How to market yourself - effective marketing when you are the product

Why market yourself? To show potential employers the best side of you, and the you they need to hire.

Marketing yourself can be fun, who doesn't like a pat on the back and wink of approval, even if it is coming from your self. Giving yourself a pat on the back and a wink of approval is exactly what you want to, and have to do, to get accepted for the job you want.

When you are preparing to market yourself you must know what your strengths and specific skills are. If you do not know and feel confident about what your strengths are then before preparing a resume or throwing yourself into the market, you must take some time to first come to know your strengths and skills.

Once you have identified your strengths and skills you need to put those into words and onto paper and format them into a resume that can be used to advertise you. There are typically resume formats in the word processor you choose to use, but even though they are there they are not always the best way to present yourself on paper. You may want to seek advice from a friend, a teacher, or a professional resume editor (depending on the type of job you are going for, McDonald's isn't going to be as picky as the White House).

When preparing your resume keep your audience in mind. Be bold, but not overbearing. You want to grab their attention without sounding too good to be true. Know who will be reading your resume and write with them in mind.

I once read a resume of a young man who was applying to a prestigious University. Understanding the board who would be receiving his resume received hundreds of thousands of resumes a year, he decided to make things more interesting, wake them up from their monotonous reading so to speak. This young man started out with truths that quickly turned to extracurricular activities (such as climbing Mount Everest more than once) and extraordinary jobs (functioning as President of the United States). The resume was well written, listed his true attributes, but humorous at the same time. The young man was accepted into this university based on his creativity and obvious confidence. Know your audience.

Once you have recognized your skills and strengths, prepared a resume, and had it checked over by someone eligible to do so, then it is time to prepare for the interview (which you will be receiving based on your oh so well written resume).

Preparing for an interview you need to research and know the company you are interviewing with. Know not only what the general public knows but do some additional research and find out interesting facts and figures that may add to your desire to work there. When being interviewed you want to show a thorough knowledge of the company so that the interviewer knows you are serious about this job.

You will want to dress presentable. Whether applying at McDonald's, or the White House, dress your best. Dress to show respect for the person who is taking the time to interview you. Typically an appropriate outfit would be something business casual, something that doesn't distract from you, and something that is respectable.

Knowing the company, dressing your best, should prepare you for the third and most important step which is entering with confidence. This is not just a marketing advertisement (your resume) this is the real product (you). You have to believe the skills listed in your resume and be prepared to answer why you believe you have them. A confident person will always look an interviewer in the eye and will answer questions appropriately and promptly so as to appear to know what they (in this case you) are talking about.

By recognizing the confidence you have in yourself you should be able to prepare an excellent resume and market yourself just as excellently.

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