Just as many other areas of your professional life have been
affected by technology,job search and marketing activities also are
in the midst of radical change. The Internet is changing the way
job opportunities are posted, resumes are submitted, candidates are
hired, and clients are found. But some basic guidelines for these
activities really have not changed; they've only been modified to
reflect current practices in terms of language, presentation style,
and methods. Prior to planning your marketing campaign, familiarize
yourself with the following rules of the game.
Know Your Product - Yourself
What skills, competencies, knowledge, education, and achievements
do you want to sell presently? We're talking not only about your
field-focused expertise but also about your transferable and
adaptable expertise. Use your PDP as a guide for keeping on target
about your career mission and professional objectives and about
what in your background you choose to highlight in a marketing
document. Without truly being in touch with yourself - your
strengths, weaknesses, and accomplishments - you can't project the
desired professional image. Set a job objective that meets your
needs, makes use of your background, takes into account work you're
enthusiastic about, and helps to bring you
closer to achieving your career vision.
Know Your Professional Niche
Have you reviewed where you want to be in the training, HRD, and
workplace learning and performance field? Compare that position or
place to the present description of your professional niche. Be
aware of any new trends or issues to which your background is
applicable. You may need to rebundle or reprioritize your skills,
competencies, and knowledge so that it is evident that you have the
qualifications. This can lead to rewriting the specifications of
your professional niche to reflect how you currently want to
promote yourself - the professional image to be projected. You want
to create a demand for your expertise, so you must describe that
expertise in a brief marketing paragraph that will be the basis for
introducing yourself to new contacts or for renewing old
relationships.
Know Your Action Plan
Do you have an organized campaign in place? If you're serious about
making a change in your professional work, you need to go about it
in a structured way. Critical to the success of the campaign is
that your plan of action be practical and realistic in terms of
what you can add to your everyday schedule. Take into account your
present job (if working), any professional development activities
you're involved in, and your personal and family responsibilities.
Don't be overly ambitious about the tasks and activities you can
accomplish in a given period of time. Make sure you have outlined
steps to take, budgeted for campaign costs, set priorities,
developed to-do lists, and established timelines for your marketing
strategy. Don't forget to develop activity tracking forms for
networking follow-up meetings, organization contacts, referral
sources, and resume/marketing document submissions.
As with your PDP, regularly review and revise your marketing plan
of action. Compare your activity tracking data with your plans.
Don't be discouraged if you don't meet your benchmark for starting
the next phase of your professional life. Making a job change or
starting a consulting practice often takes more time than
originally anticipated.
Know Your Market
Have you identified the organizations or clients who would be
interested in your background and expertise, and for whom you want
to work? Be knowledgeable about how local and regional economic,
demographic, and business trends influence training, HRD, and
workplace learning and performance practices in your geographic
location. Read the business section of your local newspapers to
keep abreast of growing community organizations, new start-up
companies, and businesses moving into your area. You also can
conduct an Internet search specific to your area and the type of
organizations that interest you. Information gathered there will
help you target organizations or clients needing your capabilities
and experience.
Determining your potential market allows you to tailor your resume
or some other marketing document to showcase data and information
that demonstrate how effectively you can meet a potential
employer's or contractor's specific requirements.
Know the Marketing Tools to Use
Is your resume up-to-date and are you using other types of
marketing materials? The resume is your most important tool for job
search activities. Think of it as a marketing document that
presents your capabilities in a focused and targeted way. It
projects a professional image, introducing you in a unique way that
is concise, directed, and clear. As a promotional piece, its main
purpose is to highlight your qualifications and stimulate the right
person to contact you. Given that job opportunities are being
advertised increasingly on the Web, your resume also should be
formatted for electronic posting. Become familiar with the
guidelines and procedures for electronic resumes. Other marketing
tools to have on hand are fact sheets, capability summary cards,
and business cards.
If you're starting a business or consulting practice, a
professional profile or company fact sheet summarizes your
services, qualifications, and types of clients or contracts you're
seeking. It gives you the opportunity to present your expertise in
a clear and businesslike manner. A professional profile fact sheet
is used in the transitional stage of going from internal employee
to external consultant, before you're ready to invest in a
marketing brochure.
If you're seeking a new job, a capability or professional summary
card is useful to highlight core information from your resume. A
summary card offers the opportunity to position your qualifications
succinctly for potential employers. People you meet at a networking
function or professional meeting and who may want to contact you at
a later date by phone or e-mail can use it easily. The standard
business card presents your contact information, including your
e-mail address. It's a short-hand version of your longer marketing
documents and describes your professional identity in just a few
targeted words or phrases.
Know Your Networking and Opportunities Resources
Have you kept up with your professional business and networking
organizations and the latest methods for locating sources for job
and contract leads? If you haven't attended any meetings in the
last four to six months, do so soon. If your professional
objectives and niche have been modified, find out what other
organizations may be more relevant to your present interests.
(Remember to rewrite your promotional introduction script when your
career direction shifts so you'll be prepared to introduce yourself
accurately.) Think about the professional image you want to project
and the information you want to gather when networking with old and
new contacts.
If you're not familiar with Internet search engines and websites
that will be most helpful to you, do your homework as soon as
possible. Set up informational interviews with outplacement
specialists, career coaches, or other people who are Internet-savvy
and can advise you on how to identify relevant websites. You need
to be organized and specific when exploring the Web to locate
options. The Internet can be used for an array of purposes -
locating organizations, finding job listings, posting resumes, and
obtaining career advice. You can find data on industries,
international opportunities, specialties, corporate staffing, and
career management.
You can participate in career chat room sessions and network
electronically. For efficiency and effectiveness in exploring
career, professional, and work options on the web, obtain
recommendations and tips on procedures and strategies from people
who know how to navigate the Net. Remember also to take advantage
of more traditional resources, such as your local and national
professional organizations' job and consulting hotlines, classified
ads, trade and professional journals, corporate headhunters, and
government
proposal solicitations.
Do you have everything in place and on hand to begin the campaign
for your next professional move? Before meeting with anyone to
discuss your future and before using any marketing document for
networking or contact purposes, prepare a checklist of tasks to
ensure that all preparations have been completed.
This is an excerpt from Career Moves, an ASTD Press
publication. To order the book, go here.
Annabelle Reitman is a career and life
management consultant with more than 30 years of experience in
career counseling and higher education career center management.
She works with a diverse clientele, from young professionals to
early retirees, either in workshops or individual consultations,
and is a past president and co-president of the ASTD Metropolitan
Washington, D.C,, Chapter.
Caitlin Williams is president of Successful
Working Women, Inc. and Work Matters in Westlake, Ohio, and she has
been in the field of career development for more than 20 years.
Williams designs and delivers career and professional development
programs for business, industry, and education groups. She also
coaches individuals on career and personal growth.