Marketing Yourself for Employment Just as effective marketing principles and techniques can be applied to advance causes of organizations, products and services, YOU can use similar marketing ideas to help yourself obtain employment or to find a better or new position. Marketing Yourself for Employment What are you marketing? Are you marketing YOURSELF? No, of course not. Well, actually you are, but really you aren't. You should be marketing a response (your capabilities, experience and attributes) to the wants and needs of the employer and the position the employer wants to fill. In other words rather than thinking about what it is YOU have to offer (although that is obviously quite important) you should think of what it is the potential employer NEEDS and WANTS for the position. Ideally, marketing yourself for employment is making the match between the wants and needs of the employer and what you have to offer as a response to those wants and needs. All too often people seeking employment focus primary attention on themselves rather than focusing attention on the position, the employer's wants and needs, the hiring organization, and the requirements of the position. Make the match! Redirect your thinking to the employer, the position, the position description, and the potential employing organization. THEN, focus attention on what it is you have to offer to make the match. By doing this you will have a much better chance of getting an interview (and the position). After all, are you seeking employment or is the organization seeking to fill a position? Of course, both are important. But which is most important from the employer's point of view? Think about it! This simple idea can often make the difference between success and failure as you seek employment. Remember that your primary concern is that of the employer. She or he wants to fill a position - to hire a person who demonstrates the best potential for answering the needs of the position description. Therefore, actually you are not "selling" yourself. You are helping the employer find the best person to fill the requirements of the position. And, YOU may be it! How NOT to seek employment with resumes Often people seeking employment decide that their resume is the most important tool they have to "sell" themselves. So they go to their local book store or library and acquire all the books they can find that tell about how to write a perfect resume. There are many. Then they carefully read the books. What do they find? They find information that tells them how to prepare, format, write, and duplicate a typical resume. It's a one page document with name, address, personal information, employment history, places and dates, etc. You have seen them. The typical resume is as common as Wheaties, the cold and Coca Cola. Burn the books! I suggest you DO go out and get the guidebooks and read them carefully. Then I suggest you (if you have purchased the books) burn them, recycle them away or return them to the library. DON'T attempt to write and produce your resume in the same fashion everyone else has. In marketing yourself you need to heed the basic marketing principle of comparative differential advantage. You and your attributes, like products and services, are known by differences; not by similarities to others! In other words, don't try to make your resume look and sound like everyone else's. Make yours unique to yourself. Don't be tempted to follow formulas and "acceptable patterns and formats." If you do your resume will look and sound like all the others. Make yours different. Make yours reflect YOU! This idea is particularly true if you are seeking a position that requires creativity (graphic designer, writer, editorial, management, sales). You must demonstrate, through your marketing communications materials themselves, your creativity. By all means don't be tempted to provide ubiquitous resumes and cover letters as described in the guide books. It simply will work against you rather than for you! You will have communicated you have nothing unusual to offer and that you are one of the crowd rather than a person who is well qualified to fill the creative needs of the position. Position description and organizational analysis Begin your job seeking experience by analyzing and understanding the job to be filled. Find out all you can about your potential employer. If you are seeking a position in an organization for which no specific position has been announced, make sure you understand the organization, its mission, values and philosophies. Begin your search by making every attempt to understand the wants and needs of the potential employing organization. Make lists of ideas and requirements you believe the organization needs and wants. Literally make a list on a piece of paper. Keep items short and to the point. Do the same if you are seeking a specific position (announced or not). Make sure you do everything possible to get as much information about the hiring employer, individuals doing the search, the position itself and requirements for the position. List all the factors. Make them short and to the point. Be carefully analytic in your analysis. Ask for the job description. Read it carefully. Highlight items that you feel are critical to the success of the position (as defined in the job description). What are key words and ideas in the job description? List, in hierarchical order, the most important requirements in the job description. Keep these ideas in mind as you shift your focus to yourself. Ask yourself: What attributes or skills do *I* have to make the match for this position? Keep these ideas in mind as you move to the next step in the process. Your attributes and capabilities Now make a list of your skills, attributes, abilities, capabilities and performance history as they relate to the organization or to the position you have analyzed. Be