by: Alesia Benedict, CPRW, JCTC
Job search seems to have many hurdles to overcome ? resume, interview technique, appearance, and networking are challenges that job seekers face. These hurdles are surmountable with a strong job search plan and dedicated execution. Job seekers need to apply traditional advertising and marketing methods to their job search to achieve results. By thinking of themselves as the ?product? and the employer as the ?buyer? job seekers can approach their career transitions from a sales aspect.
Market Analysis
Most job seekers have no clear concept of their target market, the conditions of the market, and the types of employers whom would hire them. They need to conduct a market analysis similar to what most business owners have developed as part of a business plan. The business owner must conduct some sort of market analysis to determine to whom they are going to be selling their products or services, to create a profile of their target customer, to describe their competition, and to find out the conditions of the current market. Job seekers should go through the same process.
Job seekers should educate themselves on the conditions of the employment and economic markets in their targeted geographic area. They must research companies in either the industry or area to create a profile that includes financial conditions, past activities, names of executives, products, services, financial forecasts, etc. for each company. By doing this, job seekers get a good picture of their target ?buyer? ? who they are, what they do, how much money they can spend, and if they are planning on being around for awhile.
Scoping out the competition is also important for job seekers. The market is flush with very qualified, highly experienced professionals who are offering ?buyers? (employers) skills and knowledge that are all very similar. Job seekers need to find out what kind of competition they face ? what they are offering employers, what salaries they are seeking, what benefits they are seeking, and what type of skills/experience combinations they are offering. One method is to contact target companies and ask what skills/experience the employees they?ve hired in the past six months possess. Job seekers can also talk with executive recruiters to find out what they see in the market conditions and what they expect for the next six months.
Pricing is important in a market analysis. Salary levels can be researched through the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Salary.com, and from scanning most recent job advertisements. In a buyers? market, prices go down; therefore, salaries are going down. Salaries have fallen from a high in 2000 to levels last seen in 1998 and are continuing to slide. Many job seekers price themselves out of the market because they do not know what their skills are currently worth. Job seekers who find out what salaries they can expect and market their skills with that salary in mind will receive better job search results.
Target Market
Location, buying power, motivation, industry ? all are aspects of a target market. If Santa?s chief elf gets downsized because suddenly Santa decides it?s cheaper to outsource to Thailand, Mr. Elf has very few alternatives at the North Pole for work. Toy makers are overseas or in the US, not the North Pole. He can search for a job all he wishes at the North Pole but if the work isn?t there, he will not have success. Location is a key factor in a job search.
Buying power is expressed through stock prices, growth forecasts, quarterly reports, annual reports, and spending. A company in stable growth mode has buying power ? it can meet payroll and will be less likely to lay off. Determining the buying power/financial status of the target market (employers) is vital to a successful job search. Many people have not done this research, accepted a position, and found themselves laid off again in a month and a half or so.
Career Branding
Career branding is a hot term in the employment industry these days. Technically, career branding is simply building a great reputation in your career on purpose and then leveraging that reputation to further build your career. In traditional business, branding is a promise of an experience. If you see an advertisement for Coca-Cola, you automatically think of a cool, refreshing beverage. Coke has worked diligently over the years to establish their brand. To some degree, job seekers can do the same thing with their careers by documenting their achievements, working hard on their skills, and building a good reputation within their industries.
Direct Marketing
Direct marketing in a job search is getting your message directly to the buyer. In this case, that means getting your resume directly to the decision-maker. Most job seekers have difficulty with this task. How do you identify the decision-maker? Many job seekers are turning to resume blasting services that employ databases full of hiring managers, recruiters, and other people in hiring positions. Just as traditional business people purchase mailing lists, job seekers can purchase resume blasts that send their resumes to members of similar databases. Typical results for direct marketing is around 1-2% response rate. Resume blasts tend to have similar results but they are relatively inexpensive and may be worth the effort.
Research companies can be hired to target specific industries, companies, or other sectors based on specified parameters. These companies can gather very specific information, often mining down to the direct decision-maker, but their fees are higher than resume blasting services. For the serious job seeker who does not have the time or the abilities to do serious data mining for contact information, this can be an investment in career search that pays off.
Print Advertising
Career print advertising is the resume and accompanying documents such as cover letters, project details, portfolios, and biographies. Most job seekers feel a self-written resume and supporting documents are fine but it is interesting to note that big companies rarely do their own print advertising in-house. They concentrate on doing what they do best ? providing goods and services ? and outsource advertising to experts in the field. In recent years, more and more professionals, especially those who are intent on career success, seek the services of professional resume writers and career coaches to assist them in effectively marketing their careers.
Word of Mouth Advertising
Simply put, word of mouth advertising is networking. Someone talking to another about the benefits of ?buying? a ?product?. As any business owner can tell you, word of mouth advertising is the least expensive, most effective, and longest-lasting of all forms of advertising. Unfortunately, most job seekers use this method least because it seems so difficult. A good career coach can be invaluable in teaching job seekers networking and helping them overcome their fears of talking to others concerning their careers.
