Skilled marketing and advertising professionals know that they have mere seconds to grab peoples’ attention and persuade them to purchase a product or service. As jobseekers, it’s important that we think like marketers. When we’re demonstrating our value to potential employers, we must “sell” our abilities by promising return on investment and differentiating ourselves from the competition.
A common copywriting technique is for writers to imagine themselves in the customers’ shoes and think about the questions, “why should I buy this product/service?” And, “what’s in this for me?” Job seekers can take this same approach; think of yourselves as an employer and answer the question “why should I hire this person?” Your résumé and other job campaign materials need to get to the heart of this question quickly and concisely. Scan your résumé and LinkedIn profile. Can you quickly find answers to the question, “why should I hire this person?” If not, you may want to think about focusing your personal brand messaging.
Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to get the ideas flowing:
- What is the one thing I offer that sets me apart from others in my field?
- What is my personal competitive advantage?
- If I had just 30 seconds to convey my personal brand, what would I say?
Having a clear idea of how you’d answer any of these questions will help you when it comes to writing your résumé, preparing for interviews or simply networking with your peers. It’s not an easy thing to synthesize into a singular thought. So, take your time, write it down and don’t be afraid to let it evolve and change over time.
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