How does Apple get all those millions of people to
enthusiastically lay down hundreds of dollars for iPods and
iPhones, and thousands for MacBooks? Marketing. Apple is
extraordinarily effective at communicating that their
products will meet or exceed the desires, needs and
expectations of their target audience.
And what is your job search, after all, if not a marketing
campaign?
The product is YOU. The audience is the person or people
you're hoping will make you a job offer. They also have
desires, needs and expectations about the person they will
ultimately hire. And your task is to get them to believe
you're the perfect product for them.
Apply these same time-tested marketing techniques used by
the world's most successful companies, and your "career
marketing campaign" will be just as powerful and rewarding.
1. Identify your objective. Before you launch any
campaign, you have to be clear about what you want to
accomplish. If yours is "get a job," you've got some work
to do. Be as specific as possible. Precisely what job? At
what salary? Working for which department? Is there a
division, group or supervisor you'd especially like to work
with? By being crystal clear about your objective, you can
measure every step you take against it. Everything you do,
from the way you craft your resume to the way you dress in
your interview to the answers you provide to questions
should always be moving you closer to your objective.
2. Know your audience. So just who is this person you're
going to convince to "buy" you? You had better know more
than a name. How old are they? How long have they been with
the company? Are they casual or formal, liberal or
conservative? How long have they worked in their industry?
Where did they work in the past? Are they on the rise in
their career, or on the decline? And what about the company
itself? How well do you understand the culture, the current
business environment, their position in the marketplace?
The more you know about the person or people doing the
buying, the better your chance of making a meaningful
connection with them. How do you find out? Ask. Engage them
in conversation, or casually ask a few questions of an
assistant. Google them. Ask others in the same industry.
Become a detective, and you just might uncover the clue
that will get you one step closer to success.
3. Understand their needs. One of the great paradoxes of
success is, in order to get what you want, you have to give
someone else what they want. How can you do that if you
don't know what that is? If you've already gained an
understanding of the people you'll be interfacing with,
you're halfway there. Now you have to probe deeper. What
qualities are they looking for in a new employee? What are
their specific needs? Not just the job description, but
from their personal point of view. What is their "pain?" In
other words, what problem are they trying to solve or avoid
in this hiring process? What is their hope? Interviewers
often ask job candidates where they'd like to be in five
years. Why don't you try and discover the same thing? Where
would they like to be in five years – and how can you help
them get there? The more you understand the needs of your
"audience," the better you can position yourself and the
qualities you bring to the table as the answer to their
prayers.
4. Create your campaign. Here's where it gets fun and
interesting, and where all your research pays off. Just as
if you were putting together a puzzle, you can now take the
information you've gathered and craft a meaningful,
persuasive, memorable "campaign" to sell your audience on
YOU. Remember, your message begins with your very first
communication and continues at every subsequent encounter.
Consider carefully what you say, how you say it, how you
look, your attitude and tone of voice, your energy level.
Every single element should be chosen consciously to be
appealing and valuable to your audience, and move you
closer to your objective – that dream job!
Here's a fact you, as a personal career marketer, must
always remember: you will never land your ideal job unless
you can convince someone to give it to you.
By carefully choosing each step you take, you will make
that all important connection. Then you and your "audience"
will come out winners!
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Keith Harmeyer is EVP of Marketing and Creative Services at
C2 Creative in New York City. He is a marketing,
communication and presentation skills expert, author,
speaker and creator of The SuperSkill, a proven method for
using traditional marketing techniques to achieve personal
and professional success. You can email Keith at
kaharmeyer@gmail.com, or visit his website at
http://www.thesuperskill.com .
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