by Daniel Bortz
If you feel directionless, mastering these key elements will help you achieve your job search goal.
Lay out some concrete steps that will help you in your job search.
The job search can feel like an epic journey, with dozens of twists and turns that keep you up at night. Enough of the back and forth – it’s time to put an end to your job search back and forth and lay out some concrete steps that will actually get you somewhere.
In marketing, there are what are known as the 5 Ps – product, price, promotion, place and people – which serve as a strategy. The job search is similar to a marketing project, except this time the P-words are positioning, process, and persistence, followed closely by presentation and personality. The product, which is you, is made up of all these terms.
Let us take a look at how you design and execute this job search strategy.
Positioning
Before you start applying for jobs, you need to figure out what makes you valuable to an employer. This means putting together a unique value proposition that sets you apart from other job seekers in your field. What value you bring to the table, however, depends on the job you are applying for, says Atlanta career coach Hallie Crawford. So “pay close attention to the requirements listed in the job posting,” Crawford says. Then assess how your skills and work experience make you a good fit for the job
Process
Job hunting is strategic. Instead of applying to dozens of job postings, focus on openings at companies you admire, advises Anne Marie Segal, a Stamford, Connecticut-based executive coach. “Applying to every single job posting you see can be a big time eater,” Segal says. Also, the better the fit between you and the company, the more likely the employer is to show interest in you.
Make a list of your target employers and then do your homework. Find out what these companies specialize in, who their competitors are, and what their goals are. This will give you the information you need to impress a hiring manager
Perseverance
This is a marathon – not a sprint. In fact, even top talent can spend six months to a year job searching (or longer, depending on how tight the industry is) before getting an offer. So to get through the job search, you’ll need stamina – and lots of it.
The trick to staying motivated? Set small, achievable goals in your job search that give you a sense of progress. For example, attending at least one networking event per month is a realistic goal that will help you make valuable connections in your industry that can help you later in interviews.
Presentation
One of the best ways to prove your worth to a potential employer is to prepare an elevator pitch that you can deliver during interviews. Unfortunately, many job seekers make the mistake of praising themselves without providing concrete examples of how they can use their skills to improve the potential employer’s business.
For example, “If you are in marketing, do not just say that one of your greatest skills is content marketing,” says Hannah Wright, founder of SaaS Design. “Instead, say you can increase blog traffic to their website, explain how you would do that, and then tell about the one time you doubled a company’s traffic in a year.” Pro tip: Use numbers to quantify your successes.
Practice your pitch in front of a mirror to familiarize yourself with the talk. Or, even better, record a video of yourself so you can gauge your body language, too. Your nonverbal cues – especially your eye contact, hand movements, posture, and tone of voice – are crucial in an interview.
Personality
While you are busy job hunting, also remember that companies are looking for employees. Make yourself an attractive target by showing interviewers who you are as a person – not just as a professional. After all, no one hires based on credentials alone, which is why many employers ask applicants to describe their personalities.
Try to relate some of your personality traits to the position you are applying for. So for a customer service position, you might say, “I am a problem solver by nature. My immediate goal when I talk to a customer is to solve their problem as quickly and efficiently as possible.” For an administrative assistant job, you might say, “I have always been an extremely organized person. This came in handy in my last job, where my attention to detail helped save the company 10 percent on a major account.”
Strengthen your job search
Job hunting can feel like jumping up and down on a series of hamster wheels. No disrespect to the hamsters, but you want to get somewhere