In the Job Hunt You are Your Own Company

All job seekers need to understand that when it comes to conducting a job search, you must consider yourself as a product of your own company. You are selling your skills and experience, and the companies you want to work for are the target market. Your prospects are their hiring managers. Your industry is the job market itself.

Once you put yourself in this marketing mindset, you'll recognize that the job market is a fierce and competitive place where no one is guaranteed a job. The supply of job seekers is usually high and demand for them is relatively low. You are tasked with getting the attention of busy HR executives and convincing them of trying an unproven, new product: YOU!

Competing in this industry is going to require a solid marketing effort to be successful. You are in charge of every aspect of this operation—planning, strategy, research and promotion. You will need to create a positive brand image of yourself through the use of your job search documents and communication skills. It's all about selling yourself.

Discover Your USP
When companies are trying to determine how to market a product, they focus on the one thing (or combination of things) that makes their product different from any other product on the market. You need to take the same approach when going up against other job seekers and develop a Unique Selling Proposition (USP), the one reason you think an employer will hire you even though there may be others with the same skill set.

Your USP should be short but descriptive. Think of it as a tagline or slogan. The purpose of the USP is to motivate the employer and convey your uniqueness. You may find that your USP may be a single differentiating factor or a combination of several. Whatever the case, keep it simple and believable. Here are some examples.

Example USP for a Customer Service Rep
"Your customers will love my customer service!"

Example USP for a Webmaster/Web designer
"Cyberspace Cyber Ace seeks to catapult your Web site."

Example USP for an Administrative Assistant
"An Admin who anticipates your every need."

Applying the techniques of marketing throughout your job hunt will give you a more personalized and creative understanding of how to implement a successful job search strategy. The end result will be more interviews and job offers.