How To Market Yourself: Tips & Tricks

Marketing yourself is important, but it can be daunting, especially if you are just getting started with your higher education or career. Recently I did a very energizing training session with the 70 student trainees and mentors in Affectiva’s AI education summer program, #EMPath2020.  I shared with them tips and tricks on how to market yourself. 

This summer’s program participants vary from high school students to PhD candidates from all over the US, Canada and Egypt.  Some of them had very polished resumes, intro letters and resumes, others not at all.  Some of them looked like they put thought into their Zoom virtual meeting presence, others looked like they just rolled out of bed.  They all shared a keen interest in learning and came with great questions.  It was so gratifying to see so many of them apply their learnings right away.  I got a lot of LinkedIn connection requests the next day!

Here is a summary of the tips I shared:

1 - Think Through: Who Are You?

• What makes you exceptional: what is unique to you?
• What are you good at?
• What have you done, learned, earned, achieved?
• What are your goals: what are you working towards?
• Where do you want to be in a few years?

Ask yourself these questions to figure out how you can stand out from the pack.  Think about this broadly and creatively.  This is not just about academic, athletic or professional abilities and achievements.  Of course these matter, but if you are a high school student working a job stocking shelves in a supermarket ... absolutely ... talk about that.  It shows work ethic, commitment and focus!  If you are not sure how to answer these questions ask a classmate, friend or parent.  They can steer you in the right direction!

2 - Create Your Elevator Pitch

• Write up who you are and what you stand for
• Keep it short
• Keep it simple
• Test, adapt, test, adapt, test, adapt …
• Internalize, and rehearse over again.

Now that you have thought through what you stand for write it up in simple language.  Don’t try to use impressive business jargon, that will sound fake.  Keep it short, this should just be a few sentences long. Then test this elevator pitch with others.  If it does not sound right, adapt it. This is an ongoing and iterative process.  Throughout your career you should continuously adapt this elevator pitch as your circumstances change.  Make sure you internalize and rehearse this pitch, so it rolls off your tongue easily and naturally in a way that sounds authentic.  If it does not, then adapt!

3 - Build Your Resume

• Don’t reinvent the wheel: learn from others, emulate great examples; seek help & advice
• Make resume items tangible: quantify what you have achieved & provide examples
• Take credit for outstanding (extra-curricular) achievements, but be truthful
• Use clear and simple language. Avoid cliché, flowery, marketing-y language
• When sending your resume, always send an intro letter -- you can use your elevator pitch!

Look around for examples of really good resumes to get inspiration for layout, formatting and the type of language to use. It’s ok to emulate what others have done, but make it your own. Ask around for help and advice.  Quantify your achievements as much as possible and provide examples.  Make sure to take credit for awesome achievements.  If you were employee of the month at that supermarket, highlight that.  It’s ok to make it all sound awesome, but never lie, that will not work out well. Again, use clear and simple language.  Too often I see resumes that try to sound “professional” but come across fake.  Last, but not least, when sending a resume, always accompany it by an intro letter highlighting the 3 key things someone should know about you and why you are applying for a certain position.  Good news: your elevator pitch will come in handy!

4 - Consider Your Digital Presence

• LinkedIn matters if you seek a career in Tech/Business –take advantage of all it’s features
• Be careful what you put out into the world, it can come back to haunt you
• (For our trainees: Take advantage of your Affectiva connections)
• In virtual meetings: consider camera, audio, background and … you
• Yes! Appearance does matter, but keep it real!

Aside from it serving as a resume landing page +more, LinkedIn is a super handy tool for networking.  Try to make the most of your profile there by tapping into the many features.  It’s also a great idea to build your own website, as it offers an opportunity to more creatively display all about you.  Be careful what you put online though: employers check out candidates online above and beyond their formal LinkedIn profiles, as that is how you can really get to know a person.  Build your online network through your connections at work or at school.  And now that we are spending so much time in virtual meetings, think about that.  What is the quality of your video and audio? What do people see in the background when you turn on that camera? And what do you look like?  No need to go overboard with your personal grooming and outfit, but it’s easy to put on a clean t-shirt and run a comb through your hair. A Zoom Shirt is now a thing!

5 - Network. Always.

• Always be on the lookout to meet interesting people, follow up, stay in touch
• (For our trainees: Network in Empath 2020: with your peers, mentors and Team Affectiva)
• Find mentors: reach out, ask for a 20 min call to get advice, come prepared with question(s)
• Use that LinkedIn profile to build a network, discriminately
• Don’t burn any bridges. Ever.

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing keep an eye out for meeting interesting people, and build that network on LinkedIn.  It’s not enough thought to just connect on LinkedIn. You should nurture these relationships: follow up and stay in touch with people. Consider if there is anything you can do to help them. Look for mentors that work in areas you want to grow into. Aim high, but keep in mind these are busy people.  Asking for a mentoring session rarely gets a response.  But if you reach out to someone asking for a 20 minute call to discuss a very specific question that you would like their advice on, chances are big they will speak with you.  Then keep following up with good questions and you might have yourself a mentor.  Last but not least, in all your dealings treat everyone with respect, empathy and kindness. Treat people the way you want to be treated.  Don’t burn any bridges. Ever.  That too will come back to haunt you.

Marketing yourself can be daunting, but from experience I have learned that it’s less intimidating if you tackle it as a project. Pragmatically check off the things on the checklist above, and don’t worry about doing it all at once.  Focusing on just a few of these things can make a great difference.  Good luck!