The 5 P's. . .

Intigued? Well, yes. The 5 P's are basic Marketing 101. Flashback to Business College and Marketing class with that smelly professor who wore birks and tyedye.

The 5 "P's" of marketing include:
Product - The products or services offered to your customers/clients.
Price - The strategies you use with regard to pricing your products or services with the goal of making a desired profit margin.
Place (Distribution) - How you get your products or services to your target market.
Promotion - How you communicate the features and benefits and endorse your products or services to your customers or clients.
People - The value your people bring to your business by providing service to your customers and clients.

So you're asking yourself what does any of this have to do with finding a job? Well, everything.

Product-Refers to you, your qualifications and skills that you have to offer an employer. What skills and qualifications do you have and what are your strengths and opportunities? Focus on the opportunities and how you can make these better. Maybe it means taking a Crystal Reports class at the local vo-tech.
Price-What salary range are you willing to accept? Research the local job market, the unemployment rate, the industry, and top companies you are interested in working for.
Place-Consider the methods to deliver your resume either by informational interview with your top companies, using your network, job boards, or job fairs.
Promotion-Tools used to promote yourself-resumes, coverletters, myspace pages, and business cards. Get these and make them look professional. Realize that these can hurt you too. A racy myspace or friendster page can be viewed by just about anybody. Companies often google candidates. Consider this.
People-What value has your skill brought to previous companies? For example, as a Sales and Marketing Director you saved the company $300,000 in expenses in the first two quarters of 2005 streamlining the sales and marketing strategy for your fitness center. Shout this accomplishment from the rooftops and list it as a bulleted point on your resume. I do this very same thing in my resume and companies have often contacted me because of one bullet point that peaked their interest.
Use buzzwords on your resume. This helps several different ways-1. It gets the recruiters attention. 2. Your resume is flagged as a possible candidate from what I call their buzzword software. The buzzword software then passes your resume on to the recruiter. Very high tech, huh?

You are your biggest asset. Develop a marketing strategy to market yourself.

Next week. . . The Coverletter

The Resume

Most people who are in the job hunt are shocked to learn that most recruiters spend roughly 5 seconds viewing your resume. One must understand that one monster or careerbuilder posting alone can yield hundreds of resumes depending on the position posted. A recruiter will have anywhere between 10-50 different positions they are recruiting for. When I'm viewing your resume, I skim looking for what I can buzz words for the industry or position. If I am looking for an Accounting Supervisor I might look for words like Accounts Payable, General Ledger, and AS400. Do your research and make sure to include your skills and qualifications.

There are many different styles and formats you can use for a resume and lots and lots of opinions. I suggest doing some research because your resume should reflect the position you are applying for the industry for which it is in. I am a fan of a resume that lists skills and qualifications first. Forget the objective. It's a waste of time and valuable marketing space. The Skills and Qualifications section is what I consider a candidate's billboard and gives the recruiter a quick picture to intrigue their interest. Use buzz words here to get the recruiter's attention and what sets you apart from the rest. What comes next depends on your experience level. A newly graduated professional should place their education next especially if they have little experience in the field they are looking to work in. If you are a seasoned veteran, list your work experience before your education. Does one need to include their references? Depends on what the job posting requests. Generally, I don't unless absolutely necessary.

One of my biggest resume pet peeves is pasting and copying the crappy generic resume from monster or careerbuilder. It does nothing for you so don't do it!! Treat your job search like a marketing campaign. Your career and job is an investment you wouldn't buy a house without researching the interest rate or touring the house. Come up with a plan. Searching for your career takes a lot of effort and time. Gear up and get ready.

Next week . . . The 5 P's

Starting the Job Search

Prior to beginning the job search, it's important to determine what type of job you are looking for as well as what industry. Not sure where's your niche??? The Meyers Briggs Indicator is a great start. Not into testing? Write down a list of things you enjoy doing. Turn something you love into a career. For example, you may have an interest in travel and love to socialize. In fact you're the life of the party. Have you ever thought of becoming a travel agent?

How you market yourself is completely different for the same position depending on the industry. For example, a resume for a pharmaceutical sales rep will focus on your sales experience but mainly on product knowledge, possibly your pre-med or nursing experience or education. This is different than if you were looking to enter software sales in the banking industry. Specialized experience in the banking industry would be preferred but not required. Your sales experience in other industries and sales training would be a focus because you could with some effort learn the banking industry through research or job shadowing. The sales process is basically still the same with one goal in mind-getting the sale.

It might be important to realize that if you are looking to make a career change from Accounting to Event Planning you need to focus on skills and qualifications and most importantly do your research. Look at companies and start by visiting their website. View job descriptions of positions you are interested in and learn the business. Keep notes of key words used in the job or industry of your choice.

Next Week. . . The resume

Blogging for jobs

welcome to blogging for jobs! tips and tidbits for job searches looking to find a career of their dreams. unemployment is low and qualified individuals are in high demand. learn how to market yourself and find ways to differentiate yourself from the competition.

Next week's topic. . .

starting the search

Good luck and happy hunting!!!!