Monday, June 18, 2012

Job Searching? Target Market Yourself—Times Two or Three!

This week's post is from Donna Rawady, an Executive Coach and regular volunteer for the RIT Career Services Office.  Check out her blog at http://donnarawady.wordpress.com/


In today’s job market most candidates realize, that although it’s important to set specific career goals for yourself, it’s also important to maintain a level of flexibility around desired outcomes for the perfect job. Here are some strategies and ideas that may be helpful to consider.

Most of us understand the benefits of target marketing—focusing on a specific segment of a market—when we’re selling a product and/or service. The same advantages apply when selling ourselves. Why target market when job searching?
-          Our audience is easier to identify and communicate with
-          The language and angle of the information shared specifically and more quickly appeals to the needs of the prospective employer
-          Contacts for networking in a specific segment are easier to identify

During a job search, how can you focus on the job you most hope to land, and still maintain flexibility about what you might consider, or be considered for?

Try the multi-track approach—consider exploring and target marketing yourself simultaneously within two or three different tracks of interest.

Here are a couple of examples where this approach could work well:

Perhaps you’re a gifted graphic artist. Your tracks might include: a role in a corporate communications department; a graphic arts position with a national web design firm; and/or an independent artist contractor for a small entrepreneurial advertising firm who needs the extra help in order to serve their growing client base.

Say you’re a seasoned mortgage broker recently laid off from a mortgage brokerage firm. After carefully reflecting on your skills and exploring your possible interests, you decide that in addition to seeking out a similar role in a similar environment, you may consider a position as a loan officer in a bank, or a field sales representative in a corporate environment.

Target marketing while triple-tracking may include these simultaneous strategies:
-          Preparing three different and customized resumes focused on each role and environment
-          Creating three separate lists of potential companies/employers including their contact information
-          Creating three different lists of potential contacts who may help you network within the separate track areas

In planning and implementing the above strategies, be sure to chunk down your actions into doable steps. On a day when you’re feeling overwhelmed with your search and you find yourself lacking motivation, you might choose to work on a contact list, versus reaching out. On a day when you’re feeling more energized you might make that call or send that email that requests an informational meeting or interview.

Keeping your options open will increase your opportunities. Keeping your search tracked and simultaneously focused will increase your odds for successfully marketing yourself.

Donna Rawady is an executive coach. She can be reached at: www.donnarawady.com; drawady@rochester.rr.com; 585-721-0259
 Check out my GET REAL blog on leadership, coaching and life: http://donnarawady.wordpress.com/


5 comments:

  1. Blogging can be a great way to establish credibility in your field and LinkedIn is an excellent personal marketing tool. You have provided a great tip regarding "triple tracking", but what is your advice regarding how you tailor your blogs and LinkedIn page if you are exploring multiple career tracks?

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  2. Emily, thanks for your great question. Here's an approach that may work. There are definitely core talents, skills, or experience that would qualify you for any one of the 2 or 3 tracks that you choose to pursue. My recommendation might be to focus on those core skills and talents when blogging, or posting/contributing on LinkedIn—versus representing yourself as a fit for a particular role. If I were to use the example I offered in my post relating to the graphic artist, a blog entry might include "Hot Tips for Logos that Pop", or a personal testimonial on cutting edge graphic software you're proficient with. A LinkedIn post might share a link to an article comparing "Newsletter or Blog?" and stats on customer readership, or something of that nature.

    I realize that the triple-track approach presents a few challenges, as they relate to your representing or talking about what you hope to land in a job. Yet, in the current search market it's value is in opening up your possibilities while still allowing you to focus your efforts.

    Another tip I might offer is to prepare a concise statement about what you bring to the table, where you feel you would enjoy the work and best serve an organization. You can use this statement when asked, or when you're networking be it in person or on line. An example: I'm a gifted graphic artist who would love to help an organization—large or small—grow their business through creative marketing and cutting-edge technology.

    Again, great question, and I hope this helps. Donna

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  3. Ooops, just noticed a typo in 2nd paragraph. Meant to say "its" value.... and failed to find a way to edit it, thanks.

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  4. When you are looking for a job you need to define your target market first so that you could get better chance to go to right place. Same way you have to find some professional resume writer who could write a resume for you keeping the choice of your concerned industry employer so that your chance of selection becomes better.

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  5. I high appreciate this post. It’s hard to find the good from the bad sometimes, but I think you’ve nailed it! would you mind updating your blog with more information? career path

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