The Art of Marketing Yourself For a Job
December 5, 2008 by Ada Denis
Filed under Careers Articles
We all have dreams of building up our career and achieving greater heights thereafter. Some of us have probably drawn up a black-and-white plan on the steps that we will take to grasp our ultimate career goals.
But everything we set to do will always have to begin with the basics, and in this case, it all starts with ‘dressing yourself up’ to impress! In other words, you will need to make the necessary preparations and equip yourself to the fullest to entice your prospective employers in giving you that job offer.
Here are the key essentials that you should take note of to help you, the job seeker, stand an extremely high chance in entering the workforce.
1. Write up a resume that clearly states the skills, knowledge and training that you have acquired throughout your lifetime, especially those which you believe could be of relevance to the requirements of the job position you are applying for. You should also state what you have achieved thus far, such as awards, testimonials and many other forms of recognitions given to you. It is best that you maintain the length of your resume to two pages long, and do not forget to update your resume should there be any new information that you want to include in it.
2. Write up a one-page comprehensive cover letter that showcases the strengths you possess and how you can bring it to the table in that employing organization with your strengths. Your content should be detailed and understandable, and do highlight those strengths which you feel would create an impact on the employers’ decision to hire you.
3. Take one step further by enhancing your skills and knowledge. Take up courses that emphasize on hands-on life skills or acquire part-time job experience before entering the workforce on a full time basis. This will not only result in a vast range of opportunities for you, but also, it will let you embark into the workforce as a well-prepared and highly equipped employee.
4. Go the extra mile by gathering researches on the organization that offers the job vacancy and finding out more about what the job is all about. Being able to relate to the panel of interviewers about your knowledge of the organization and the job position would make you stand a good chance in clinching that job you want.
5. Establish a network with some of the people you know, who may be able to provide that gateway to your dream job, especially those who hold high-ranking positions. Another alternative is to enroll yourself in online communities set up by job sites that can provide you updates on the latest job vacancies, which could suit the current qualifications you have acquired, and your area of expertise. A network of people is normally known to be a more effective method for one to get a job easily.