Marketing yourself in Job Market

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Marketing yourself in Job Market
Anurag K Srivastava Mississippi State
University srivastava_at_ece.msstate.edu
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Outline

• Where and when to start
• Facts related to job search
• Action plan
• Assembling you job hunt portfolio
• Building resume
• Cover letter
• Searching jobs
• Interview
• Academic VS Industry
• Website Links
• Power and academic job related links

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Where and when to start

• Job hunt is challenging and stressful task
  that requires good organization and planning. You
  should prepare for that 3-5 years in advance or
  as soon as possible, when you are clear enough
  that what you want to do.
• Build your resume (Internship, through active
  participation in campus, through volunteer work)
• Networking in day to day life
• Getting experience from senior students
• Being abreast of Job market

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Facts related to job search
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Facts related to job search

• Finding and hiring new employees is a pain!
• The single biggest expense in most companies is
  human resources.
• Employers spend an average of 30 of the first
  years salary to hire someone.
• The average hire takes 180 days.
• The average employee stays in a job only three
  years before moving on.

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Facts related to job search ..
Effectiveness of Job Search Channels Networking
30-49 Direct Contact w Decision-Makers 19
37 Published Job Openings 15 24 All others
1 16
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Facts related to job search ..
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Facts related to job search ..

• Turning Your Contacts into Careers

Networking is making links from people we know
to people they know, in an organized way, for a
specific purpose, while remaining committed to
doing our part, expecting nothing in
return. Donna Fisher and Sandy Vilas, Power
Networking

• Do not focus on an employers openings, but on
  their NEEDS, and by talking to decision-makers,
  not human resources.

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Action Plan
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What recruiting manager looking for?
1) Focused Individuals! 2) Who can add value to
an organization. 3) Who are organized with their
thoughts. 4) Who communicate well with thoughts,
ideas and concepts.5) Who possess team spirit.
6) Who exhibit flexibility in the job. 7) Who
display commitment to the job.8) Who are on time
for the interview. 9) Who do not complain in the
interview. 10) Who display no anger or
resentment to past employer.
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What recruiting manager looking for?
11) Who display confidence. 12) Who demonstrate
ability to follow instructions.13) Who have an
educational background or comparable
experience.14) Who exhibit entrepreneurial
abilities. 15) Who demonstrate proactive vs.
reactive abilities.16) Who offer creativity and
versatility in the job. 17) Who offer innovative
ideas.18) Who offer leadership abilities. 9)
Who communicate well - oral, written and
interpersonally20) Who know how to work smarter
not harder.
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Action Plan

• Assess Yourself, know about yourself, know your
  interest and abilities and where you fit
• Research your career goals, get clear data what
  you seeking
• Lay out your plan and narrow your job options
• Develop a self marketing strategies
• Develop winning resume
• Refine your job interview skills
• Network, connect and follow up
• Implement your plan, making adjustment along the
  way

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Action Plan

• Getting a job is sales.
• You are the salesperson of this product.
• Your resume and cover letter are your marketing.
• You must focus your
• marketing on the
• needs of the buyers.

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Self marketing strategies

• Product What do you have to offer? What key
  skills and attributes can you offer your
  customers (i.e., potential employers)? Price
  What is your value in the marketplace? Do your
  educational background, experience, and
  professional strengths qualify you as a premium
  productsomething eliteor will you need to start
  discounted to get your foot in the door of your
  targeted industry? Promotion What themes or
  messages convey what you have to offer
  professionally?

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Self marketing strategies

• Place (distribution) How will you distribute
  yourself on the market? Consider using multiple
  means of delivering yourself to potential
  employers. This could include on-campus
  recruiting events, job ads, career fairs, company
  websites, executive recruiters, and referrals
  from your network. Positioning What
  differentiates you from other candidates? What is
  unique about your skills, background, or
  interests?

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Assembling your job hunt portfolio

• cover letter
• curriculum vitae or résumé
• statement of interests
• letters of recommendation
• additional materials

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CVs and Résumés

• Definition
• -- A summary, especially of ones personal
  history and employment
• experience

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Building resume

• Chronological resume
• Functional resumes
• Targeted resumes
• Combo resumes
• You're applying or looking for a new job in the
  same industry / area.
• You're applying or looking for a new job in the
  different industry / area.
• You would like to see your experiences /
  qualifications shown together.

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Building resume.

• Resume should show that, you have the ability of
• Solve problems,
• Create new product
• Cut costs
• Improve products and and can fasten the
  development process
• Increase revenue
• What you want
• Money,
• Challenging and interesting work
• Career growth
• ???????

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Building resume.

• Before starting your resume, define your most
  significant work accomplishments
• What you are most proud of?
• What did you do, which is most enjoying and
  interesting?
• When did you show something initiative, creative,
  and good work?
• What would you like the employer to know the
  first thing about you?
• What are your personal qualities, strength?

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Building resume.

• Resume structure
• Objective/summary/profile (Should use personal
  trait keywords, assertive, self starter, tem
  player, innovative, adaptable, flexible,
  analytical?
• Accomplishments summary (use action word with
  quantified achievement)
• Education
• Experience (use action words)
• Affiliation
• Publications
• References

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Building resume .
Experience Use action verbs
Responsible for supervising three technicians
Supervised three technicians
Advanced, analyzed, produced, designed, expanded,
formulated, implemented, negotiated, organized,
streamlined, invented, verified
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Building resume .
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Cover letter
January 17, 1997 Dear Dr. Allen I am
writing in response to the advertisement for
neuro- scientist published in the January 14,
1997 issue of The Journal of

• Application letter
• Thank you letter
• Acceptance letter
• Networking letter
• Declination letter

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Cover letter ..

• Format
• very brief (1 page)
• write to a person
• use their words
• Contents
• what responding to
• your qualifications
• enclosures
• plans for follow up

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Cover letter ..

• Think of your cover letter as an appetizer, when
  your resume is main course
• Do your homework
• Equate yourself to the positions
• Who do you know in organization
• Be clear and concise
• End on a strong note for follow up

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Letter of recommendation

• Key variables
• how well they know you
• how enthusiastic they are
• how specific they are
• who they are

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Interview
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Interview

• Know your industry
• How big company is, how long has been operating,
  major competitors of company
• Arrive on time
• Answer more than yes or no, but does not go more
  than 1 minute
• Stress your achievement
• Be professional
• Link you skill with job requirements
• Do wage research
• Know interviewer

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Interview

• Dress properly
• Identify weakness in your CV and be prepared to
  answer that, like low GPA
• Show interest
• Follow-up after interview
• Ask question
• Drive conversation in your own way
• Prepare for well know questions like tell me more
  about you, Strengths and weakness

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Academic VS Industry

• Different approach for job search

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Academic VS Industry

• Determine your values
• Do you like teaching?
• Do you like research?
• How important is salary?
• How hard do you want to work?
• You like supervising students?
• You like flexible job hours?
• Do you like university environment?

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Website links

• www.wetfeet.com
• jobsearch.about.com
• www.careerperfect.com
• www.resumepower.com
• www.resumeedge.com
• http//www.rileyguide.com/index.html
• www.monster.com
• www.hotjobs.com
• www.careerbuilder.com
• www.dice.com

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Power job and academic job website links

• www.energycentral.com
• http//www.rileyguide.com/utility.htmlpower
• www.ieee.org
• www.academiccareers.com
• www.chronicle.com
• www.postdocjobs.com
• www.higheredjobs.com
• www.pserc.wisc.edu
• www.phds.org

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Look to the future and expect the best. Best of
luck. ??????