Marketing Yourself To Employers – A Roadmap

Jobs boards, social media, and networking are three tools job searchers may use to land a new job. Today, we’re providing a roadmap to marketing yourself for a fourth way.

Marketing Yourself to Employers

To help you in marketing yourself to employers we will cover:

1. How to identify the correct person to target
2. Approaching your target
3. Follow up process

How to Identify The Correct Person To Target When Marketing Yourself

Find the person within one of your targeted companies who would be either your boss or your boss’s boss.

Let’s assume you are seeking an accounting assistant position. You’d want to search for the job title of the person you’d likely report to. This person’s job title is likely ‘Accounting Manager’.

Performing a LinkedIn search by Company lets you view employees of the company and their job title. LinkedIn does not always provide their company contact information but once you have their name you can contact the company directly.

You can also search for contact names and titles on the company website. No name? Try this. Call the targeted company ask for the correct spelling of their Accounting Manager’s name.

If that does not yield results, ask to speak with the Accounts Payable Department. The person who has answered the phone assumes their company owes you money and will normally transfer your call without hesitation.

It does take work on your part to identify and contact the right person. In the long run it greatly improves your ability to schedule interviews, so it is worth your effort.

Approaching Your Target

Now that you know who to contact, the next challenge is how do you make your contact memorable? Your initial contact is your resume sent through the mail.

Your cover letter should be three short paragraphs.

Paragraph One:
Explain the purpose of your correspondence. For example, introduce yourself to them because you feel you could become an asset to them and their company. Also add a sentence explaining why you targeted their particular company.

Paragraph Two:
Share information that is going to make this person want to talk to you. Differentiate yourself from others in your profession or industry. List one or two key accomplishments and the impact they had on your past employers.

Paragraph Three:
This is your closing paragraph. Thank them in advance for their time and include a date and time you will call them to follow-up.

Include your resume along with your cover letter. Then, on the envelope, write the words “Personal and Confidential” in the lower left-hand corner. This will guarantee that someone else does not open your envelope and reaches your target!

Follow Up Process

On the date and time outlined in your cover letter, call your target. If someone other than the target answers the phone, tell them that you had sent information and (target’s name) is expecting your call.

When your target is on the line:

• Let them know you are following up on your resume and cover letter
• Ask if it is a convenient time for them to connect

If the target responds positively:

1. Ask questions that allow your target to talk about themselves
2. Identify which skills your target finds most desirable
3. Identify which skills are missing in their department
4. Ask about projects they are working on in the coming year
5. Position yourself as a possible solution, referring back to your resume and STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Results) examples of past work or projects

If your target responds negatively:

• Ask if you have the skillset they normally hire
• Inquire if other individuals in their company might be interested in your background
• Thank them for their time

Directly marketing yourself to a prospective employer can feel daunting, but is a valuable job search tool. With practice, patience and persistence, it will get easier, and you WILL land a new job!