Your Job Search is a Marketing Campaign

I’d say that only 10% of job seekers understand that looking for a job is not all that different from strategizing, creating and executing a marketing campaign. What are some simple aspects that drive the success of a marketing campaign?

• Choose a target audience carefully.
• Customize your offering and content for that target audience.
• Make sure the target audience can quickly and easily view your offering.
• Allow the target audience to interact with you in a variety of ways.

Translated into a job search, those bullets become:

• Pick a few audiences of companies and decision makers that are realistic targets.
• Don’t send the same thing to everyone; customize the content for the audience, company, and decision maker.
• Make sure the recipient of your materials can view resumes, cover letters and other credentials in whatever way they prefer.
• For godssakes, provide a number of options for getting in touch – email, phone, IM, blog, etc.

90% of the job inquiries I receive break at least one of these rules.  Guess where those inquiries go?  From the inbox to the trash – immediately.