Marketing Yourself

Published August 28, 2018

Marketing yourself in this job market is sometimes very challenging despite the high demand for many skills. University graduates often find themselves taking a long time to find a job and a lot of that has to do with how they are marketing their own skills. Here are some tips to help you along with that challenge and this applies generally to everyone:

  1. Keep your resume current and review it annually to make sure that it actually reflects your skills and abilities.
  2. Don’t take it for granted that your degree or diploma is good enough any more. Employers are looking for people who can meet the demands of their businesses and a degree or diploma needs to have some personal and practical skills behind it. So include these in your resume.
  3. Look at what you do off the job such as volunteer work. Many non-profits provide their volunteers with tremendous training in a number of areas. Don’t forget to include your non-profit work on your resume.
  4. Appearances, appearances, appearances…! What can I say about this one other than dress for the job you want. You may not think that this is important but future employers are always impressed with people who dress right and have great personal grooming. Keep those tattoos out of sight and think of how those body piercings look to a future employer (I can hear the howling now).
  5. And if you are in business, always be prepared for the most often asked question- “so what does your company do?” Focus on the key things and don’t try to oversell yourself. Of course, don’t undersell yourself either.
  6. Have those business cards at the ready at any time. Networking is one of the most important skills a current or future employee can have. If you don’t work for someone at the current time, do up some personal cards anyways. Make they professional and include a personal statement on what you are and what you can do on the card. Again, keep it short and to the point.
  7. Research the company that you are contemplating working for.
  8. Lastly, be yourself and don’t be afraid. You can always sense how much personal confidence an individual has without grilling them extensively.

Looking for employment just connecting with others requires some good old-fashioned marketing and sales skills. Be confident and positive and you will succeed.