careful not to overlook any key ideas, attributes, skills, capabilities or ideas that may contribute to making the match between the potential position and you. One way to do this is to ask a close friend to help you. Often it is difficult to see trees for the forest! Ask a friend to help you analyze yourself, your skills and capabilities as they relate to the wants and needs of the position or organization. Make sure your friend understands the marketing strategy of beginning with the position, organization and job requirements as described above. What's the most important thing in your job search? Is it the resume? Many people think it is. They spend enormous energy and attention on the resume. They spend time writing the resume, proofreading it carefully, making sure it relates to all the "rules" as described in the guide books, getting it typed (or word processed) and getting it duplicated or printed. After hours and hours of doing all this, they see a position wanted ad or hear of an organization that may be hiring and they dash off a letter (sometimes hand written) or a phone call with little or no attention to what it is it says or communicates. The most important thing in an employment search is the cover letter or original phone call to the potential employer. Spend more time on the phone call or the cover letter than you do on the resume. If you do that you will have a much better chance for the position and for employment. The phone call If you are responding to a position or making a "cold call" make sure you use all the marketing strategies defined above. Make sure you spend more time on determining what it is the employer needs and wants than you do on thinking about yourself, defining your skills and your capabilities. If you are good conversationally make a phone call. If you are better writing than talking write a cover letter. Use your best form of communication. Not everyone is as good writing as in talking; or vice-versa. Use the most powerful communication medium you have. Make sure the medium matches the position needs but don't make the assumption that the medium should literally match the position description. For example, an employer may seek to hire a chief editor. Obviously this person must have editorial skills and abilities in grammar, spelling, syntax and writing. But, the employer may be seeking an editorial manager who has strong speaking and oral communications skills since a large part of the job will be to communicate by phone and in person with other writers and clients as editorial "products" are planned and developed. So, don't make "obvious" assumptions about position needs. They may not be correct! The cover letter The single most important thing you will do in your job search is to write and compose your cover letter. A cover letter can be used to initiate, develop and follow-up initial contacts. Your letter must be precise and clear. It should focus attention on your assets as they relate to the position or organization. A good letter will set you apart from the conventional guide book reading resume focused job-seeker. There are two forms of letter, the indirect letter and the direct cover letter. Let's examine each: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The indirect letter Indirect letters are sent to contacts, friends or others with whom you can "network" to get information, advice, guidance, help and suggestions about employment. You should never ask for a job in an indirect letter. The purpose of this letter form is to get advice or seek counsel or to obtain contacts and referrals. You may include some ideas about your qualifications, but they should be incidental to the main purpose of the letter. General mail job search indirect letter General mail job search campaign letters are "generic" letters targeted at groups or kinds of organizations you are considering for employment. This sort of letter is more general in nature since you are not targeting a specific individual, position or organization. You use this form of letter to introduce yourself and to communicate the fact that you are seeking employment. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Build bridges Start an indirect letter by building a "bridge" between your prospect and yourself. Personalize the letter. Provide information that identifies your contact's position, importance and relationship to you. Do not ask for a job but indicate you are seeking a position. Ask for suggestions, information and advice about your resume or the job market. Keep the letter "open-ended," which will enable you to maintain initiative for the next action. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sample indirect letter prepared on Joan Smith's customized stationery 3 May, 1991 545 University Avenue, #27 Bloomfield Hills, MI 48013-2212 (313) 724-9087 Martin E. Flowers Morton Publishing, Inc. 2075 Town House Road New York, NY 10089 Dear Mr. Flowers, I am a second-year MBA candidate at Harvard University Graduate School of Business. I have been following Morton Publishing's progress with great interest since 1986 when you announced the application of CompuPublish computer workstations. I was impressed with your presentation at Harvard when you addressed our GSB's Brown Bag Luncheon seminar in February 7, 1991. I'm writing to explore your summer hiring needs in computer publishing. I've been involved in computer publishing here at the University, where I have been responsible for formatting issues and creating graphic layouts. In my role as advertising manager I have been responsible for acquiring ads from local vendors, formatting the ads and preparing special sections of advertising. I have also been responsible for advertising promotion. We successfully used a direct mail campaign to launch our advertising service. In the first semester we generated $12,050 in ad sales. I believe I have the