Where to start making yourself ultra-appealing to recruiters and employers.

self marketing cartoonThis is a guest post by Rosa Elizabeth Vargas. If you’d also like to guest post here on JobMob, follow these guest post guidelines.

Imagine you're a recruiter who was hired today to find a suitable candidate for the most recent job title you’ve held.

Say your success in choosing the best contenders meant a generous bonus or a more rewarding position for you!

Could you find the best candidate?

On a tight deadline?

Even if you were required to whittle the list down to only 5?

Hmm.

What would whet your curiosity enough to choose those few out of thousands of applicants? Would you Google them?

Job Searching is Self-Marketing—Make No Mistake!

What has cemented the doom of many job seekers is their inability (or self-destructive refusal) to wrap their minds around the idea of marketing themselves as if they were a product.

Instead, most job seekers mount a weak campaign with the intention of simply providing their qualifications.

Wait…Qualified!? Big deal! At the very least you should be qualified for the jobs you are pursuing. Don’t you think?

But, tell me, why are you the best choice? What makes you so irresistible that employers should be vying to lasso you into their office for a face to face?

You have no clue? (Houston, we’ve got a problem!)

If there is one silver bullet to launching a successful job hunt it is the undeniable and unmistakable truth—you must seduce your new employer through ‘sexy’ brand positioning, rigorous (but tactful) self-marketing, ABOVE that of your competition.

You must market distinction and promise bottom-line results, be you student or CEO.

How to Mine, Discover Distinction and a Little Moxie

Reach for your picks and shovels and mine for your golden distinction along with me by performing the following exercise.

Heigh-ho!

a. In alignment with what is needed for the type of jobs I am targeting, I need to promote the following three personal profile qualities _______, _______, and ______ in my marketing message.

b. To perfectly match what is needed from the ideal candidate, I need to convey my unique talent in being able to achieve _______________________________________ consistently throughout my career. This is evidenced by the following examples from my career: (choose at least 3).

c. This skill (“b” above) is unique of someone with my qualifications and experiences in that I, unlike most, will go about it this way ___________________________________________________.

d. To convince employers my distinction positions me to solve their problem(s) and deliver benefits for XYZ Company, I must promise them the following ______________________ as an end result.

Now Package Your Golden Message

You will, I am sure, continue to sharpen and deepen your self-marketing message.

For now, right away, go create a captivating Twitter and Facebook profile, LinkedIn Headline, and a persuasive Resume Statement incorporating your on-brand and employer-netting responses to the exercise above.

About the Author

rosa elizabeth vargas portraitRosa Elizabeth Vargas is a Master Resume Writer who is quadruple certified. She helps careerist as owner and principal writer for www.careersteering.com and www.creatingprints.com with marketing tools such as resumes, bios, social profiles, brand development, blog and website development, job search coaching and interview coaching. You can follow her career advice on Twitter at @resumeservice.

This article is part of the Over $5000 in Prizes: The 5th Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest, which was made possible thanks in large part to our sponsors:

JOBlog Marcus Tandler’s JOBlog is Germany’s oldest blog about job search & careers.
Rabbi Issamar Ginzberg Rabbi Issamar Ginzberg is an internationally acclaimed advisor to successful business owners, known for his small business ideas.
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Jacob Share

Job Search Expert, Professional Blogger, Creative Thinker, Community Builder with a sense of humor. I like to help people.

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. Dawn Lennon

    Love this post. This is the first time I’ve seen a post on the importance of marketing yourself for the jobs you want that provided a tool that truly gets at the essence of what it means to differentiate yourself. Kudos for that, Rosa, and for an upbeat, can-do message that’s designed to motivate. Thanks, ~Dawn

  2. Mark Anthony Dyson

    Receiving knowledgeable and honest feedback is also a part of this process. The best self-marketers speak volumes using fewer words than their competitors. Winners are ASKED to say more, not less.

  3. Kate

    Excellent post. Am forwarding it to my students on twitter.

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