Job Search Archives - Page 59 of 93 - The Voice of Job Seekers

Job Search in 2017 is Marketing, PR, and Schmoozing

There is a case for running your job search like a political campaign. There is a lot of communication to clarify your position, show the relevance of your experience, and show you can do a great job. All three reasons are much harder than just applying to jobs online. That is why many job seekers remain stuck because the easiest job search methods take time and investment.

You will need to market to the right employer who is the right fit for you and them. Any hiring contrary to a good fit for both works against you. Your adjustment to the job is critical as you’re there to do the job and learn it without special attention.

Read If Your Personal Brand is Not Disruptive, You Won’t Matter

Being a marketer is a risk. You’re treating yourself more of a commodity. By adding your personality draws attention and conversations will begin.

And that’s what you want: Positive conversations about you when while you’re not in the room. But it’s the result of effective branding.

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If your job search is a marketing campaign or a public relations effort, what does it look like:

1. Job search with a marketer’s heart

The successful candidate is no longer thinking of himself solely as an applicant but a brand. Since successful brands diversify their marketing, so should a job candidate. He or she is thinking about displaying their talent, skills, and personality in front of the right people.

As a marketer looks to segment and targets their audience, a job seeker should target their desired company.

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Read Why Your Job Search Requires More Than You’re Willing to Give

2. Your job search story has several views

You must learn the way your story looks like from different perspectives so you can tell the same story to different people in different ways. There is something to be said about telling a joke the same ways more than once. Most of us don’t. The joke can still be funny from different perspectives as it pertains to the audience.

3. Know what each employer’s value need is

Marketing is trial and error. Powerful marketing is meeting the need for specific markets and people sharing the positive benefits of the product or service. Employers are going to care more when a need resonates with them, not only for everyone else. Research companies and customize your approach to them.

Read I Have to go Find a Job Will Sound Silly in 2017

Here are specific ways a successful candidate uses marketing tactics:

Personality differentiates you from the competition, so anytime you can display what makes you a fit for the culture, then this can capture the right employer’s attention
Letting people know how conversations are shaping his or her view of the industry. Sometimes this generates further discussion especially on social networks including LinkedIn and Facebook groups
Sharing their successes and the lessons from failures, mistakes, or lack of results
Giving more than getting is the heart of their existence

Marketing yourself has to become constant even during an inactive job search. We can argue if an “inactive job search” is a thing anymore, but everything is marketing and so is every opportunity. You cannot blindly offer value to a company or individual who does not need or want it. It’s the frustration of job seekers who are still appealing to everyone and meeting the needs of no one.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

I am the "The Voice of Job Seekers!" I offer compassionate career and job search advice as I hack and re-imagine the job search process. You need to be "the prescription to an employer's job description." You must be solution-oriented and work in positions in companies where you are the remedy. Your job search must be a lifestyle, and your career must be in front of you constantly. You can no longer shed your aspirations at the change seasons. There are strengths you have that need constant use and development. Be sure you sign up to download my E-Book, "421 Modern Job Search Tips 2021!" You can find my career advice and work in media outlets such as Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glassdoor, and many other outlets.

by Mark Anthony Dyson

6 Ways to Own the Job Search Process and Kill the Game in Five Years

Have you thought about how you’ll remain engaged in the job search even if you love your current gig? Few jobs offer security much less can promise stability.

How can you be “gainfully” employed in 2017?

You only have one job? One job?

My opinion, you’ll win a vacation spot spinning the wheel on “Wheel of Fortune.” It’s more plausible than getting an interview through job boards. Although lots of people do succeed applying through job boards, most people don’t. The debate continues.

What will rock your job search in five years?

The search looks like this in five years:

1) The job search will require constant vigilance

All careers will shift and change as the economy does. Companies worldwide will modify the way they do business more quickly and frequently. To disengage from trends is surrendering your options to your replacement.

2) The job search requires proof and content

You must show social proof of your abilities, and anticipate how others can do the same. Interviewers will want to discuss how you solve problems. Yes, original thoughts rather than sharing provides more street cred in all professional spaces. You gain a competitive edge by having your personal website. Linkedin makes creating content easy and clean. Many more of us need blogs of our offering breadth and value.

3) The job search requires offline visibility

You disrupt all job application through referrals or being discovered. Add to the conversation at large while producing value at work. Join conference panels or get interviewed at a college or radio station (or television). You won’t be a celebrity, but you will need to be known and found. Participate in conferences, lectures, and meetings at professional affiliates and organizations to heighten your industry profile. No longer be the person standing in the back of the room.

4) Volunteer counts in the job search

The right volunteer project can keep your skills and network fresh and relevant. You can control more of the lifestyle desires. Exploring new ideas, skills, or network can help you pivot to a new career if you are looking to change.

5) The documented job search

Finding hacks to your work? Why not share it using Facebook Live? Or Instagram Stories (or wherever recruiters and employers look)? Initiating dialogue around your ideas are as valuable as they are right or wrong? By the way, there is nothing wrong with presenting an idea not embraced by most.

6) Mobility before, during, and after your job search

Expand your options globally. Contracting is where most experts predict how professionals will work. Be ready to keep your business office, transactions, and coworkers to your phone. Your laptop will be your primary workplace and workspace.

Does this sound like entrepreneurship or a job search? There are few differences, and you can expect those worlds to collide even more. In five years, you must own your career. You’ll need to own every phase of your job search. It seems overwhelming at first, but it is everyone’s reality.

About Mark Anthony Dyson

by Mark Anthony Dyson

Critical Thinking Strategies to Impress Employers with Jeff Kavanaugh

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Graduates undervalue communication and critical thinking. Employers want more of it. My guest today, Jeff Kavanaugh, explains how graduates can prepare for the job market. Jeff addresses much of this in his new book, Consultant 2.0. If you want to know more about his book you can go to his website.

How are you preparing for the job market?

I would love to hear your thoughts in one of three ways:

Call and leave a voicemail at 708-365-9822, or text your comments to the same number
Go to TheVoiceofJobSeekers.com, press the “Send Voicemail” button on the right side of your screen and leave a message
Send email feedback to [email protected]

About Jeff Kavanaugh:

Senior Partner at Infosys, a $10bn global IT consulting firm. He is also an adjunct professor at The University of Texas at Dallas. He has been featured on Fast Company, Huffington Post, and Tech Crunch.

Here are some highlights from our discussion:

People with little experience should seek relevant internships
It is a credible data point and learn to apply real world examples and stories
Critical thinking demystified requires you to restructure your thinking– calls for rigorous application and logic
During interviews, state your conclusion first and support with 3-5 sub points
We discussed how imperative it is to use inductive logic to communicate your thinking
Knowing your audience, research, understand their experience, dig deeper
Show respect in researching the company and interviewer
Phrases, stories, adjectives are clues to the interviewer your willingness to connect and relate
We discussed studies showing employers value work ethic, professionalism, competency
Absorb the publications you read outside of college work. Read publications such as Wall Street and the Economists
After reading, write a 500-word blog post on what you’ve written over 2 or 3 years. Collecting 20 or 30 articles over time may catch the attention of prospective employers
Employers look for how a job candidate will frame their stories and answers. The right answer is secondary to how it’s analyzed and broken down by logic

Do you need job search coaching or instruction?

I am here for it! Use my contact information above to inquire about individual or group coaching. You can also sign up for my weekly newsletter at the top of my page.