Marketing yourself for a job: 10 top tips

With some job vacancies attracting hundreds of applications, it’s essential that you sell yourself. Thinking like a marketer can help you get past any feelings of shyness or discomfort. So get ready to assess your strengths, develop a powerful brand that will make you stand out, and market yourself through the application process.

1. Define your product

Before you can set about marketing yourself, you need to define the product: you. What it is that you do best? Review your CV and make a list of your strengths, skills and accomplishments. Consider the tasks that you perform well and try to recall compliments from colleagues. Then think about successful projects that you've worked on: how did your skills help create that success?

Also consider why you’ve pursued your career: why did you choose it? What interests you about it? Try to put into words what excites you about your career along with the work-related responsibilities you enjoy the most.

Your insights here will help you later when writing your cover letter, and answering interview questions like, “Why do you want this job?”.

2. Create your elevator pitch

Once you’ve determined your skills and achievements, it’s time to condense it down into a captivating elevator pitch that will catch the attention of potential employers whenever there’s an opportunity to introduce yourself.

What is an elevator pitch? It’s a short statement of your skills and experience; what you want to do career-wise; and what you can provide to a company. It should be brief enough to deliver in a short elevator ride, hence the name, although you’re more likely to use it during networking events, social occasions, and career fairs.

An elevator pitch should be short – around 30 seconds, no longer than a minute – so work on communicating your core message clearly and succinctly.

3. Develop your brand

Like your elevator pitch, branding simply means letting employers know who you are professionally, what you can offer in terms of skills and experience, and, most importantly, why they should hire you. The difference is that your branding is longer and lets you give a fuller picture, incorporating elements such as your website or a portfolio that showcases personal projects and previous client work.

What could you include in a personal brand?

• A personal branding statement is a one- or two-sentence summary of your career goals and strengths, which you can use in your elevator pitch as well as on your professional social media profiles, your CV and your cover letter.
• A professional photo can help potential employers easily to recognise and remember you. You can use it as your profile picture on social media outlets and add it to your email signature and any other business-related material.
• If appropriate, you could differentiate yourself from other candidates with a unique logo or colour combination that you can use on your website, business cards, CV and cover letters.

4. Build an online presence

It can be helpful to build an online presence that supports your brand in line with your job goals. For example, if your career is creative – something like content writing, graphic design, film making, or website design – an online portfolio will showcase your work. Alternatively, a website that sets out your CV and experience can be a powerful marketing tool which can be supplemented with a regular blog or newsletter to raise your profile. An “About Me” section that describes you in greater detail is a great way for employers to discover your personality. And in many fields, it can be helpful to have a presence on social media sites, such as LinkedIn.

It may also be worth reviewing your online presence on social medial channels such as Facebook and Twitter: they can be extremely damaging to your professional reputation if used the wrong way. Employers can and may search for you online, so be sure not to post anything you wouldn’t want them to see.

5. Grow your network

Building a strong network of contacts in your chosen industry is an important part both of job hunting and developing your career. If you want to work in a specific industry, look for events that cater to that industry so you can meet new people and grow your network. Online, you can join industry-relevant groups on LinkedIn that will help you find others working in your chosen area.

And don’t forget to pay it back: your network is as much about how you can help your contacts as how they can help you. Share articles containing relevant industry news, follow companies you’re interested in and maintain a positive online presence. Even while you’re job seeking, try to give back as much as you get.

6. Become an industry expert

Take the time to do more than just create a profile on social media sites: share blogs about your profession and your own insights. If you see other people providing valuable tips and information, comment on their posts and start a dialogue.

You’ll find that if you consistently pop up on other people's screens as a useful resource in your field, you'll become known as an industry expert, which can bring a host of benefits, from opening new doors to making you more appealing to future employers, because they can see your knowledge and commitment.

7. Stay curious

One of the top transferable skills that employers look for is curiosity: employers want employees who are committed to learning more about their profession.

Taking extra classes or courses to keep your skills current can help you do your current job better or open up whole new opportunities. Plus you may meet people who you can add to your network too: win-win.

8. Volunteer your skills

Volunteering your professional services to local charities or schools has numerous benefits: it can help keep your portfolio current, demonstrate your hard skills, create goodwill, and show your passion for your job.

If you’re a recent graduate, voluntary work and internships enable you to build up a portfolio of real-world projects.

9. Shine like a STAR

Giving specific examples of when you used a skill or created a benefit for your employer is far more powerful than simply saying something generic like “I have excellent communication skills” or “I enjoy working in a team”. This will help the employer understand what you did, why you did it, and how your skills might benefit them

If you’re not sure how to frame examples of skills as stories, you could try the STAR method to develop a narrative: Situation, Task, Action, Result.

10. Conduct market research

To market yourself successfully, you need to know as much as possible about your target audience: potential employers.

First, create a targeted list of companies where you want to apply for jobs, then take the time to learn about each one. Read up on the company’s aim and strategy on their website. Knowing a company’s goals and passions will help you learn if you share them, and if you

do, then you can express this in your meeting. Employers will often ask why you’re interested in their company: if you research, you can provide them with an honest answer.

Follow current employee and manager profiles on LinkedIn to see what they’re up to. If you know someone currently employed in a company where you’re about to apply, talk to them personally. Tell them about your skill and experience and ask for their opinion. Find out how they find their talent: some companies might prefer referrals, while others may only promote from within.

Don’t just apply to jobs and attend networking events indiscriminately. Join only relevant professional groups and attend only relevant in-person networking events. Use the elevator pitch you developed, take a copy of your CV, and follow up afterward over email or LinkedIn.

11. Partner with a reputable recruitment consultancy

Specialist recruitment consultants can help highlight your strongest skills and build a compelling case for you to employers. You may also receive invaluable career advice, as well as coaching to help prepare you for interviews.

A good recruitment consultancy may often be able open up new career opportunities in the fields you desire, and provide a multitude of potential jobs.

12. Use testimonials and referrals

Finally, nothing sells like word of mouth, which means that testimonials and referrals are an excellent way to market yourself. Save emails and written communications from your colleagues, superiors, and clients that comment positively on your efficiency, professionalism, skills or abilities.

You can use your testimonials in your CV, to provide a strong summary of your accomplishments and to give hirers a quick snapshot of your skills and strengths.

Good luck!

Lauren