Marketing Hacks To Make Employers Notice You
In a highly competitive environment where hundreds of qualified job seekers are looking to land their dream job, a few aces up your sleeve can’t hurt. Most of these aces have to do with marketing skills.
Before diving right into the job hunting process, you must realize that you have a personal brand. Developing your personal brand is the most useful thing you can do to position yourself in relation to the job you want and the environment you wish to work in.
As such, marketing yourself becomes a priority and it strongly stands out as the redlining throughout the job hunting challenge. Here is our list of top marketing hacks guaranteed to make a lasting impression on prospective employers.
1. Identify and Build Your Field of Expertise
If you have your heart set on a dream job, it most certainly fits your field of expertise. Chances are you’re highly knowledgeable about the skills necessary to accomplish great things. However, ask yourself whether you’ve built a sense of recognition around your particular set of skills. Is it sufficient to flaunt them in a resume?
The best way to make employers notice you is to become an expert in your respective domain. Whether it’s social media marketing, financials or code programming you’re after, you need to have a portfolio that showcases your expertise and stellar results.
A strong presence on social media will get you a long way. Curated information and creative ideas spread out through the World Wide Web are bound to make an impression on hiring managers. Identify a target audience, carve a niche, be constant with your work, and visibility, as well as opportunities, will follow.
2. Be Consistent in Building Your Portfolio
Most employers nowadays will cross-check information on a given job applicant with information on social media. A strong and professional web presence creates an opportunity. The lack of presence on the internet is rather suspicious.
As such, one top marketing hack recommended by recruitment experts is to be consistent in building your portfolio via the internet. If you started a blog where you post savvy advice connected to your field of expertise, dedicate time to posting often and regularly.
It doesn’t only show dedication and skill, but it also helps create a steady audience. Your followers and growing numbers can support your career.
3. Create a Standout Business Card
Business cards are an invitation to dialogue. It is important to remind yourself that business cards aren’t the fief of professionals who already garnered years of experience. You can create a business card that emphasizes your field of expertise and hand it out during networking events. Make it count. Use creative designs that spark interest and tell something about who you are as a person. Here are some interesting ideas on creative business cards.
4. Build Networks
Networking is the best way to make your personal brand known to the world. Whether it’s face to face networking or online networking, this is an effective means to connect with people who matter in your industry.
Research the company you’re aiming for and professionals working here. Contact them directly or follow them on LinkedIn, Twitter, and their blogs. Engaging in meaningful conversations related to your area of expertise is a demonstrated career booster.
5. Go Offline
While maintaining a strong presence on the web is a key marketing hack to help your career prospects, so is going offline. Soft skills such as interpersonal communication is highly valued for employers. As such, one idea is to establish contacts offline.
Use LinkedIn, email or Facebook to establish a first contact with professionals working in your area of expertise or in your dream company. The next step is to establish an in-person meeting. It’s easy, efficient and it may lead to long-lasting professional relations that will certainly pay off.
6. Create a Stunning Resume
Your online and offline work is great for building a professional portfolio and establishing your personal brand. Nonetheless, a resume is still necessary when applying for your dream job.
While the classic black-ink-on-white-paper resume may not be deemed necessary any more, a more creative format is bound to get prospective employers to notice you. Adapt the resume to each job application, keep it clean and short and turn it into a powerhouse presentation. You can even use infographics and charts that showcase your outstanding results.
Don’t list skills without supporting them with evidence. Make your resume count by visually engaging the hiring manager and outlining the exact skills and abilities that qualify you for the job.
7. Identify the Company’s Needs
This marketing hack is bound to turn the spotlight on you. When applying for your dream job, thorough research on the company is a must. Most of us wouldn’t dream of going unprepared to an interview. Thus, use the knowledge you gain through your research to identify the company’s needs and come up with tailored solutions in relation to your area of expertise.
This works especially great for companies who don’t typically advertise their job openings on recruiting sites. One perfect example of this is the entertainment industry. Landing a job at Time Warner, for instance, can be a pretty long shot unless you take the less traveled path and try to stand out. This always starts with proper job research and identifying the company’s most pressing needs.
Hiring managers often quote the unpreparedness of job applicants as the top negative aspect that leads to one’s removal from the race. As such, having prepared a tailored proposal shows willingness, showcases skill and a positive attitude.
8. Research Your Interview
Landing an interview for the targeted job is already a huge step forward. Invest time in researching the interview and the hiring manager as well. Provided that you mastered the networking hack and you are already in contact with professionals working in the company you wish to be a part of, ask them for advice.
You may receive valuable insight on the interviewing style and a heads up on tricky questions. Rehearse possible answers to both conventional questions and more quirky ones. Take a cue from these tips on how to tackle interview questions.
Don’t be stiff. A rehearsal should help you settle the basics, not learn answers by heart. A creative mindset is also mirrored in the flexibility and coherence of your answers during the interview.
9. Keep a Positive Attitude
Hiring managers are fond of people who show a positive attitude throughout the job application process. A positive person brings a certain type of energy to the work environment. Managers and colleagues will appreciate it.
Moreover, a positive mindset is associated with being goal-oriented, determined to bring value to your new workplace and willing to learn. These qualities spell out success. If they’re also backed by your creative resume, tailored proposal and strong online and offline portfolio, they’re a certain career booster.
10. Be Thankful
This may come out as slightly odd, yet it’s another marketing hack that will make employers notice you. Whenever you reach out to a professional for advice or networking, remember to send a thank you note.
After an interview, a thank you note is also welcome. Keep it professional and short, but add a personal touch. For instance, you can send the hiring manager a hand-written thank you note. Most employers appreciate a follow-up email, a thank you note or a phone call during which applicants simply express their gratitude for the employers’ consideration.
Marketing Yourself Will Get You Noticed!
Landing a job and launching on a career path is difficult but not impossible to achieve. Know your strengths and your weaknesses and strive to become an expert in your field. Team up an outstanding set of skills with personal abilities to create a coherent personal brand supported by a portfolio to show. In a nutshell, employ these marketing hacks to become an expert and draw employers’ attention.
Image Sources:
Main: Kevin Grocki
Amanda Wilks is a dedicated freelance writer, committed to helping people find meaningful careers. She has a great interest in everything related to career building, job-seeking and entrepreneurship.