
interview, ask yourself these questions:
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Why am I going to this company? What kind of
commitment am I willing to make to this company?
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Why should they hire me? Do I have the skills and
experience for the position?
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Am I interested in this position? Do I display
interest in this position through my appearance and attitude? Am I willing
to take this position if it is offered?
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Am I willing to learn? Am I willing to change my
attitudes if necessary?
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Have I researched this company to make sure I'll ask
intelligent questions?
The goal of the
interview is to be able to answer yes
to the following questions:
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Does the interviewer know I am interested in his/her
position and company?
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Am I capable of handling this position? Explain in
terms of your experience, skills, education, talents, attitudes and core
values.
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Will I stay for a reasonable length of time, and will
my values and commitment align with the company's expectations?
Don't leave the
interview until you:
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Make it clear to the interviewer that you are
interested, capable and committed.
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Ask the interviewer if he or she has any further
questions about your background.
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Express an interest in the position!
This is very important. The last impression you make is the one the
interviewer remembers best. If you want the position, say so! This could
be the one fact that sets you apart from other candidates with
qualifications equal to yours.
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Thank the interviewer for his or her time.
After the
interview:
Send a note of thanks, either emailed, handwritten or typed. Do not send a
printed card, and don't telephone your thanks.
Remember:
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As a candidate, you can ask
any question you want and
tell the interviewer anything about yourself that may make it "safer" for
them to hire you.
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Follow up! There is no silver or bronze medal for
coming in second or third, and for every offer you lose by being too
assertive, you'll lose 10 by waiting for their call.
The Human
Resource Store's Free Services
-
Current Openings.
All of
our current
client openings are here on our web site.
-
Temporary placement or
contract work. If you would like temporary or contract work while you are
looking for a new position,
we will refer you to one of our associates. If the employer likes your
work, temporary placement can lead to a full-time position.
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Computerized updating
service.
After your initial
contact with us, we may add your name to our computerized follow-up list.
Fee-Based
Services
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One-on-one career counseling
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Behavioral testing for your strengths and weaknesses
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Resume and cover letter preparation
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Coaching on how to secure interviews
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Values assessment
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Human resource training tools
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Personal Search Assistant
We're Here to
Help
We'd like you
to view us as a human resource consulting firm that can assist you with your
recruiting, orientation and training challenges. Browse this web site for
further information.
While we consider ourselves to be
exceptionally honest and professional, we try to conduct business on a
friendly, informal basis in order to establish a relaxed, comfortable
working relationship.
We're grateful for the
opportunity to help you further your career, and we welcome any suggestions
you might have that would improve our effectiveness.
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Services for the Job
Seeker
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