Marketing Yourself in a Competitive Job Market

It’s no secret that the current job market has been like none other. With over 250,000 layoffs in tech alone this year, job seekers are finding the market is very competitive. Jobs are no longer falling into job seeker’s laps. With this swing in the market, job seekers are finding they need to adapt to a more active approach. Marketing yourself is now an essential first step in the job search process.

By effectively marketing yourself you can help the recruiter and hiring manager to understand what you can bring to the organization. Those who successfully stand out from the crowd are getting hired sooner. This is how you can up your self-marketing game to get hired.

Revamp Your Resume

Now more than ever, your resume is an essential marketing tool. This is often the first introduction and representation a hiring team has of you. Your resume should convey your accomplishments and how you can solve problems for your future company. Remember, the goal of the resume is to get people to understand your value and want to talk to you on the phone. It’s your entry in the door.

Make sure you’re creating a high impact impression with your resume and avoiding common pitfalls. Your resume should have clear structure, titles, and clean formatting. When describing your work experience, it’s helpful to list your job accomplishments rather than just listing duties. Talk about the impact your work had on your organization, highlight specific team members you worked with and metrics that were achieved.

Make Your LinkedIn Profile Shine

Create a cohesive story of who you are across all channels including your LinkedIn profile. The first step is building out your profile to attract the positions that you’re looking for. LinkedIn provides a number of tools that help recruiters find you, like turning on “Open to Work” for all viewers or recruiter view. Add skills to your profile to help recruiters search you using their LinkedIn Recruiter software.

LinkedIn is social media so now it’s time to interact with others. Next, maximize your profile by liking and interacting with target companies. Create posts that are relevant to your field or insights that might be interesting to you. These interactions will be viewable to hiring teams and will show your expertise and passion.

Nail Your Elevator Pitch

Have you ever been put on the spot and had to introduce yourself in a professional setting? Wonder how some people are able to concisely communicate their experience and achievements while others fumble? Successful communicators have practiced their elevator pitch! 

As a job seeker, you may never know when you will meet people who could connect you to a new role. Having your elevator pitch down is very important in unexpected moments. Your elevator pitch shares who you are, your experience, your unique value proposition and how you solve problems for organizations. Draft and practice your elevator pitch for interviews, chance encounters and networking events.

Tell Your Story

Every strong brand has a compelling story behind it. Now it’s time to craft yours. Think across your career journey, experiences, and achievements to showcase who you are and what differentiates you from others. Storytelling is a key tool to be leveraged in communication and job searching. People may forget details, but the story will stick with them. Craft a compelling narrative that captures your professional identity while showing your authenticity and relatability. This is especially helpful for career changers.

Focus on How You Can Impact an Organization

At every moment you are interacting with a job opportunity, focus on how you can impact the organization. You don’t always need to feel that you’re selling yourself, however, hiring teams are focused on what you can do for their organization so tie back your statements and materials with your skills and how they can impact the person on the other side of the conversation.