Marketing shouldnt be limited to advertising companies. Finding a job or enhancing your current position requires good self-marketing skills. What is self-marketing? Basically, self-marketing is communicating your benefits to potential or current employers. Think of yourself as a product and explain to employers what differentiates you from other products.

Why is self-marketing important? Landing a job or improving your current position requires effectively selling your skills, abilities, and knowledge to employers. How do you market yourself? Self-marketing can be accomplished through networking, resumes, interviews, and salary negotiation.

Reports estimate that as many as 85% of jobs arent advertised. Networking is one way to get at the hidden job market those unadvertised jobs. Tell everyone you know that you are looking for a job. They just may know of someone who is hiring. Develop a contact list including: family, friends, friends of friends, acquaintances, co-workers, former co-workers, neighbors, doctors, dentists, and lawyers. If you live in a large city, chances are you can find a job search support/networking group to attend. Remember, more contacts equals more job opportunities.

Resumes are often your first contact with an employer. Your resume should highlight your skills for the job you want, not the jobs youve held. If you present yourself well on paper, you will have an opportunity for a face-to-face meeting with an employer.

Interviewing is your chance to really sell yourself. The interviewer is trying to determine if youre a good fit for the position and the company. Practice commonly asked questions. Be prepared with success stories that emphasize when youve effectively used your skills, abilities, and knowledge, leading to exceptional results.

Dont forget to send a thank you note after the interview. The thank you letter lets you express appreciation for the interview and strengthens your candidacy. It allows you to reemphasize your strongest qualifications, restate your interest in the position, and provide additional information not previously given.

Salary negotiation is a useful tool to ensure you are paid what youre worth and what the market supports. Negotiations can be conducted with your current or potential employer. In either situation, be prepared to talk about what credentials, skills, and accomplishments justify your requested salary. Besides money, other things that you can negotiate are: flex-time, extra vacation days, tuition reimbursement, and hiring bonuses.

Joan Runnheim

In 1998, Joan Runnheim, M.S., formed Pathways Career Success Strategies. Joan applies nearly ten years of career consulting, job search training, and curriculum development to her practice. She draws from additional lifework experience as a freelance writer and from first-hand familiarity with career transition, lay-offs, and the job search. As a career consultant, workshop facilitator, speaker, and writer, Joan helps men and women develop an effective career development plan or job search strategy.

As a career advisor for Monster.com, Joan has been able to reach out to millions of people with her career-related articles and advice. As a freelance writer, she has written numerous articles, with a focus on career-related issues. Joan has been sought out as an expert in her field, being quoted in local and national print and online publications. She publishes the bi-monthly newsletter, Strategies for Career Success, filled with tips on how to successfully manage your career.