Job Search Marketing is a lot of work but is doesn’t have to be complicated. Comprehensive, “yes”; complicated, “no”, yet so many people cause themselves a lot of difficulty and stress. I’m going to try to make the concept of job search marketing simple for you to understand. I won’t be able to make it simple for you to undertake, however. It will always be hard work. Nevertheless, with understanding, maybe you won’t feel as though it’s an uphill battle.
Positioning –>> Marketing –>> Exposure
1. Positioning: Identifying your job search focus covers the role you want to play in the next job and the industry. With that you can define specific targets – the specific “customers” for your wares: Talents, background and qualifications, etcetera.
Defining the focus of the job search (role and industry) is the first step in “positioning”. Detailing your interests, credentials, background, likes, dislikes, strengths, etc. is the second step. To do this effectively, you should interact with someone who knows you well and who can remain objective. You’d be surprised what deep, attentive, interactive discussion will reveal; and resultant is the clear-cut understanding of the “best fit” position, type of organization and also, why it’s a “best fit” for the employer, your “customer” as well. Now you know what the product has to offer and to whom, and thus forearmed with all the information you need to develop a marketing strategy.
2. Marketing: This is the advertising, promotion, selling of your goods to create proper interest and be invited in to an opportunity. The “marketing” is accomplished via strong written and oral communications using a number of different “tools” such as a resume and letter or resume letter combo or marketing letter; and other means of expression used to promote your value and benefit to an employer such as an executive bio / summary, a proposal letter, or some other statement of value. Too, a variety of channels are combined as would be in any marketing campaign to touch as many potential “customers” in the shortest period of time – strength (and confidence) in numbers, yes?
3. Exposure: As in a product launch, implementation of a marketing communication strategy that targets your audience utilizing various “channels”, simultaneously, will gain you maximum “exposure” in your targeted market. The goal is to ensure that in the end, your talents are bought by the right company at the right price. Implementation strategies and channels may include the following: Database reports (i.e. Hoover’s; D&B; BizStats), news releases, spot opportunities, and setting up Job Alerts; public speaking, joining discussion groups, business and trade associations; utilizing college career offices, recruiters, retained search firms, and social media networking; also writing articles, serving as an expert in online discussion groups, volunteerism with community / civic organizations, and other vehicles like job boards, company websites and online classifieds. As you can see, there are many avenues in the blueprint for getting “exposure” in the job marketplace.
Clearly, it is a lot of work, and comprehensive, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. You are moving from point A to point B, so naturally you start with the end in mind, that is, Point B – the “focus” of your search, specifically, your “customer”. Once you are focused and have defined your customer, to identify what it is – all that it is – that appropriately links you to that customer shouldn’t be all that difficult. The link is all the attributes that exemplify the “fit” between you and the customer, or… why they should want you and pay so much to get you. After the linkage is defined it is a matter of developing your documents and presentations, or the marketing communications. Finally, the steps you take … 1…2…3… that utilize many or all the “channels” as it were, provide you with the “exposure” you need to succeed in today’s job marketplace. Make sense?
I am hopeful that understanding these concepts and how they neatly fit into your job search, combined with your hard work and determination, will help you reach the next step in your career!
Hope this helps!
YT,
Rob Taub of Job Search Corner and the
Blog, “Job Searching with Rob”
BLOG: http://bit.ly/18wCkO
WEBSITE: http://JobSearchCorner.com
TWITTER: http://twitter.com/robtaub
LINKEDIN: http://linkedin.com/in/robtaub
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#1 by Grego on April 8, 2010 - 1:07 pm
Good points Teena!
Another way to simplify ones search is to use passive search tools to automatically email you jobs that match your criteria, as well as use a job search aggregator. These tools help job seekers from having to constantly search for jobs on multiple sites throughout the day and helps them focus on other aspects of the job search.
For example, say you’re a programmer looking for a PHP jobs around Newport Beach, CA. You could do to a search on a job site like BWORK.in. After you enter what you want to do and where you want to do it BWORK.in would search Craigslist, Twitter, Linkedin, Indeed, etc. and return applicable results. You could then save that search and have future matches emailed to you hourly, daily, or weekly. Alternatively, you could choose to subscribe to the RSS feed, or both.
Anyhow, just another way to make a job seekers life easier without sacrificing
#2 by Mitch Kocen on April 16, 2010 - 12:58 pm
I know so many job seekers who are just overwhelmed by the prospect of job hunting. It can get very daunting when you look at it all at once. By breaking down the whole search into difficult but doable components, it’s a lot easier to make the whole thing happen.