skills and drive to contribute to Morton Publishing's growth. I've enclosed a resume for your review. I would like to discuss summer employment opportunities with you, and will call on Wednesday, May 12, between 1:30 and 4 p.m. Thank you for your time and interest. Sincerely, Joan Smith -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The next action: the cover letter In general, cover letters or direct approach letters ask for a job NOW or respond to an advertised position. These are letters appropriate for answering ads, forwarding your resume to search firms, or for special situations in which you know you may be a logical candidate for an open position (after determining the needs of the potential employer and position description as described above). The cover letter is the single most important piece in your job search. How do you prepare an effective cover letter? One way to plan a letter is to begin work on it BEFORE you actually have an employer or position in mind. If, for example, you are seeking a position as a lawyer or intern in a law firm, you could begin writing a cover letter. Begin by writing a letter that responds to the wants and needs of an imaginary generic law firm. If you are comfortable working with a PC, computer or word processor, put this letter in memory. It will become the basic "boiler plate" letter that you can later customize in response to specific law firms or specific law positions or jobs. By doing this work in advance you will force yourself to define the most important attributes and skills you have in relation to the field or position you are seeking. Always begin your thinking and writing with the idea of what it is the employer wants and needs. Don't begin your thinking and writing with what it is you believe you have to offer. That comes later (after the needs)! Key points to include in your cover letter 1. Address your cover letter to a specific individual, one who you know has hiring authority or is directly involved in the hiring process. If necessary make some phone calls to find out who that person is. If that is not possible (when responding to a want ad, for instance, where the only key is a box number) address your letter by title to the head of the department seeking to fill the position. Always try to find a person to whom to address your letter. Positions are offered and filled by PEOPLE not by impersonal corporations, companies, or institutions! 2. Keep you letter brief. Edit. Edit. Edit. If you are not a particularly good writer, consider hiring someone to write your cover letter for you. Get professional help. Your letter should be no longer than one page. 3. Use simple, direct and professional language, but don't be overly formal. Keep in mind that your letter will be copied and distributed to many people, some who know the position and its requirements quite intimately and others (personnel officers, etc.) who will have only vague ideas about the position. 4.Write as if you are speaking directly to the employer. Be straightforward. Don't attempt to be "cute" or humorous unless, of course, the position calls for it. If, for example, you are a professional scriptwriter seeking a position as a humor writer in television, your letter may want to contain "tools of your trade" (humor). 5. (This should be number one) Focus on the needs and wants of the employer. Match your key accomplishments, skills, attributes and capabilities to the wants and needs of the employer. Apply the marketing principles described earlier. 6. Don't repeat verbatim things that are on your resume. Be careful to make sure that your cover letter serves as an adjunct to the resume. The letter should compliment the resume not repeat it or conflict with it! 7. Avoid bold assertions of worth and egocentric statements. Don't take the opportunity in the cover letter to "blow your own horn." That's not the time to do it. 8. Do not use too many adjectives. 9. Do not use long uninterrupted blocks of text. Make paragraphs short. Break you letter into short paragraphs. You may consider using as few as three short paragraphs. 10. Consider using personalized stationery that matches your resume so there's a close visual relationship between letter and resume. The relationship might be color of ink used to print your letterhead, paper color, texture or finish, or typographic style. 11. Never reproduce body copy in letters using duplicating, copying or offset printing equipment. Each letter should be an original. Always prepare letters individually. Use the best form of word processor or computer you can obtain. If possible print out your letters using a laser printer. Quality typography and appearance is very important. Don't bang out your letter on an olde Royale typewriter with strike overs and white-out for corrections! 12. Use standard size business letterheads and envelopes. Standard letterhead size is eight and a half by eleven inches. Standard envelopes are Number 10's (four and one eighth by nine and a half inches). Remember that your letter and resume will be copied for distribution. Make sure your letter copies well (ink colors and paper color). Some colors do not reproduce well on copiers. Don't produce a letter and resume that will not reproduce! Test your letter on reprographic equipment (an office copier) to see how well it copies. However, do keep in mind that anything you can do to make your communication stand out will be helpful, but whatever you do should be in keeping with the position and with you. Don't use garish or "cute" ideas. Present yourself in the best professional form you can. If necessary, hire professional designers, writers and communications experts to help you. Don't go it alone if you don't have the necessary skills. If you need help, look in the Yellow Pages to get the names of printers in your area. Call some printers sales representatives to get names and phone numbers of professional writers, graphic designers and communications consultants in your area. Printers know the best professionals since they often work with them. Ask for advice about the best sources. Ask about costs. 