Self marketing
The most important product that a person will probably ever have to market is themselves. There’s a lot of situations that this can occur in; a job interview, a first date, meeting a new friend, and just your general presentation in any social situation (what is sometimes called an elevator interview). Some people choose to define themselves by what they wear and others by what they like. Others still by the skills they have. Sometimes the best dressed man isn’t the wealthiest man in the room and sometimes the person saying the most in a room doesn’t actually have the most to say. As far as personal marketing goes I’m going to address a business situation, specifically an interview situation where presenting yourself successfully is probably the most important thing you will do when it comes to getting that job. Experience is important, but a great interview can trump a resume full of credentials sometimes. People like to go with their guts and if someone gets a good feeling and really likes you, you’ll stay in their head.
First we have the resume.
A good resume depends on your major. Education majors have long resumes listing all the different activities they’ve done and places they’ve worked classes they took related to whatever course it is their hoping to teach or something along those lines. Business majors like me are instructed to generally keep a resume to one page in length (unless you’re older and one page is just not possible for your experience). I don’t know much about other resume’s so I’m going to stick with what I know, the business resume. There are two types of resume’s you can produce, one focusing on your education and activities and one focused on your work experience. Generally, students like me who are soon to be college graduates would favor the resume focusing on the relevant course work I’ve completed and the experiences that I’ve had so far. As far as work experience goes in my major I am lacking; which is unfortunate and will be a disadvantage, but because of that I have to focus on all my other strengths. A clean and clear resume is important.
This is an example of my favorite type of resume.
This is my personal favorite format for setting up a resume, but by no means is it the only way that you can do so. It’s important to attract attention to your achievements and also your name. If it is hard to find your name on a resume you’re starting off in trouble. You need to make sure these people take a look at this piece of paper and say hey, this guy (insert name) has done this, and this, and this. Increase their interest in your product and you have a very good shot. Of course, the resume can only get you the interview. You have to follow it up with a spectacular interview, and that is not easy for everybody.
The Interview.
You’ve heard this 1,000 times but you can’t hear it enough; eye contact is one of the most important things you can have in an interview. If you’re in an interview and you’re not making eye contact, the interviewer will think you are rude and not interested. Eye contact, although uncomfortable for many people, is a form of respect that is not something that only some people look for; everybody looks for it and everybody remembers it.
Another thing you’ve heard 1,000 times that is completely true is the handshake. It’s important whether you are a male or a female to have a good firm handshake. It’s also important to know handshake etiquette. When a man shakes a woman’s hand his thumb should go down on the back of her palm over the knuckles, like this. When a man shakes another man’s hand, the thumb should go forward so that it’s parallel with the other mans thumb, like this.
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- Man’s Handshake
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- Woman’s Handshake
It’s also important to maintain eye contact while you are going through the handshake. Don’t break your gaze just because you are shaking this person’s hand. Culturally, it is also important to recognize that not everyone wants you to shake their hand, therefore be aware of your surroundings, and if you don’t know, do some research about what is proper and what is not.
What You Wear
There is one general rule of thumb that you should follow, no matter what job it is that you are applying for, or interviewing for. You should always dress more professional than you have to. Even if everyone in that office is wearing jeans and polo’s you should come in with a shirt, tie, and smart pants and shoes. There is nothing wrong with making yourself stand out in an interview crowd, and there’s no reason you can’t dress like this for any interview. Sure, it may not be necessary, but the people interviewing you will take notice for sure, especially if none of the other people applying for the job do so.
A tie sometimes can make or break an outfit. You have to make sure that you select the right one, and the right knot for the tie. Different sized people wear different types of knots better. For example, I myself had broader shoulders and a wide neck so I wear a full Windsor knot. People with smaller frames than me, or that are skinnier than me would probably wear a half Windsor knot. These, of course are not the only rules of tie etiquette, if you would like to learn some more click on this link here and you can read about it. Below is a video of a full Windsor knot being tied on youtube.
The Company That You Are Applying To
It is important to have knowledge not just of the position that you are applying for, but some knowledge about the company that you will be working for as well. Do a lot of research about the company; their mission statement, what charities their involved in, what they do in the community, what they invest in what’s important to them. It’s important to make sure that the company’s moral fiber and integrity match up with your own. You don’t want to work somewhere where you don’t know anything about what they do, or when you don’t agree with practices that they may undertake. Other than that though, it’s always impressive to a potential employer when someone shows up knowledgeable about the company. There is probably about a 85-90% chance that you will be asked what you already know about the company and what you know about the community that they work and live in. You can make or break your interview at this point, knowing a lot about the company can help you just as much as knowing nothing can hurt you.
Of course every piece of this puzzle is important in an interview. I don’t know the secret to success, but I can tell you that not following these simple guidelines and rules is the path to failure. There is no way you can get an important job without doing a combination of all these factors to present yourself. Of course there are careers out there that are more informal and don’t care about everything I just mentioned; a Windsor knot for instance, or knowledge of their company (for instance, a collections company may not care if you have knowledge about their business) however any job that you are applying for in business will require all of these things from you. Again I will reiterate that my thoughts and my ideas are all based on my business/marketing experience, and I am therefore referencing these types of interviews/resumes/preparation ideas. Even doing all of these things correctly, there is no guarantee of getting a job ever, so doesn’t be over confident. It’s also important to remember that not getting a job is not the end of the world, there are plenty of jobs out there and you will find one that fits you. Don’t give up your search because one company said no.
Hope you enjoyed the read, glad to have a post up finally after a few months! School work has been rough. I’ll try to get back at this though!
