To be successful in today's global job market, you need to be CEO of YOU, Inc. This means you need to drive a job search as if you are the leader of a corporation. You, alone, are responsible for your job search success - not recruiters, not professional resume writers, not career coaches. Let's examine a few similar traits between a company and your job search.
1. Define Your Product. The product is just not you or your name. The product is what you are offering, the value you bring to the table, the services you deliver, the ways you contribute to business. Craft your value statement, your mission statement, and define your product. Differentiate your product from the competition.
2. Target Audience. Companies always define their target audience, and so should you. Who are you selling to - what companies, which industries, what specific people are in your niche audience?
3. Teams. You should form a job search team. No matter how small or large a company is, they all operate on team-based models. Even a solo entrepreneur should have a Board of Advisors or Board of Consultants (aka teams). The same concept applies to your job search - form and leverage the wisdom of a team or a Board of Advisors. Job searching is complex and multi-faceted... why not use a team for assistance?
4. Project Management. Job searching is a large-scale project. Break your job search down into manageable components, with goals, budgets, deadlines, and more. Integrate best practices into your job search and expect much better results. Projects always begin by defining targeted results and work backwards - what resources are needed, what is the budget, and what human capital resources are required to execute the project and deliver mission-critical results? The same is true for your job search.
5. Business Plans. Successful companies craft and execute business plans. They don't "fly by the seat of their pants" and pray everything works out for the best. The same principle applies to your job search - a successful, well designed business/job search plan will position you for success.
6. Promotions, Branding, Advertising, Communication Strategies. These are integral components to successfully marketing a product in the corporate world. The same principles apply to your job search. How will you promote and advertise your product? Have you completed a branding program? What are your communication strategies?
These are six similarities between a corporation and your job search. I hope these are helpful in driving your job search success.
JoAnn Nix, Certified Professional Resume Writer and Career Coach
1-800-265-6901
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