What Brand are you ?

Graham Seldon, Managing Director, Seldon Gill Consulting

We are all guilty of stereotyping and as marketers we tend to gravitate towards smart packaging and strong, confidant brands.  This is never truer than when recruiting.  The adage that “like attracts like” is true, but so often candidates forget to pay attention to their own personal brand, or worse they try to pass themselves off as something else.  Everyone needs to be able to sell themselves, but no-one wants to pay for DKNY and get DONKEY!

Here are some things to consider when entering your ‘brand’ into the job market or applying for specific jobs:

What’s your offering?  Have you done your own honest analysis on your career to date?  For example :

• Strengths = good academics, solid tenure in previous roles (2-3 years+), relevant industry experience, relevant skill set, good references from previous managers.
• Weaknesses = moved jobs frequently, poor or unfinished qualifications, lack of relevant industry experience, mismatch in skills.
• Level = Are you at the appropriate level for the role?  For example, if you have only 3 years’ experience do you truly think you’re ready to apply for a manager role?  If the role asks for extensive bid management experience does the fact that you helped out on a major tender count?
• Knowledge = What’s your level of expertise?  Are you a specialist or a generalist?  Do you have knowledge/experience that is unique or niche?  Understanding your USP (unique selling point) can help you focus on winning the job.

Your resume is your product brochure! Once you have worked through some or all of the above points review your resume and make sure it is a true reflection of who you are and what you have done.  Tips on writing your resume can be found here

Marketing candidates should have the best resumes.  It is your opportunity to demonstrate how to put a winning document together. This means concise, focused and well presented (i.e. professional fonts).  NOT 6+ pages of logo riddled, swirly fonted, self aggrandising text. And definitely no pearls of wisdom nicked from Shakespeare or Management Gurus.  Recruiters or potential employers don’t need to know that “the true measure of success is the weight of your heart” etc, etc.  
Presenting a confident brand means presenting a resume that reflects your style but makes reference to that fact that your skills match the position description.  

Presenting the product.  Candidates who perform well in interviews understand how best to present themselves and promote the skill set that is being sought.  Looking the part cannot be overestimated right down to the briefcase you carry and the notebook you use.  Big shiny handbags, flowery notebooks and mobile phones attached to your wrists send a message, and it’s probably not the right one.
During the interview LISTEN to the question (obvious) and be honest in your answers (even more obvious). No-one likes politician like answers – if they ask you what your weaknesses are don’t start this line of dialogue:  “Well that’s a very interesting question because my weaknesses are probably also my strengths……”  Are you buying it??  Don’t expect them to either! When asked about your career experience, focus your answers with relevant examples.  It can be tempting to start a monologue about your entire career, or to highlight the things that you are most interested in or proud of. However, remember that the interviewer is keen to hear examples that closely match the job description.  Make sure you have done your own skills assessment and can focus appropriately.  For more information on interview Do’s and Don’ts click here

Setting the Right Price. The market has changed, but like always some skills are more in demand than others. It is important that you understand several things.  Firstly what the job is worth – this is not the same as what you think you are worth.  At Seldon Gill we work hard to ensure we closely match skill sets to position descriptions and that candidates at the appropriate level are shortlisted.  Secondly, in the post GFC market, clients are not as prepared to pay over the odds to secure talent.  For some they have waited over 12 months to hire a marketing or BD specialist, another few months won’t hurt.  Other clients are creating new jobs and therefore are guided by us as to what the salary band should be. It’s a supply and demand issue.  We can help you establish what your true value is but remember you can’t always put a value on opportunity.

So before you send off your resume, take time to ensure you have truly thought about what you are offering and presenting to the market.  Better still, call us and we can help you.  We have represented some of the World’s best brands – who knows the next one could be you!