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What Do You Mean I Am A Product?! (Career Marketing 101)
Job search seems to have many hurdles to overcome - resume,
interview technique, appearance, and networking are challenges
that job seekers face. These hurdles are surmountable with a
strong job search plan and dedicated execution. Job seekers need
to apply traditional advertising and marketing methods to their
job search to achieve results. By thinking of themselves as the
"product" and the employer as the "buyer" job seekers can
approach their career transitions from a sales aspect.
Market Analysis
Most job seekers have no clear concept of their target market,
the conditions of the market, and the types of employers whom
would hire them. They need to conduct a market analysis similar
to what most business owners have developed as part of a
business plan. The business owner must conduct some sort of
market analysis to determine to whom they are going to be
selling their products or services, to create a profile of their
target customer, to describe their competition, and to find out
the conditions of the current market. Job seekers should go
through the same process.
Job seekers should educate themselves on the conditions of the
employment and economic markets in their targeted geographic
area. They must research companies in either the industry or
area to create a profile that includes financial conditions,
past activities, names of executives, products, services,
financial forecasts, etc. for each company. By doing this, job
seekers get a good picture of their target "buyer" - who they
are, what they do, how much money they can spend, and if they
are planning on being around for awhile.
Scoping out the competition is also important for job seekers.
The market is flush with very qualified, highly experienced
professionals who are offering "buyers" (employers) skills and
knowledge that are all very similar. Job seekers need to find
out what kind of competition they face - what they are offering
employers, what salaries they are seeking, what benefits they
are seeking, and what type of skills/experience combinations
they are offering. One method is to contact target companies and
ask what skills/experience the employees they've hired in the
past six months possess. Job seekers can also talk with
executive recruiters to find out what they see in the market
conditions and what they expect for the next six months.
Pricing is important in a market analysis. Salary levels can be
researched through the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Salary.com,
and from scanning most recent job advertisements. In a buyers'
market, prices go down; therefore, salaries are going down.
Salaries have fallen from a high in 2000 to levels last seen in
1998 and are continuing to slide. Many job seekers price
themselves out of the market because they do not know what their
skills are currently worth. Job seekers who find out what
salaries they can expect and market their skills with that
salary in mind will receive better job search results.
Target Market
Location, buying power, motivation, industry - all are aspects
of a target market. If Santa's chief elf gets downsized because
suddenly Santa decides it's cheaper to outsource to Thailand,
Mr. Elf has very few alternatives at the North Pole for work.
Toy makers are overseas or in the US, not the North Pole. He can
search for a job all he wishes at the North Pole but if the work
isn't there, he will not have success. Location is a key factor
in a job search.
Buying power is expressed through stock prices, growth
forecasts, quarterly reports, annual reports, and spending. A
company in stable growth mode has buying power - it can meet
payroll and will be less likely to lay off. Determining the
buying power/financial status of the target market (employers)
is vital to a successful job search. Many people have not done
this research, accepted a position, and found themselves laid
off again in a month and a half or so.
Career Branding
Career branding is a hot term in the employment industry these
days. Technically, career branding is simply building a great
reputation in your career on purpose and then leveraging that
reputation to further build your career. In traditional
business, branding is a promise of an experience. If you see an
advertisement for Coca-Cola, you automatically think of a cool,
refreshing beverage. Coke has worked diligently over the years
to establish their brand. To some degree, job seekers can do the
same thing with their careers by documenting their achievements,
working hard on their skills, and building a good reputation
within their industries.
Direct Marketing
Direct marketing in a job search is getting your message
directly to the buyer. In this case, that means getting your
resume directly to the decision-maker. Most job seekers have
difficulty with this task. How do you identify the
decision-maker? Many job seekers are turning to resume blasting
services that employ databases full of hiring managers,
recruiters, and other people in hiring positions. Just as
traditional business people purchase mailing lists, job seekers
can purchase resume blasts that send their resumes to members of
similar databases. Typical results for direct marketing is
around 1-2% response rate. Resume blasts tend to have similar
results but they are relatively inexpensive and may be worth the
effort.
Research companies can be hired to target specific industries,
companies, or other sectors based on specified parameters. These
companies can gather very specific information, often mining
down to the direct decision-maker, but their fees are higher
than resume blasting services. For the serious job seeker who
does not have the time or the abilities to do serious data
mining for contact information, this can be an investment in
career search that pays off.
Print Advertising
Career print advertising is the resume and accompanying
documents such as cover letters, project details, portfolios,
and biographies. Most job seekers feel a self-written resume and
supporting documents are fine but it is interesting to note that
big companies rarely do their own print advertising in-house.
They concentrate on doing what they do best - providing goods
and services - and outsource advertising to experts in the
field. In recent years, more and more professionals, especially
those who are intent on career success, seek the services of
professional resume writers and career coaches to assist them in
effectively marketing their careers.
Word of Mouth Advertising
Simply put, word of mouth advertising is networking. Someone
talking to another about the benefits of "buying" a "product".
As any business owner can tell you, word of mouth advertising is
the least expensive, most effective, and longest-lasting of all
forms of advertising. Unfortunately, most job seekers use this
method least because it seems so difficult. A good career coach
can be invaluable in teaching job seekers networking and helping
them overcome their fears of talking to others concerning their
careers.
About the author:
Published in 25 career books, Alesia has been cited by Jist
Publications as one of the "best resume writers in North
America" and quoted as a Career Expert in the Wall Street
Journal. Serving as the Resume Expert for over 50+
organizations, she has numerous media appearances to her credit
and is a frequent keynote speaker. http://getinterviews.com
Alesia Benedict, CPRW, JCTC
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