To perform a successful job search you must dig down deep and approach it with a marketing soul. Think about it. To job search without marketing is like a quarterback attempting a pass from the pitcher’s mound. Other than confusing, running full steam ahead without a target and a strategy only prolongs your search and feels overwhelming.
As a marketing professional in the recruitment industry, I regularly work with teams on the best way to communicate with candidates. Overall, it boils down to understanding a few pieces of key information. “Who is the target candidate?” and “Why would they want this position?” Similarly, to communicate like a marketer you must answer a couple of questions. “Who are your target employers?” and “Why would they want to hire you?”
Target Audience Appeal
Gone are the days when we could use one catch-all phrase to attract several employers.
Firstly, you must decide who are your target employer(s) or what is your target position. You can answer this by understanding the direction you’d like to take your career. The more focused your career, the easier your specific skill set can be found. Make sure your skills are up-to-date and consistently communicated across all your job search materials.
Pro Tip: Search job descriptions for the career you ‘d like to pursue and identify all of the skills needed. If you do not have the skills, consider investing in some personal development and begin up-skilling.
Get Visual
Next, create social media profiles in places where your audience can find you.
- LinkedIn – Professional Profile, Group Discussions, Job Search, Company Information, Current & prev Employees
- Facebook – Profile, Job Groups
- Twitter – Profile, Twitter Search Hashtags in your area and/or job titles & skills. i.e. #jobs, #citynamejobs, #cityname, & #jobtype (did you know that you can also use hashtags to find a job!)
Your professional accounts should be public and searchable. Your personal accounts can be left private, however, private doesn’t always mean your information isn’t public. When your friends share your information or when you comment on a friend’s status, it may be searchable and traced back to you.
Pro Tip: Get visible and make it easier for potential employers to find your professional information. Setting up multiple accounts can improve visibility. However, multiple accounts means increased account management. When you set up one account to its maximum potential, you won’t have to advertise on multiple sites.
Social Media Clean Up
Now ensure your social media accounts are searchable. The good news is the most recent information will show up first in search results. But, if you do not keep your information current another person with your same name may be the first search results.
Pro Tip: Be selective. What you like, comment, discuss, blog, and interact with paints a picture of who you are personally and professionally.
Clear Communication
Lastly, once you have cleaned up your social media it’s time to evaluate your communication style and content provided. To help you identify an effective communication strategy answer these questions.
- What information would a hiring manager want to know about me?
- How do my skills meet and/or exceed the objectives of this position?
Use these answers to help guide how you communicate your experience and skills, prioritizing the most important parts of the position. Integrate relevant experience to show how your skills can benefit the role and/or company.
Personal Marketing
Your communication via social media should convey the same message across all platforms. I’m not referring to you stating “hire me” across all mediums. However, if you use multiple platforms, (LinkedIn, Twitter, and Google+) make sure you are sharing information that pertains to your career. You can post material related to your job field, industry, or personal success stories or accomplishments.
Pro Tip: Once you have your social media speaking the same language, make sure your hardcopy materials are in-line with your social materials.
In short, effectively marketing yourself in a job search requires a unique approach along with some out-of-the-box thinking. In addition, make sure your on and offline materials include your related experience, accomplishments, and career goals.
