Job Search in 2017 is Marketing, PR, and Schmoozing

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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.