© 2006, All rights reserved; Article may be reprinted only with permission from Teena Rose
MARKETING YOUR ENTRY-LEVEL CAREER & RESUME, PART#2
Teena Rose is a seasoned, certified, and new graduate resume wizard with GraduateResumes.com, a Resume to Referral site. She's helped many college students and new graduates over the last 6+ years. Contact Mrs. Rose if you need advanced career strategies to complement your college degree. Possessing a great resume and cover letter can mean all the difference in the world when packaging yourself as a "seasoned newbie." She’s authored several books, including Designing a Cover Letter to 'Wow" Hiring Personnel and Cracking the Code to Pharmaceutical Sales.
(read Part#1 of Marketing Your Entry-Level Career & Resume)
Marketing yourself as a valuable entry-level hire is the second component of success. How do you go about getting your entry-level resume to employers who are seeking trainable workers? With the Internet, sending out your entry-level resume is very easy, but are you sending to the correct people? An indiscriminate resume blast may not be the best selection if you have set strict parameters on relocation preference. You need to find out who would be in the market for entry-level workers with your education and who might be a good match for your career goals. A little (gasp!) homework might be in order!
Finding out about employers and selecting those in the market for entry-level personnel is called market research. A little research on employers, their goals, and the work opportunities they offer will assist you in being more focused in your hunt for that first “real” job. It will also provide insight on how best to approach a company. Knowing what the employer wants helps you to position yourself as the best choice. Just as product manufacturers do market research before they launch a new product, you can do the same to better market your entry-level career.
Creating demand is the third aspect of marketing your entry-level career. Personal career branding backed by solid research and an excellent entry-level resume will compel potential employers to contact you about joining their teams. Demand can also be further enhanced during the interview by being well-prepared, mature, and knowledgeable. An entry-level candidate who is eager, open to training, and flexible is desirable by employers.
As an entry-level job seeker, you essentially are selling “air” - lack of experience. To do that, you must create a great package (a resume), market it strategically, and create the demand. Most people take air for granted and laugh at the thought of paying for it. Put those same people at the top of Pikes Peak where the rarified air of 13,000+ feet is thin and most will pay for air at the oxygen bar at the summit café. Air can be very valuable to those in need.
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