Advertising is a massive business all over the world! Companies spend trillions of pounds a year marketing their products so that you want to buy them. Applying for a new job is no different. Not only have you got to sell your CV you've also got to sell yourself. A recent survey showed that an under qualified person who sold themselves during an interview is 70% more likely to get the job than a qualified person who didn't.
So what do employers find attractive when looking for a potential employee. This of course depends on the job role and company in question. However, almost all employees will agree that a person who is positive and enthusiastic will have the better chance of being employed. Employers always want to know that the person applying for the job has a genuine interest in the company and the role.
So where should you start when marketing yourself. Well, your CV is the most important marketing tool you have. A CV is the first point of contact (apart from a covering letter) that an employer will see. A good looking CV ensures that you are expressing yourself without the person having ever met you. Take caution though, many people think that a great CV will get them a job alone, this is not the case. You need to be consistent in convincing your potential employer into giving you the job. This means combining all stages of the job application process, from CV right through to final interview.
A great example of selling a product is to think about any modern age salesman, for example a sales man at a mobile phone store. With so much choice in the mobile phone market how should a sales person sell you a phone? It's simple, they play to your needs. They are not going to try and sell you one particular phone, instead they will sell you the features of a phone that interest you the most. It's exactly the same when selling yourself to a new employer. You must learn to sell the skills which fit the job role and essentially the company's needs. Doing background research into the role and the company will provide you with the knowledge to match your skills side by side with the business..
When thinking about marketing yourself, try and put yourself in to the shoes of the employer. Think about the following questions from the employers point of view:
If a person doesn't seem enthusiastic about the role what are they going to be like after being employed?
What are the long term prospects for a new employee if they are not enthusiastic?
Am I going to read through a long explanative CV or a short sharp one?
Do positive people approach work differently?