Okay, if you're going to find the job that you want, you're going to have to learn a very basic skill of survival in the workplace today -- you're going to have to learn how to market yourself.
Now, if you're like I am, you're probably terrified of the prospect. I know that I was. I'd always thought that marketing was a skill that took years to develop and that only people who were suave and sophisticated where able to market themselves. Luckily, I discovered that just about anyone out there can learn to market themselves.
In today's electronic age, it's easier than ever for you to successfully market yourself. What you'll need is a little bit of money -- and we're definitely talking only a little bit here -- and some drive and initiative.
1. Get up a web page.
This is important. You're living in an age where people today might be looking for your talents from anywhere in the world and unless you're able to be found by them, you're going to lose out. Both ResumeDirector.com and ResumeArrow.com provide free resume web pages when you join their services.
2. Track down leads.
If you're going to learn to market yourself successfully, you're going to have to be willing to track down any and all leads. Forget about trying to find a place that's currently looking for an opening to be filled. In all likelihood, by the time that you found out about the opening, it was already filled. What you need to do is drop a line to various companies that you're interested in working for and introduce yourself. If you do so in a sincere and clever fashion, you'll make enough of a favorable impression that might well cause someone in the company to let you know when an opening appears.
3. Brochure yourself.
One of the most effective marketing tools out there is still the brochure. If you're going to learn to market yourself, it's important that you have a brochure that you can present to prospective clients or employment officers. (If someone finds out about you online, you can send them a postal brochure with all the information that you want to impart to them and it will have a much longer lasting effect upon them than just a webpage they might have visited.)
4. Print advertising.
Since you're learning how to market yourself, you might as well learn that the print medium is still strong and powerful and people are still using it to find the services and skills from individuals. If you're a writer, for example, you might consider taking out a small ad in WRITER'S DIGEST and advertising your services. Or, if you're involved with architecture, you can take out some small ads in some of the architectural digests that might well generate some leads -- and possibly even eventual employment.
5. Locate people directly.
You can use the search engines to program for your local area zip code, your particular job skills, and it will direct you to various websites that are locally owned. From there, you can contact the individuals directly and introduce yourself. This is one of the more effective ways of getting an "in" with a local company.
When you're learning how to market yourself, you need to focus on the skills that you possess and emphasize them. In addition, it's important not to oversell yourself. The more honest and truthful you are, the more likely it is that you'll be able to successfully market yourself.
Very nice post!!
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