Job seekers are afraid. They are afraid to take risks and afraid to stand out. Most believe it is safer to play by the rules and hope the right fit finds them.
Those odds aren’t very good. The job seeker of tomorrow needs to become a marketing marvel, savvy salesperson and take risks like a serial entrepreneur.
In fact, all employees in the future would be served well by heeding this advice too!
1) Learn to market like the top advertising agencies:
Marketing covers everything from marketing research through product launch. That’s a pretty huge spectrum of skills.
Job seekers who have been successful understand how to position themselves in the market and highlight their differences so that employers view them as a “Must-have” versus a “Nice-to-have.” (When was the last time you invested your hard-earned money on a product that was just mediocre?)
In case you haven’t heard, there is some competition out there for the “good jobs.”
You start marketing by knowing your competition and identifying your targets.
Learn how to research companies, network and understand the needs, wants and desires of employers in your field of expertise (or desire). Next you’ll have to create solid and compelling messaging about your success. Hone your writing skills! And finally, you’ve got to build a buzz around you. Not just during job search, but throughout your career.
According to Topco, these are the top 11 skills required of marketers:
- Revenue-driven
- Know their customers and markets
- Create remarkable customer experiences
- Great storytellers
- Test everything and assume nothing
- Never stop acquiring new marketing tricks
- Use data to make decisions
- Enjoy working with technology
- Manage their work according to a schedule
- Write very, very well
- Deliver specific, identifiable results
Create job search materials that are more like advertisements. Target them to your specific audience. Capture their attention with the right message and use visual content to give you message oomph!
2) Become the world’s best sales person:
Sales people are driven by results. And as a job seeker, you are too!
In order to achieve results, sales people develop proactive strategies to increase their odds of closing a deal.
They don’t wait by the phone or computer for a response. They know better. Sales people have learned how to dismiss rejection as part of the process. Persistence is key to the sales person’s success and so are these top 12 skills listed by Salesforce.com:
- Qualification Talent
- Attitude
- Digital Savvy
- Research Habits
- Listening Skills
- Ability to Combat Rejection
- Presentation Style
- Trust Building
- Referral Maximization
- Storytelling
- Closing Talents
- Writing Strength
These are a lot of skills to master, however, you are now and forever in the business of selling. Go read Daniel Pink’s To Sell Is Human. The premise of Pink’s book is that we all have to convince people, at some point, to embrace our ideas or move people to do things they may not want to do and these both involve selling!
RELATED: How to Sell Yourself Effectively in an Interview
3) Think like an entrepreneur:
Serial entrepreneurs are hard-wired to take risks. Most of us are risk-averse. There are many skills and traits that make entrepreneurs successful and perhaps embracing some could help catapult your job search and career. It may also inspire you to embark on your own entrepreneurial venture. Under30ceo found these were the top six entrepreneurial skills:
- Sales
- Communication
- Desire to Learn
- Focus
- Time Management
- BONUS: Persistence
Pour your heart and soul into the process! If you want someone to hire you, you MUST believe in your own abilities. Don’t hold back.
Don’t overlook the overlap:
Can you see the overlap among these occupations? It’s no coincidence that time management, focus, and great storytelling appear on multiple lists. We live in turbulent, fast-moving times. Capturing someone’s attention, especially someone screening applicants, demands you deliver more than ho-hum content. The bar is constantly being raised by employers who need to bring in new talent. They want new employees who are engaged from the get-go and will deliver results. Now that you know what they are looking for- go deliver it! Tell great stories, keep learning new skills, and always make sure you address the needs and concerns of your customer (potential employer)!
