Global Market is becoming highly competitive. To stand out, you need to build a strong reputation, especially if you are on a job hunt.
Regardless of what type of role you’re searching for, marketing yourself is an essential first step in the job search process. Put yourself out.
Having the right skills and experience is certainly important. But you need to show that you know. You need to be on the front lines. You need to market yourself.
But..why do you need to market yourself?
The world is already making great progress in ‘moving to digital’.
More and more companies are hosting virtual events and being more active on social than ever. It’s great news!
But,
As Denzel Washington famously said:
A digital world also brings increased competition.
Now you’re not just competing with Average Joe from the next block. You’re also competing with someone sitting in a different city/state/country.
You need to be seen and heard.
You need to market yourself.
Market yourself in 5 effective steps:
Networking
Networking builds your social reputation and your reputation serves as a marketing tool.
And by ‘networking’, I don’t mean the conventional definition of networking.
My definition includes adding value to other person’s lives.
You must’ve heard a quote,
“Your network is your net worth”.
And that is because in the real world, your network builds a better reputation, increased visibility, a stronger support network, improved business growth, and more impactful connections.
Networking relations can help with more than job leads—they can provide referrals or insider info about companies you might be interested in working for.
Create a robust online presence
A strong online presence builds your personality online that would speak for itself.
It shows who you are as a person, what your beliefs are, and what someone can expect from you.
A simple google search can show your work that’ll talk about your talents and skills. A good online personality can easily make a recruiter want to work with you.
And an online portfolio showing off your work and projects is a must for any job seeker.
Write. Write. Write.
So, you’re convinced to build a strong online presence. Now your next question is HOW?
Here’s the answer: Build your online presence by writing!
Write online, share your thoughts publicly, and express your take on things.
Write Blogs, LinkedIn posts, Tweets, Reddit posts, Quora answers, or any online platform you like. Put yourself out there and start becoming searchable.
Establish your personal brand
A personal brand will make you unique and stand out from the crowd. With is apparently super important in this highly-competitive market.
Take this as an example, you shop from a renowned brand because you trust it. You buy Nike shoes because you know what Nike stands for, and you have a certain image in your head of “Nike shoes”.
So in the same way, your personal brand creates this reputation. Treat yourself as a brand and let it do the work for you!
Make an effort to get your work seen and your voice heard. You’ll be rewarded for sure.
Polish Your Soft Skills
Your hard skills will be seen in your portfolio, and your work will speak for itself.
But it’s your soft skills that will help you prove it.
A hiring manager will often prioritize soft skills during the hiring process, so it’s especially important to ensure they are polished.
Your writings will demonstrate your communication skill, your brand will demonstrate how creative you can get and these are what makes your first impressions in front of the employer.
And other soft skills including how well you work in a team, your problem-solving skills, openness to feedback, etc. will be evident to the eyes of the recruiter.
Working on your soft skills will help you not just get a job, but in different areas of life as well.
If you want to advance, leverage these easy, cost-effective ways to get your name out there and create more opportunities for yourself.
Take the time to market yourself and don’t be afraid to promote your skills – your future may depend on it.
