Know-How Exchange : Career/Training

Dear rum68br,

Your pain is evident. Been there. Done that.

Here are a few ideas to consider.

First, take command.

The only way your ship's going to turn around is by you taking the wheel issuing the order "All Ahead: FULL". To do this you've got to decide where you want to go, so you'll need a map and, more importantly, a compass to steer by.

To paraphrase Tony Robbins, most people know what to do, but they don't do what they know.

You know about marketing—and you're about to learn a whole lot MORE, but in order to do this you need to assert command.

You MUST take responsibility for fixing your life. The good news is that by posting here you're already taking those crucial first steps and you'd be stunned how many people do not, can not, or will not take those steps.

You already know a good amount, now, it's time to study the masters. So you need to hit the books and educate yourself.
If you read (and re-read) ten of the top business-related books
connected to your specific field of marketing over the next six weeks you'll know as much if not more than 80 percent of your
competition in the job market.

You then use what you've learned to make yourself visible and you do this as follows: set up a simple blog, complete a full profile on LinkedIn, set up a business-related Twitter account, a business-based Facebook account, and begin positioning yourself as the go to expert.

Now, first, yes, Twitter and Facebook are social media portals, with the emphasis on the social side of things. But this does NOT mean they cannot be used as ways to create an opening.

Twitter posts are based on the the 80/20 rule, with 20 percent of the posts being informing posts and 80 percent being me me me posts. When people are looking for information on Twitter they want the former, not necessarily the latter.

And when you give useful information the fact that the material came from you is what counts, even though you sourced the material from elsewhere.

There are only two ways that we become authority figures: we are either appointed as gurus, or we decide to become them.

Consider using LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to drive appropriate traffic to your blog and on your blog consider posting original written content that shows your thinking processes, and consider posting videos of you in action so that people can see you and get the measure of what you know and how you come across.

By doing this you'll brand yourself as a valuable source of content and be default, you'll become the figure of authority. As your reputation grows, so will your following.

This won't be easy but by doing this you'll be doing something far different from the vast majority and it's this one thing that will set you apart from the crowd.

To make this work, to find out what works for other people, find those people, look at what they're doing and then emulate their actions. This is called modeling and as a tool it's really effective at anchoring new or recently learned behaviors and actions.

For you to become the ideal candidate you must exude the qualities of that candidate, even though you might, on paper at least, appear to lack the experience a potential employer is looking for.

Will this work? Is this guaranteed? No. But it's better than doing nothing and it will at the very least give you an outlet and help to build your skill level.

These might help:

https://mashable.com/2009/03/13/twitter-jobs/

https://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1903083,00.html

https://personaldividends.com/lifestyle/miranda/4-social-media-sites-that-c...

https://mashable.com/2009/01/05/job-search-secrets/

www.trulytimes.com/business...youtube-to-find...job/3854/ -

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eTDnSnDMgE

https://www.trulytimes.com/business-news/video-boy-14-uses-youtube-to-find-...

I hope this helps. Good luck to you.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

When I first read your question I assumed you were a young person just starting out after spending your year traveling. However, your profile says that you've been in advertising for 20 years. That should give you ample fodder to prove your experience unless you are aiming a bit too high or in industries that you aren't experienced in.

I would suggest retargeting the job search to be sure you aim for opportunities that you really are qualified for. Don't waste your time trying to sell yourself into a role that you don't fit. Right now this is especially true as it is a buyer's market for talent. Employers can look for 99% fits instead of making do with someone who has 80% of the background they are looking for.

You should also feel good that you have been called for an interview. Just because you didn't get the job and they cited background does not mean it wasn't a hard call on their part. Even the most highly qualified job seekers right now have to learn to deal with rejection very well.

While you are in your current role, I wouldn't try to "boil the ocean" with your boss. Look for the one project that can have an impact and see if you can get him/her to let you take on that project. While everything else is falling apart, you have to look for ways to be successful and add value in the role you are in.

Good luck!

Melissa

Some good advice above. I'd also suggest that you figure out exactly what it is you want to do, what company you want to work for, and deep-dive the research on that company and opportunity. If you don't know, then your main job becomes figuring that out.

You need to treat your job search (or career plan) as a marketing project. Identify your target audience, develop a clear and compelling positioning statement (for yourself), and then lay out the implementation plan. You will find that this process has many advantages, greatly increases your chances of success, and reduces the stress that often accompanies the job search process.

This is the very philosophy at the core of The Potato Chip Difference. The book's subtitle is How to apply leading edge marketing strategies to landing the job you want. It sounds like this is what you need.

I wonder if you're not getting honest feedback during your recent interviews (or you're not doing a good job marketing yourself). If you have the expertise you've cited, and people "seem" to like you (but don't hire you), you need to dig deeper. If you made a good impression with the interviewers, re-contact them for mentoring help. You're not begging for a job or a re-interview, you're honestly trying to figure out what's wrong with your presentation in their eyes.