Effectively Marketing Yourself
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
AGENDA
• Effectively Marketing Yourself – Why?
• Knowing Yourself
• Exploring Career Opportunities
• Marketing Yourself
– Resumes
– Cover Letters
• Exercise
• Conclusion/Q&A
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Effectively Marketing
Yourself – Why?
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Why should you effectively
marketing yourself?
• Elevator Speech
– Needs to be said in 30 seconds or less: why
should the listener keep listening?
– Basically, it’s your “30 second commercial”
• Example
– Public Relations Manager
• Need to know what to say, when to say it and
how to say to get the point across to their
intended audience = potential employer
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Knowing Yourself
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
KNOW YOURSELF
• Assess your current values, interests, skills,
personality traits and personal priorities:
– Informal Assessments
– Formal Assessments:
• MBTI (online)
• Strong Interest Inventory (online)
• Position Classification Inventory
• Campbell Interest and Skill Survey
• Career Values Inventory
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
KNOW YOURSELF
• Develop and clarify your short-term and
long-term goals
• Meet with a Career Consultant to help
you with this process
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Exploring Career
Opportunities
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Explore Career Opportunities
•Utilize various career resources
–Vault.com – Newspapers
–Company websites – Salary.com
–E-Recruiting – Chamber of Commerce
•Work Your Network
–Talk to everyone you know
–Colleagues, classmates, friends, family, etc.
–Conduct Informational Interviews
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Explore Career Opportunities
• Match your goals, transferable skills,
and personal needs to a particular
career path
• Create a list of potential employers
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Marketing Yourself
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
MARKETING YOURSELF
Purpose of a Resume
• Succinct and objective marketing document
– Informs a potential employer what you bring to the table
• Descriptions of skills sets focusing on achievements
• An effective resume is tailored to the position one is
seeking
• Focuses on employer needs rather than on your own
personal objectives
• The objective of a resume is to interest the reader
and be invited for an interview
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Parts of a Resume
• Header
– Contains your name and contact information so that organizations
can identify and contact you
• Profile
– Summarizes three or four skills sets that you most want to sell or
that mirror what the position announcement requires
• Education
– Reserved only for degrees earned
– Typically listed before experience when degree is current (Within
last 5 years)
• Professional Experience
– Chronological - list most recent experience first
• Professional Development
– Designed to showcase all of the additional work and effort you have
undertaken to develop yourself professionally
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
SAMPLE RESUMES
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Resume – Sample #1
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Resume – Sample #2
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Resume – Sample #3
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Resume – Sample #4
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
SAMPLE PROFILES
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Profile – Sample #1
Counselor with expertise working with adolescents
and young adults on issues of addictions, life
transitions, divorce, and career options. Group
facilitator serving population of 200 students in ten
groups monthly on family-related topics. Author of
nineteen published articles in national professional
journals. Fluent in English, Spanish and Dutch.
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Profile - Sample #2
Elementary school teacher and supervisor of student
interns training colleagues in combining technology
and teaching. Professional musician and drama
coach capable of staging plays and skits with
experience producing twenty school plays. History
and English major covering and instructing 25-30
students annually in all subjects raising their reading
and math achievements by one grade level.
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Profile – Sample #3
Negotiator with expertise in negotiating contracts
from $10,000 to $ 1.2 million with over 250 different
clients, having an average closing rate of 89%.
Project manager experienced at supervising and
training 200 employees annually to fund raise and
interact with donors and business owners. Grant
proposal designer and researcher investigating and
requesting available funds that can be designated for
non profit use with an 85% approval rate. Fluent in
English and French.
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Profile – Sample #4
Portfolio analyst with expertise in developing financial
models to calculate net asset values. Team leader in
decision making process of setting up swap trades with
100% accuracy. Trading analyst responsible for Mickey’s
Hedge Fund, booking trades, backlogging and researching
past trades. Fluent in English and Spanish.
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
COVER LETTERS
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Cover Letters
Purpose of a Cover Letter
• A well-written cover letter:
– bridges the gap between your skills and experience and
the qualifications of the position
– commands the reader’s attention -- demonstrates
interest and knowledge in the industry and/or employer
– can be more subjective whereby you may cite opinions
voiced about you by previous employers, colleagues,
and customers as well as your personal opinions of how
well you think you do things
– is like an individual commercial where the most attractive
features are highlighted to GRAB THEIR ATTENTION!
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Elements of the Cover Letter
• Paragraph 1 - The Introduction
• Paragraphs 2 & 3: The Body (The “Sell”)
• Paragraph 4: Closing (The “Action”)
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Top 10 Cover Letter Tips
1. Send the letter to the appropriate person
• More effective if sent to a specific person. If unknown, “Dear
Hiring Manager”
2. Research the employer
• Tailor your resume to them!
3. Take your time
• When responding to openings, wait and send your resume and
letter out a few days after
4. Time your letters and follow-up calls effectively
• Time your follow-up call no more than three days after sending
your information
5. Keep it to ONE page!
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Top 10 Cover Letter Tips
6. Leave qualifiers out of your letter
• Leave out “I feel that..” or “I think that..”
7. Count the “I’s” in your letter
• Careful not to overuse this
8. Retain a copy
• Don’t send out everything
9. Match your stationery
• Stay conservative
10. Reread your letter
• This is your last chance to make a first impression! Make it count!
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
SAMPLE COVER
LETTERS
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Cover Letter – Sample #1
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Cover Letter – Sample #2
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
EXERCISE
Writing your own profile!
Effectively Marketing Yourself
Fall 2006
Thank You and Good Luck
Professional Career Services
(410) 290-1934
www.careerservices.jhu.edu