4. Develop a self-marketing strategy.
Now the real fun begins. It’s time to market your number-one product … you!
To help plan your marketing strategy, think of yourself in terms of the
classic marketing 5Ps:
Product: What do you have to offer? What key skills and attributes can you
offer your “customers” (i.e., potential employers)?
Price: What is your value in the marketplace? Do your educational background,
experience, and professional strengths qualify you as a premium product—
something elite—or will you need to start “discounted” to get your foot in
the door of your targeted industry?
Promotion: What themes or messages convey what you have to offer
professionally?
Place (distribution): How will you distribute yourself on the market?
Consider using multiple means of “delivering” yourself to potential
employers. This could include on-campus recruiting events, job ads, career
fairs, company websites, executive recruiters, and referrals from your network.
Positioning: What differentiates you from other candidates? What is unique
about your skills, background, or interests?
Resumes, cover letters, and your network are your marketing tools. For help
on developing a winning resume, including handling common problems like gaps
in employment, dealing with unknown schools and companies, or making a career
change, refer to "Resume Makeovers: How to Stand Out from the Crowd". For
guidance on writing cover letters, refer to "Get Results with Your Cover
Letter".
Informational interviewing is a great research and networking tool. After all
, how can people help you find that great job if they don’t know what your
career goals are? You need to get out there and start talking to people. My
book includes an in-depth discussion of networking and informational interviews.
Also check out WetFeet’s networking advice.
Use these sample questions to kick off your informational interviews:
Can you tell me a bit about your background?
How did you get started in this industry?
What’s the company culture really like?
Can you describe a typical day or week?
What advice would you offer to someone trying to break into this industry?
What do you like the most and least about the industry? About the job? About
the company?
How would you approach a job search for this organization or industry?
Could you recommend other colleagues with whom I can speak? Is it OK to use
your name when I contact them?
5. Prepare for job interviews. Informational interviewing is also good
practice for the real thing. Performing mock interviews and videotaping them
is another way to practice and get feedback.
For more information on interviewing, refer to "Surviving and Thriving in a
Tough Job Market: Acing the Interviews," "Decoding the Interview and
Evaluation Process," and "Ten Executives Discuss What They’re Looking for
When They Interview Candidates".
Develop at least three questions for each interview. For help, refer to "
What to Say When It’s Your Turn to Ask Questions in an Interview."
It’s also a good idea to begin thinking about your compensation strategy now.
Understand the components of compensation (what can be negotiated), the
tangibles and intangibles, the must-haves of your compensation package,
minimum take-home pay, and how to create a win-win situation between you and
your prospective employer. For more detailed help, refer to "Seven Tips for
Smarter Compensation Negotiation" and The WetFeet Insider Guide to
Negotiating Your Salary and Perks.
6. Implement your plan, making adjustments along the way.
Now it’s time to put your well-laid plans into action. Work your network to
spread the news of your job search. Continue asking for more contacts.
Conduct informational interviews. Research job postings, write cover letters,
and send out those resumes.
As you move your action plan forward, try to get feedback whenever possible
to make midcourse corrections and improve your results. Ask for feedback from
your career services advisors, colleagues who review your resume, your
informational interview contacts, and those who have interviewed you for a job.
Incorporate the constructive lessons you take from them to improve your
approach.
And don’t forget to self-evaluate by asking:
What is and isn’t working?
Where can I improve?
What help or advice do I need?
Where can I go for help, resources, and expertise?
Are there gaps in my performance that need filling in?
How do I stay motivated to keep up my momentum? (Refer to "Keeping Up Your
Job Search Momentum" for ideas.)
Having a plan is an enormous benefit to guide and inspire the success of your
job search. And broken down into steps, a seemingly insurmountable task is
suddenly rendered manageable. Best of luck on your job search!
Author Bio
Sherrie Gong Taguchi is a leading expert on recruiting and career management.
She is Principal of career-inspirations.com and has coached thousands of
students, managers, and executives as Director of the Stanford MBA Career
Management Center, VP of University Recruiting for Bank of America, and
Director or Corporate Human Resources for Dole Foods and Mervyn’s Department
Stores.
Her book, The Ultimate Guide to Getting the Career You Want and What To Do
Once You Have It (McGraw Hill, 2003) is available atwww.Amazon.com andwww.
BarnesandNoble.com.
The book offers inspiring and practical strategies, advice, and exercises on
self-assessment, taking risks in your career, incorporating significant
others in career decisions, how to develop a job search or career change
action plan, and how to recession-proof your career. It also includes
lesson-filled case studies profiling a variety of people, MBAs to CEO.
Gary Alpert, CEO of WetFeet, says: “If you are ready to take your career to
the next level, you’ve found the most important book on the market today.
From cover to cover, the knowledge you’ll gain about managing and advancing
your career is unparalleled in the book’s breadth, depth, and actionability
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