13. Proofread your letter. More than once. Check for spelling and errors. Better yet, get someone else who is a good proofreader to do it for you. The worst possible letter is one applying for a proofreader's position with a typo in it. Any typos or errors suggest that you are sloppy and don't care. Make sure you get everything right, including the name of the individual, organization and Zip Code! You would be amazed to find how many job application letters and individuals' resumes include errors and typos. Often applicants are screened out very early on in the process because their letter has an error in it. 14. Don't restrict yourself by mentioning required salary or by making demands. The cover letter is NOT the time to discuss these ideas. That opportunity will come, you hope, later! 15. Be positive and enthusiastic. If you are not, by nature optimistic, but are often told you are pessimistic, don't write your own cover letter. Get a professional to do it for you! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to write boring and dull cover letters that will end up in the recyled bin or "no" pile right away: 1. Use lots of adjectives. Write things like this: "I am a motivated, hard-working individual and have worked successfully with diverse groups of people all my life." 2. Be ego-centered. Write things like: "In addition, the positive, results-oriented consulting requirements for line management which you have described is well suited to my career objectives and ambitions."Or write: "Acme Publishing matches my interest in working with an innovative and exciting firm in the high technology publishing field." Or, write something like this that will be sure to getting to the "no" file quickly: My goal is to find employment that allows me to demonstrate my extensive management experience with additional expertise, especially analytical, that I have gained at Harvard University." Or, what about this?: "I have enclosed a resume to give you some idea of my background. My personal objective and interest is to find a challenging, exciting environment, where I could combine both my technical and business interests." This approach will instantly get you into the "no" pile! After all, is the potential employer more interested in you and your ambitions or is she/he more interested in filling a position with the best possible candidate, one who will succeed in meeting the responsibilities and needs of the position? Another good way to hit the "no" pile right off the bat is to be too overly formal. For instance: I am seeking employment as an intern and as a forerunner to a career position at MicroGraphics Incorporated upon my graduation from Smith College when my line experience and management experience should allow me to define a broader impact with a leading highly technological organization." Or... "I will anticipate your response to my interest in and qualifications for employment at Good Profit, Inc." Too wordy: "As a summer intern I would bring to Universal Life Insurance Company extensive analytical skills which were developed during my work experience prior to attending Business School at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst." This could have been said: "I am a second-year business student at UMass-Amherst." Avoid repetition: "My strong and continued interest in real estate, combined with my consulting and financial background, along with my analytical business skills, allows me to pursue a career and career opportunities with real estate advisory firms seeking the type of individual who has drive and ambition to succeed in an environment that has the potential for success and sustained improvement." Avoid bold assertions of self worth: " I believe my combination of MBA, along with my MS in Operational Functions has the correct type of combination of skills that will be excellent for your firm." Or... "I am convinced that the background and skills I developed will be an asset to your organization." --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your cover letter Your cover letter introduces you as a job applicant to a prospective employer. It serves to encourage the employer to read thoroughly the accompanying resume. Use a single page for your cover letter. You may want to consider using the following outline: Return address: Identify where you can be reached (address, phone, fax). Post the date you are writing the letter. Opening address: The name and title of the person to whom the letter is addressed. Paragraph Number One: Announce the purpose of the letter. Identify why you have chosen the target employer. Use someone's name as potential reference and as symbol of your professional quality. The first paragraph of your cover letter should explain why you are writing to that particular company or individual. If you are answering an ad, you should tell them, and give the name and date of the publication where the ad appeared. If a contact suggested you write to the person, provide that individual's name, title and department where they work. If it is part of your general mail job search campaign briefly explain why your are interested in that particular company. Paragraph Number Two: Indicate that you have enclosed a resume. Call attention to specific points you want to highlight in your resume. Detail work you have done or are doing that is relevant to the position and its resources and competency requirements. This paragraph should demonstrate how well you make judgments and choices. Paragraph Number Three: Announce that you are familiar with the purposes and requirements of the firm you are applying to and show how your personal philosophy about