How to Market Yourself While Job Hunting

Mildred Culp from WorkWise Offers Insights

Finding a job is hard work. You'll need a solid resume, a catchy cover letter, and references that speak well of you. But the most important thing in job-hunting is not a successful resume or cover letter.

According to Mildred L. Culp, an entrepreneur and acclaimed columnist, the most important is: marketing. "People find jobs by marketing themselves well even if their resume and cover letter aren't good," says Culp. "A winning resume and cover letter combined with poor marketing rarely lands jobs."

Mildred L. Culp: Market Yourself

Culp holds a multidisciplinary Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and has had multiple careers firmly grounded in high-level communication, research and marketing. Her subject matter is the workplace. Her column WorkWise discusses trends in the workplace. One thing that sets Culp apart from journalists with copyrights is that she holds three WorkWise trademark registrations for print, global communication and radio.

These prestigious registrations are conferred by The United States Patent and Trademark Office for distinctiveness in intellectual property. Culp's writing has appeared in more than 40 major dailies in addition to newspaper groups and small- to mid-sized newspapers. In 2006 Culp was awarded first-place among syndicated columnists by the Stuttering Foundation for a column about overcoming stuttering in the workplace. She is also a distinguished alumna of Knox College, the Galesburg, Illinois, site of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, through an Alumni Achievement Award for contributions to living and the workplace.

Tips for Finding A Job

One of Culp's key lessons is that the most successful job seekers are those who understand how to market themselves. Companies have done it for years. Regardless of how perfect the product is, you cannot sell it without marketing. It's marketing that communicates its value to customers. A key step in marketing yourself is to determine what makes you different from other candidates likely to apply for the same jobs. What have you accomplished? It's not just about job titles but also your actual achievements. What makes you attractive to future employers? Remember you are not marketing yourself to everyone. You are marketing yourself to those who need YOU.

Once you have identified your talents, start marketing yourself in traditional and alternative ways. Alternative ways include cold calling and making yourself an expert in your field by writing articles for e-zines and magazines and by giving talks.

Networking is the bread and butter of your marketing strategy. For networking to work, you cannot be a no-show at crucial events and meetings. Join social networking sites and organizations relevant to your expertise.

The key elements in marketing yourself, Culp says, can be summarized as follows:

1. Define the kind of job you want. If you can't come up with a job title, find departments that would interest you. When you interview there, you'll learn more. Listen and define your objective.
2. Spend only 10 to 20 percent of your time applying to ads. Dedicate the bulk of your time to contacting companies directly and networking.
3. After interviews that didn't result in an offer, ask when you may recontact your interviewer. Then do. (Things might have changed.) Also, ask if there are others you might contact within the company or elsewhere. Do. Keep asking for referrals and thanking people.
4. Find out how strong a company is financially and how well the company treats its employees.

WorkWise covers emerging trends in the workplace and is featured in business and special sections, in newsgroups and newspapers, from The Miami Herald to The Modesto Bee, a California-based newspaper.

WorkWise Interactive, a question-answer column about finding and keeping jobs, features humorous insights from experts on topics related to the workplace and is printed in, among other places, Fresnobee.com.