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Marketing 101: You are the Product

By Daryl M Williams

Think back to the past several Super Bowls and some of the companies that produced commercials. At the end of their 30-60 second spot, you had no idea what service or product they were introducing or selling. DON’T be those guys!
Even GoDaddy.com, a seemingly successful and newsworthy company is an example NOT to follow.
Why?
Well for one thing, they relied on your desire to research them further by going to their website, routinely ending commercials before you knew what was being sold. It worked for them but unless your résumé offers truly captivating content, ending it before you’ve sold the connection  between your experience and the role you are pursuing is a sure fire way to hear crickets from that job you applied for.
How do you avoid being those guys? Glad you asked and here are some tips:
·         AVOID the empty rhetoric such as:
o   Keen eye for detail
o   Strong communication skills, written and verbal
o   Hard worker
·         Tell YOUR story
o   Provide supporting details:
§  Change Keen eye for detail into Displayed a keen eye for detail as an editor for my department newsletter or a member of my organization inventory auditing team (if true).
§  Give examples, OBJECTIVE statements, details and NUMBERS, NUMBERS, NUMBERS
I have heard and read the empty, subjective statements too many times to count in the last decade of reviewing résumés, re-writing résumés and interviewing candidates. They are empty statements because there is nothing to support them.
It seems like a novel concept, something easily accomplished with a couple of key strokes and time invested. Newsflash, it’s not! Marketing isn’t always easy whether it’s a prospective client or an organization attempting to introduce you to its products. That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it to make the effort.
In terms of you and your résumé and cover letter, you don’t want to be those guys because if you are making a recruiter/hiring manager guess as to your fit for a position, chances are the game will soon be over, for you.

Daryl M Williams, MBA, M.S., is an adjunct professor, teaching Career Planning and Management as well as being a Career Coach. He is passionate about providing information to assist friends, family, students, alums, and even frenemies (really) in professional development and uses his management experience in Fortune 500, non-profit and private corporations to inform his decisions. Feel free to connect via LinkedIn.

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