How to Market Yourself (to an Employer)

Stand out from the thousands of job seekers by utilizing marketing strategies that will get the attention of hiring experts. Marketing yourself effectively will help you get the job you want, but make sure not to embellish your qualifications and skills. Here are five important points to help you market yourself to possible employers:

1. Act like a salesperson who wants to sell his/her products. Highlight your qualifications and skills and how they apply to the position. Make sure to do your research about the company: find out what it does and what it looks for in their employees.

2. Create an informative resume that ensures an interview. Instead of listing all the details of the previous jobs you’ve had and the general information of all the tasks you did, present your qualifications and skills in a concise and clear manner that focuses on achievements. Adjust length, wording and format with the goal of capturing the hiring manager’s attention immediately.

3. During an interview, prepare beforehand so you can answer the interviewer’s questions in a straightforward yet informative manner. As a basic prerequisite, be ready to answer the standard “Why should we hire you?” question. This is a crucial marketing test that you have to pass with flying colors. State your skills and expertise in a way that outlines what you can offer the company. There’s no need to exaggerate, just be honest and detailed. Also, dress to impress and arrive early. Remember to focus on the positives: never bad-mouth your previous employer no matter how much you hated the job.

4. Join networking groups and social networking sites. Ensure that you are always up-to-date by constantly undergoing career training and enhancement programs to further your knowledge on the latest job searching and hiring methods.

5. Employ a sound recruitment strategy to ensure that if one application fails, you have a back-up plan to follow. However, focus on quality before quantity. It is better to focus your efforts on a handful of companies than to market yourself to many companies.

Most importantly, it’s all in the attitude. Project a positive attitude and the determination to succeed, and things will happen for you!