6 Tips for Marketing Yourself to Move Forward in Your Career
Most people realize that businesses have to market themselves to be successful. That is why we have adverts on TV, in newspapers, and in places such as social media and game sites. There is no getting away from them, because all businesses want you to buy from them rather than a competitor, and keeping their name in your mind means you are more likely to do that.
Have you ever thought that when you apply for a job, you need to market yourself to show that you are the best candidate? It may not be in quite the same way as a business handles marketing, but you need to still sell yourself if you want to improve your career prospects. Here are just a few tips that might help you get the job of your dreams.
Have you ever thought that when you apply for a job, you need to market yourself to show that you are the best candidate? It may not be in quite the same way as a business handles marketing, but you need to still sell yourself if you want to improve your career prospects. Here are just a few tips that might help you get the job of your dreams.
Avoid Waffle in Your Resume
The longer your resume is, the less likely it is to be properly read. You should have all the facts in it about your qualifications, experience, interests and references, but avoid waffling about things that do not matter. It should never be more than two pages long if you want to get to the next selection stage.
When vacancies are advertised, there could be hundreds of applicants, and for the person having to wade through all the resumes, the simpler and more succinct they are, the better.
When vacancies are advertised, there could be hundreds of applicants, and for the person having to wade through all the resumes, the simpler and more succinct they are, the better.
Earn More Qualifications
The more qualifications you have the better, and online courses have meant it is possible for anyone to get extra certification. Many of them are designed for working professionals who want to further their career. For instance, if you are an engineer, you might want to move into management, and your engineering expertise will be invaluable. However, you will also need management skills to be able to face the challenges that management brings.
An engineering MBA is the key, as this will combine your existing skills with the management skills you will require. This could open up many new opportunities and people with this degree have become managers of engineering, project managers for engineering, senior staff engineers and many other positions that are fulfilling and pay good salaries.
An engineering MBA is the key, as this will combine your existing skills with the management skills you will require. This could open up many new opportunities and people with this degree have become managers of engineering, project managers for engineering, senior staff engineers and many other positions that are fulfilling and pay good salaries.
Gain Experience
You may think you can only gain experience from actually doing a particular job, but you can learn a lot from watching and listening to how your managers behave. You may think they are very good at the job they do or disagree with the way they work. Whichever it is, notice their good traits and learn from their bad ones, and you may be surprised just how much experience you have. It is not experience you can put on your resume, but it will make you more confident at the interview stage as you will have more of an idea how to answer questions that prospective employers will pose. If you do get the chance to be in charge of a project, perhaps because of illness, holidays or just because your employer trusts you to get the task done, it will be invaluable experience that you can show proudly on your resume.
Be Flexible and Open Minded
There is more to being flexible than working extra hours when the need arises or helping with a job that is not normally yours. You need to show your existing employer if you are after promotion, or a prospective new employer, that you are open to new ideas and challenges. You have to let them know you are prepared to work on your own or as part of a team, and that if the situation changes from day to day, it is not a problem.
Employers are increasingly looking for employees that are prepared to change roles quickly if they need to, and many of them are now opting for flexible employment contracts to accommodate this. Adaptability is a skill all of its own, and if you can carry out multiple tasks or manage multiple projects because you know how to prioritize to get the jobs done, you will be a real asset to any business you work for.
You can let the interviewer know you have these traits as they are a brilliant way of selling yourself to any employer, especially if you have already done this in the past.
Employers are increasingly looking for employees that are prepared to change roles quickly if they need to, and many of them are now opting for flexible employment contracts to accommodate this. Adaptability is a skill all of its own, and if you can carry out multiple tasks or manage multiple projects because you know how to prioritize to get the jobs done, you will be a real asset to any business you work for.
You can let the interviewer know you have these traits as they are a brilliant way of selling yourself to any employer, especially if you have already done this in the past.
Be a Critical Thinker
A critical thinker does not always see things from the same perspective as everyone else. They tend to come up with solutions to problems that no one else had considered, often showing their versatility and attitudes.
If when you are chatting to your current or prospective employer about what role you could play in the business, it is the perfect opportunity to let your critical thinking skills come into play. As we are talking about marketing yourself, it is really good to show that you can think outside of the norm, and perhaps come up with ideas that are new to them.
At the same time, accept that their views may be different to yours. It does not mean that either of you are right or wrong if there is more than one solution to the same problem.
If when you are chatting to your current or prospective employer about what role you could play in the business, it is the perfect opportunity to let your critical thinking skills come into play. As we are talking about marketing yourself, it is really good to show that you can think outside of the norm, and perhaps come up with ideas that are new to them.
At the same time, accept that their views may be different to yours. It does not mean that either of you are right or wrong if there is more than one solution to the same problem.
Communicate Well
It does not matter how qualified you are or what experience you have if, when you are faced with an interview, you become very nervous and whisper any answers. Approach any interview with confidence. Be clear and concise with your replies and this will encourage trust in what you are saying, which is a large part of any successful marketing campaign.
Make all your comments as positive as possible and do not be afraid to tell them what you think you are capable of. Doing this in a confident way without being overbearing, will ensure you leave them with a good impression.
Make all your comments as positive as possible and do not be afraid to tell them what you think you are capable of. Doing this in a confident way without being overbearing, will ensure you leave them with a good impression.
Go for It!!!!
Taking your career along the path you want to go is up to you. You need to sell yourself to the decision makers if you want to climb the ladder of your profession. Learn from the marketers how important building trust in yourself is, as without that, you will not be moving anywhere.