work, job, place, and profession fits with the purposes of the position. The second or third paragraph should point out specific features of your educational background or work history that could be of interest to that particular individual, department, firm or company. Paragraph Number Four: Ask the reader for a response. Inform the reader where you are most easily reached or specify when you will contact them again. The last paragraph should be a closing, indicating your hope that there is a mutual interest and suggesting further communication to arrange an interview. Closing Close the letter with "Sincerely" or "Cordially." Type your name. Sign your name. Don't mimic others Now that you have studied the sample cover letter make sure you apply the rules stated earlier. Don't copy this style and format word for word. Hardly follow its style and form. Remember the letter that is best for you is one that accurately makes the match between the organization, potential job and you. Make sure your cover letter reflects those ideas. Don't simply copy something done by others (including this sample letter)! ------------------------------------------------------------------------- How to prepare professional stationery Your pre-printed stationery should include letterhead, envelope and header for resume. These pieces should be coordinated in style, color, design (appearance) and print quality. You would be surprised to find out how important stationary ITSELF is to the communications marketing piece you are preparing. To be most successful you should hire professionals to design and print your stationery. Don't use quick copy shops to reproduce your stationery using cheap reprographic equipment. Use quality offset printers to get the best results. It will be more expensive but well worth it. Make sure your envelope is well designed. The envelope is very important since it is the first piece seen by the potential employer. It introduces you. It's the first piece that will separate you from the competing crowd. Often the envelope is stapled to the letter and resume by the job screeners. Make sure the envelope isn't the ordinary name and return address printed in some boring fashion in the upper left hand corner of the envelope. The envelope, like the stationery and resume it contains should reflect YOU. But it should not be garish or too overbearing. Above all, your stationery should be professionally designed and printed. Don't be afraid to expend the necessary funds to get the materials you use for your job search reproduced very professionally. If you don't have necessary design skills get a professional graphic designer to do it for you. It will pay off in the long run. The quality of the communications materials will help to set you and your message apart from the crowd. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The resume Note that much has been written and described about the job search before coming to the resume itself. Of course the resume is important. It should include all the necessary information described in all those books you have read about how to write and prepare your resume. But it is NOT the place where you "sell" yourself. That place is reserved for the cover letter, the interview (or the phone call)! The resume should match other materials (cover letter and envelope) in your employment search marketing mailing. It should have a pre-printed "header" that presents your name, address, phone, and fax number. The resume is the item the potential employer uses to get essential information about you, your employment history, educational history, and personal information. Your resume communicates your continuity of employment. Make sure there are no "gaps" of time in your employment history that you will later find difficult to explain. Check dates to make sure they are accurate. Spend time on your resume to make sure it is accurate and complete. This is your prime opportunity to summarize your employment and educational history. Spend a lot of time to make sure information is complete and accurate. But don't spend time thinking that the resume is the piece that will "sell" you. It will not! It should be perceived (by you) as it will be perceived by the potential employer (as factual and statistical information about you). No more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- How employers fill positions Typically, employers start with the needs for a position. These needs are defined in a job description. The job description is the key to the position. It describes the wants and needs of the employer. Then the position is announced, posted and advertised. The position is made public. Special announcements may be mailed to agencies or institutions the employer feels may have strong potential to attract qualified applicants. When applications start arriving in the mail they are read, often very quickly (depending on the volume of responses, it is not uncommon to have hundreds of responses) and separated into three piles. The piles are the "no" pile (people who obviously are not qualified for the position), the "maybe" pile (people who may have the qualifications necessary for the position) and the "yes" pile (those who apparently have the necessary qualifications, as perceived by the reviewer). The "yes" pile will be used to invite applicants (usually three) in for interviews. Your objective is to get into the "yes" pile! I hope this has been helpful in communicating some marketing ideas to help as you seek employment or strive to improve your position in your chosen field. Good luck! ========================================================================== Article from the newsletter, _Marketing Higher Education_, provided free by the author/publisher, Robert S. Topor, CEO of Topor Consulting Group International. ===========================================================================