About The Author
Alesia Benedict, CPRW, JCTC Published in 25 career books, Alesia has been cited by Jist Publications as one of the "best resume writers in North America" and quoted as a Career Expert in the Wall Street Journal. Serving as the Resume Expert for over 50+ organizations, she has numerous media appearances to her credit and is a frequent keynote speaker. http://getinterviews.com.
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The Real Secrets to Getting a Good Deal on Stained Glass
The Real Secrets to Getting a Good Deal on Stained Glass
by: Tim Jeffries
Did you know that you can find stained glass deals if you look hard enough?
There are a number of places to buy stained glass ? let?s look at a few of them.
The easiest and least risky way to buy glass is in a kit.
You can purchase kits online:
simply search for ?stained glass kits? and you?ll see dozens of online suppliers.
Or you can buy kits at Michael?s Arts and Crafts, Ben Franklin, or your local craft store.
Many smaller craft stores may not stock kits, but they will be glad to order what you want.
The kit will only include glass you need for the project; you don?t have to worry about leftovers.
If you?re new to the hobby, start with a kit or two ? that way you won?t invest in glass inventory you may find you don?t need.
If you decide to buy glass in bulk, the first place to look is your local glass...
The Real Secrets to Getting a Good Deal on Stained Glass
Sample resume > The Real Secrets to Getting a Good Deal on Stained Glass
Basic SEO Article - Focusing on Quick Optimization Techniques For The Newbie
Basic SEO Article - Focusing on Quick Optimization Techniques For The Newbie
by: Brad Callen
Basic On-Page SEO
On-page optimization is often ignored by the top sites on Google - after all, who cares about a few percentage points when you can literally buy your way to the top of the search engine result pages (SERPs) with a bucket-load of inbound links?
Today I?ll discuss a bit about why, contrary to common practice, why on-page SEO is so important and then tell you how you can quickly optimize your web pages even if you have very little time!
On-Page SEO - The Benefits
A lot of webmasters (including some self-proclaimed SEO experts) claim that on-page optimization is obsolete - that the only thing that matters is off-page optimization (i.e. link building).
So is that true?
Actually, like most SEO hype, there?s some truth involved. Inbound links have become the overwhelming determining factor in a website?s...
Basic SEO Article - Focusing on Quick Optimization Techniques For The Newbie
Sample resume > Basic SEO Article - Focusing on Quick Optimization Techniques For The Newbie
Effective Communication Skills For The Job Interview
Effective Communication Skills For The Job Interview
by: Michelle Roebuck
One of the areas that an employer is looking at on the job interview are your communication skills. Many people will go into a job interview and say to the employer, ?I have excellent communication skills.? But, if your interview suggests otherwise, then you?re just blowing hot air.
The interview gives you an opportunity to show off your communication skills. Communicating is more than just talking someone to death or listening to yourself talk. Communicating is a two part process. In an interview situation, you have to use active listening.
Active listening basically means paying attention to what the other person is saying. Many people practice lazy listening. This is where you are not paying attention to the person speaking and you?re busy thinking about other things or what you?re going to say.
When the interviewer asks you a question, you can start off...
Effective Communication Skills For The Job Interview
Sample resume > Effective Communication Skills For The Job Interview
Word Resume Template ? Get Noticed in 7 Seconds!
Word Resume Template ? Get Noticed in 7 Seconds!
by: Larry Washington
A Microsoft Word resume template could be one of your biggest investments in terms of your career.
Why?
Experts say you only have about 7 seconds to catch the eye of the interviewer. Yes, only seven seconds!
A Word resume template can be a good way of accomplishing this. The goal of your resume will always be to get interviews.
Let me rephrase that.
The goal of your resume will be to get the job, but before you can get the job you have to get the interview.That's why it's important that your resume must be capable of pulling the hiring manager in and say to them:
?I?m the one for the job.?
When you can create such an "eye-catching" resume as this, any interviewer will view you as a must-have candidate for the job.
A Word resume template will enable you to create such a visual appearance. You have your information - you just need to add...
Word Resume Template ? Get Noticed in 7 Seconds!
Sample resume > Word Resume Template ? Get Noticed in 7 Seconds!
How to Conduct a Job Search
How to Conduct a Job Search
by: Jeremy LaDart
Conducting a job search is a daunting task, even for seasoned professionals. There are many pieces to the puzzle, and each piece plays its own important role in the process. Knowing the pieces of the process is a crucial element for your success.
While there is no such thing as doing too much, there is a basic guide to follow. It consists of five painless steps that will outline your work ahead. Together, they form the foundation of a job hunt that will yield exceptional results.
1. Put together a great resume.
Before your job search ever begins, you need a resume. The resume is the first contact you will have with a prospective employer. It is an extension of your life and a summary of your accomplishments. It is how a manager will pick you out of hundreds?possibly thousands of applicants. It can mean the difference between exciting job interviews and a phone that never rings, between...
How to Conduct a Job Search
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