From Laura Lake,
Your Guide to Marketing.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

In the past two weeks I've been reviewing numerous resumes for an open position in the company that I work for. I've found this review process long and boring. Very few of the resumes have grabbed my attention. This does not mean that the applicants are not qualified. They have just not taken to the time to create their resumes to grab a potential employer's attention. Are you making that same mistake?

If you are in the job market it is important to realize that your resume is your personal marketing tool. Unfortunately very few job seekers treat it as such. Do not fall into the trap of grabbing a resume book and copying your information into a familiar format or just pasting your information into a commonly used Microsoft template.

Take some time and single out the unique qualities and experiences that will make you stand out of the crowd. Remember in today's market an employer is inundated with resumes on a daily basis. However, do not let this be discouraging. You can use common marketing techniques and strategies to get that potential employers attention and land your dream job.

In the next ten minutes I will walk you through the process of creating a road map that will assist you in effectively marketing yourself in today's job market. Take a few moments to grab a pen and notepad before you continue reading, so that you can answer each question below as you read it. Do not over analyze the question simply write down the first thought that comes to your mind. YOu can always review later and tweak as necessary.

• Step 1. What is your career goal? What type of job are you looking for?
• Step 2. What qualities have prepared you for this job? Do you possess more education or experience?
• Step 3. Who is your audience? Who are you targeting?
  Make a list of your targeted employers. Keep in mind your message must be designed for your audience. If you are applying for a technical job they are more than likely not interested in a conversational novel regarding your personality, rather they are more interested in your technical expertise. However if you are applying for a marketing position you will spark their interest with a creative and conversational pitch.
• Step 4. Create your personal sales campaign.
  Now that you've listed your specific goal, qualities, and your target it's time to develop your sales campaign. You do this by embedding these components into the writing of your cover letter, resume, and the development of your two-minute pitch.

For more information on career resources visit these About resources:
Career Planning by Dawn Rosenberg McKay
Job Searching by Alison Doyle