Marketing Rules that Apply to Job Search

I really like the CBC radio show “The Age of Persuasion” with Terry O’Reilly. It’s a 30 minute show about marketing... everything you might ever have wondered about marketing. This week’s show was about some rules or axioms of marketing titled “According to Hoyle”. I would like to cover a couple of points that was made that should help a job seeker present--AKA market--themselves.
A 30 second response is about 85 words. When answering a question, holding to people’s attention span will work in your favor. Our attention span is about 30 seconds. The average length of a TV ad is 30 seconds and I would argue that is this not a coincidence. When answering interview questions and taking two, three or even four minutes you’ll probably loose your audience and not make the point you were aiming to.

Make the product the hero of the ad. When telling a success story, make yourself the center of the story. Talk about what you did, the problem you solved. If you led the team, talk as if you were the team. They are going to hire you, not the team.

Advertising shouldn’t sell the product, it should sell the benefit. A benefit is something that people want, hiring managers want what you can do for them. Highlight and promote what is unique about you. What you do better than anyone else and then find the company, department or manager that can utilize that benefit. Stay away from job titles, talk about the work you perform better than anyone else.
Job search is sales, and marketing helps the sale. The interview is were the sale is made and communicating the power of the benefits you bring to the table is paramount. Go out there and sell yourself in 85 word responses, showing yourself as the hero and all the benefit of hiring you.

Branding Product "You"

In career coaching we often talk to our clients about building a brand. Whether you’re currently employed in an income generating job or you are in non-income generating work, also known as a job search, you’ll benefit from having a Personal Brand. There are a lot a stuff out there about building a personal brand. My goal is to introduce you to this concept as a way of improving your position in your career.

In my May 2nd blog entry, I mentioned Jonathan Salem Baskins and his books, Branding Only Works On Cattle: The New Way to Get Known (and drive your competitors crazy) and Bright Lights & Dim Bulbs: The Year in Marketing Buzz, Brilliance & Buffoonery, So You Don't Have To Repeat It; which are two good resources. Another guru on the subject of personal branding is Peter Montoya author of The Brand Called You, is a must read (or listen to) for anyone wanting to understand the subject. Other big names in the field are: David Meerman Scott, Seth Godin, Tim Ferriss, Steve Rubel, John Jantsch and Keith Ferrazzi. Check out at least some of what these guys teach.  

If you are looking for ways to improve your situation, change careers or land a new job you’ll want to help people know who you are. Employers and bosses want to know what you can do for them. How can you help the business grow or their department meet their goals?

Tell them what you do. Tell them what you love. Tell them what you’re great at.

How do you tell them? Get branded!  All the people I mentioned above state that first you need to figure out what it is and then start being known for doing it. Become an expert and help those around you or those connected to you learn more about your subject. There are several ways to accomplish this... social media like Twitter and LinkedIn is one way or writing a blog on your subject will work. Or you can just start commenting on other’s blogs or posting sharing insights and clarifications on confusing aspects or ideas.

Also there are the old fashion ways: volunteer to head up a project in your area of interest; write a white paper and submit it to a professional journal or periodical; give a presentation or sit on a panel discussing your subject. Create a tag line to add it to your signature of your email. I used to be “The QA Guy” and it didn’t matter that there were 100 other QA guys out there... that was how many people thought of me.

A friend recently reminded me of the old adage, “You’re either part of the problem or part of the solution.” You want to be seen and known as part of the solution. Your personal brand will help you be noticed and maybe your brand will get you the opportunity to talk face to face with the decision maker and end up with a new job.

Branding, On-line Resumes & Volunteering

Three Valid Points for everyone to consider

In beautiful Palatine, Illinois, at Harper College's monthly Career Stimulus Program, I heard a speaker talking on the subject of marketing and branding. This is a key area of interest for many in job transition. With so many millions of people out of work, how do you stand out from the rest? This speaker challenged the audience with three ideas to consider.

Jonathan Salem Baskin, author of the books Branding Only Works on Cattle, and Bright Lights and Dim Bulbs, made a point that went something like this... applying to jobs posted on the internet is like writing & mailing a letter to Santa. His point deserves serious consideration. 

What is the return on investment (ROI) from applying to jobs on line? How many applications are even acknowledged even in an electronic automatic email response? Now compare this with the response rate of a letter to Santa? How often does Santa actually respond to the letters sent around Christmas time? 

I would say that you cannot ignore internet job postings, but you really need to consider the ROI question. Think about the about of time you put into this effort and the likelihood of actually landing an interview from this source. If you are spending an hour or two per week that is probably appropriate. Remember that your highest ROI is networking with people, people currently working in an organization. So it makes sense to pursue internet job applications off hours when you really cannot be meeting with or talking to people. I suggest later in the day or earlier in the morning depending on your schedule.

Jonathan made another point that really hit home. He said that resumes are all alike. They are all about what has been done in a career. Resumes do not tell the hiring manager what you're going to do for them. Now, it is true that we cannot abandon resumes, but we need to do more. I help my clients understand that the resume is a calling card; it's the interview where the magic happens. I explain that the job seeker needs to bring past successes into the interviewer's experience by telling a story that paints a picture of solving the company's problems, or doing what the organization needs done.

Jonathan also stated that everyone is looking for a job today. Not just the "so called" unemployed but everyone. Some are working at a company collecting a paycheck and others are working to find a job, but not collecting a paycheck. But, everyone is looking! The competition is huge! So the job seeker needs to be even more creative and forward thinking. He suggested to look for ways to find out what a company needs and ask for the chance to do it; he challenged the audience to consider volunteering to work without pay to prove your value. I had to admit that the suggestion is intriguing. It would be prudent to put a time limit on the offer though. 

Harper College in Palatine, Illinois is a A++, two year, Community College that offers a unique opportunity for job seekers. Their Career Stimulus Program is an excellent experience for those who have never received outplacement services.