|
If you’re just starting a job search or have been at it for some period of time, why not try a new approach?
Think of yourself as a major product about to be launched on the consumer market. Just as product launch and marketing managers identify how they want to influence their markets, you need to do the same. With a few basic marketing steps, you can have a fresh approach on how you find new career opportunities.
Brand – Start with identifying how you want to be perceived by your market (potential employers). What adjectives best describe the way you want them to see you? Think of words such as knowledgeable, innovative, entrepreneurial, dedicated, skilled, etc. Based on your skills, background and experience, what key elements can you offer to a potential employer?
Market – While “potential employers” are your overall market, segment that group into the specific types of employers that you are interested in contacting. Be as specific as possible. An example would be “law firms employing less than 25 attorneys with major medical malpractice practices”. The tighter that you define your market, the easier it will be to find the best methods to reach them.
Promotion / Advertising – Once you determine your brand and your market, it’s time to pull together all of your promotional materials or your advertising messages. The major promotional piece will be your resume. Like any advertising message, you need to educate and convince your market that you are the best on the market or the one that has identified their needs and communicated how they can meet those needs. Remember to always include content that explains how in the past you have increased revenues, decreased costs or made previous employers or teams more efficient.
One essential element of your promotion should be social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, ZoomInfo, etc. Be absolutely certain that your message on any of these sites conveys the brand that you are trying to project. If you want people to think of you as a sophisticated and dedicated, refrain from content that gives the impression that you are primarily a party person. The lines between your personal and professional life are slim when it comes to employers using social network for recruiting.
Testimonials – Just as you are more likely to use the services of a professional on the basis of the recommendation of a colleague or friend, the comfort level of hiring personnel increases dramatically when your promotional message includes reference letters, recommendations and actual names/phone numbers of references.
Distribution – Your brand, market and promotional message(s) have been identified so it’s time to look at distribution channels to reach your market. If you’ve identified specific firms or companies, review their websites for career openings and information on their recruiting practices. This will give you keys as to their preferred method of recruiting.
In addition, identify specialized job boards like InsuranceLawJobs.com, networking sites and blogs that allow you to present your credentials to hiring personnel in your market that may also be using the same sites to find people.
Finally, always contact people in your professional or personal network that can help you in reaching the decision makers in your identified markets.
Pricing – Last but certainly not least, determine your salary and benefit requirements and the compromise points when negotiating. Like any consumer product, it will do no good to go to all of trouble of doing an effective marketing plan if you price yourself out of the market or beyond what the purchaser is willing to pay for your services.
Assess & Modify – Periodically go back and review your plan to see what has worked effectively and what may need to be modified or expanded. You may want to test your approach in specific areas or for a defined period and then revise to a final plan.
You may find it difficult to believe that employers make hiring decisions in the same way that they purchase consumer products. They do see you as something far more important than a consumer good but their thought process in making the final purchase is basically the same.
RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE
You must be logged in
to recommend articles
| 
