Job hunters think finding the job is being lucky to be in the right place at the right time, marketers think about how to be in the right place at the right time so they can be lucky.
When marketing people are successful they have multiple buyers of the product. When a job hunter is successful, they have several job offers to choose from.
The job of the marketing person is to create a marketing campaign that puts their product in the right place at the right time. A successful marketing campaign integrates a message, media, and the target market.
The message is tailored for the target market that is available for through that media.
Many job hunters lose out on job opportunities because they don’t take the time to think about their message, their media, or their market.
Its not unusual for a Job Hunter to think their message is “a systems administrator with 4 years experience”, that the media is a printed two page resume, and that the market is “somebody looking to hire a systems administrator.
It is common for the vast majority of job hunters to use exactly the same message for every media and every target market. This problem exists for the job hunter from banking, manufacturing, accounting, or software. It doesn’t matter if they are an entry level receptionist or a senior executive. It doesn’t matter if they are in technology or in finance. All job hunters seem to fall into the same trap.
Here are five common media, message, and market combinations and some suggestions on how they should be handled.
- Applying for a specific job. The cover letter and resume must be tuned to the business problem the company is trying to solve.You must read between the lines on the job posting. You might have to research the company in the newspapers or online. The company is hiring you to solve a business problem. You need to know what the business problem is and why they want to hire you. Your message needs to be focused on that problem.
- Workoplis and other job boards. In this media, the market (employers and recruiters) are paying good money to search the resumes. You have thousands of competitors, make sure your resume has every word that will could be used by the recruiter looking for somebody with your skills. Focus on being found.
- LinkedIn and other social media- The media is online and primarily your market will be doing electronic searches. But searches are limited to people they are connected to. If you are not connected to them, they can’t find you. The search method here is similar to job boards, but, there are more ways to be found and to be presented. Make sure you use all of them. (See other articles on LinkedIn on www.ZaleTabakman.ca) There is no penalty for a long and complete profile, so use the profile to deliver a great message.
- Networking face to face – In this situation, the media is about how you look, what you say, and the business card you get, and the business card you give. The business card you give needs to show how you solve a problem, the business card you get provides you a lead in another marketing campaign.
- Cold calling – When cold calling for a job, the media is the telephone and voice mail. Voice mail is fantastic, it lets you leave a 30 second radio commercial about yourself. If you leave a message that says, “blah blah blah”, don’t expect a call back. If you leave a message that can solve a business problem, then expect a call back.
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