Continuing from the last post about your job search and the SWOT Analysis, let’s talk about the 4 P’s of Marketing (great overview and more details here)

In most of my marketing classes this was a pivotal model/point… it seemed that all decisions came back to at least one of the P’s.  Here’s how you can think of the 4 P’s of marketing and your job search… remember, you are CEO of Me, Inc. and you CAN NOT neglect (self) marketing!

Product - What is your product?  This could include what your personality is… do you tend to be a rainmaker (sales, working with the customer) or a peacekeeper (admin staff, negotiations).  Are you analytical, creative, thoughtful, strategic, and/or good at execution?  Have a heart-to-heart with yourself and figure out what you really bring to the table - not only will you be able to know how to sell your strengths better, you’ll not sell your weaknesses (and dislikes).  For example, I can be analytical, but I really don’t like to do analytical work… digging deeper and deeper into the numbers does not bring me any happiness… why was I trying to be a business analyst??

Price - What is the lowest you can make?  Is it $35k/year?  Is it $65k/year?  What is the highest you think you are worth (honestly)?  If you had a business where you were going to hire YOU, how much do you think you’d be worth?  I remember before I got out of school I told my executive uncle how much I wanted to make in my first job and he just laughed at me.  Shoot high, of course, but a big dose of honesty here (especially in a depressed economy… does the current economy change your numbers any, considering your competition will likely go down to their lowest price?).

Place -Traditionally we like to think of a job as going to a place… a factory, a building, etc.  Can you bring home the bacon by sitting at home and working on a high speed connection, or working out of a Starbucks, or from your car (I call this “windshield time”)?  If you have an office, do you have to be there (ever)?  Lots of people are working remotely now… what does this mean for you - what tools do you need, what discipline, mindset do you need to be successful at this?  If you need to come into an office and have that social experience, maybe this will limit the opportunities you can apply to?

Promotion - This makes me think of “personal branding.”  What are you doing to ensure that your customer (boss/employer) and their customers know who you are and why you are valuable (ie, why you should be fired or replaced)?  Hiring you is not the end - you need to continually let them know what you are bringing to the table, and what wins you are creating.  Use technology like blogs, create newsletters, make sure you network (internally and externally)… and read Brag!

The SWOT post was about evaluating the competitive landscape and the competition… this post is about defining your ideal (or dream) job… go ahead, have some fun with this - spend an hour thinking about these P’s and what you are and how you fit in… perhaps it will change how you do your job search?

I got a business degree (with an emphasis in Computer Information Systems) and then an MBA, and if there is something that permeated my educational experience is was the SWOT analysis.

Trying to figure out if a new product line should roll out?  Do a SWOT.  Trying to size up a new opportunity?  Do a SWOT.  Wondering how viable your company will be in the next few years?  Do a SWOT.  Can’t figure out why your company is having problems, or losing market share?  Do a SWOT!

I heard that for YEARS.  The problem with SWOT is that it is too simplistic - the power of a SWOT is hidden because of the simplicity.  But it really does give you terrific insight into issues - even your own career issues.  Here’s what SWOT is, and how it applies to YOU:

Strengths: What are the strengths you bring to the table?  Be honest here, and even get input from others who know you well.  We’re talking about soft skills, hard skills, certifications, experience, ability to perform, etc.   Are you better than someone else with your same job title?  Why?  How can you describe how you are better?

Weaknesses: Again, you need to be honest here (unless, of course, dishonesty is one of your weaknesses :p).  What are things you can improve on?  Or put another way, what are things that your competition is stronger at, where you won’t be able to compete as well?  It’s critical to understand - put yourself in the place of a hiring manager, comparing you and your competitor (the other person in the interview)… how what would they see as your weaknesses?

Opportunities: Are there opportunities for you to grow, or for you to solve a problem?  Are their environmental circumstances that you can help with?  I met a guy who loves the second-hand market, with the goal of decreasing the amount of stuff going into our landfills.  Guess what - there’s plenty of opportunities for someone who can marry the GREEN initiatives with corporate politics (this guy could do it) - he figured it was a time to reinvent his career path… are there opportunities you can address?

Threats: What can get in the way of your current path, or a new path (as revealed in the Opportunities section)?  Can government regulation get in the way, or environmental issues, or competition?  Are “low barriers to entry” an issue?  For example, right now it’s pretty easy to call yourself a “social media expert,” because there are no barriers to entry… I would not suggest you move down that path, as it is muddy.  What are things that can threaten you, your plan, your career future?

Take an hour and do a SWOT on yourself, or the career path you think you want to pursue!  Write it down, keep it close to you, and update it as you think about it - this should be a fluid document.

A few days ago I blogged about my job search, and that it turned out dramatically different than I had planned.

One thing I’ve learned since that job search, and since I started my own company, is there is one thing more important than almost any other thing you’ll have, find or prepare for your job search.

Your network.

(I didn’t like the idea of ‘networking’ when I first heard of it, as I thought it was quite superficial… but as I learned about it more I embraced it and soon saw the value in it.)

I was told I would find my next job through my network (this was bad news, as my network was quite depleted)…

I’ve learned in my own business that my company’s success can be found through my network.

You cannot neglect networking in the job search - if you have, do yourself a favor and pick up Never Eat Alone - this is the book that changed the way I thought about professional relationships forever, and for the better!

In my first “real” job, where I had a professional position (excluding Taco Bell and such jobs), I got to witness something quite interesting.  I was an intern, still finishing school, when the company announced it wsa going to close the office and consolodate back to the corporate headquarters.

I didn’t care much because I didn’t see myself working there after school (awesome company, but I wasn’t planning on staying in that town).  I didn’t understand the depth of this decision, though, until I started listening to coworkers issues.

Most everyone was offered relocation assistance, but hardly anyone took it.  Why?  Because people were so entrenched in their life in that town they had no intention of uprooting their families and moving to a completely different town.

Some people had kids from a previous marriage, and were absolutely not going to move, as they knew they would not be able to see their kids as much as they should…

I’m guessing this was a “hard” decision for corporate to make (although it didn’t really affect any of them personally), but it was a significant decision for each family in that office to make.

My boss came to me, since I worked on the intranet, and asked me to load some documents and links talking about change, and how to cope with change.  Again, I didn’t understand the scope of this decision since it didn’t really affect me.

Fast-forward a number of years, to when I got laid off.  My layoff (as yours, probably) was a business decision - not a personal decision.  It didn’t affect the people who made the decision, but it certainly affected my life, and my family’s future.

After the excitement died down, and the job search dragged on, despair sunk in, and all I wanted was a job.  Even a job that paid significantly less.  Just let me move on from “unemployed!”

But that didn’t happen.  Things took a dramatic turn for me, a turn I never could have guessed… I’m sure that many others, perhaps thousands of others, who also had a different outcome than they would have imagined.

I wonder how many job seekers are looking for “normal” who are not ever going to find it, and instead, find something dramatically different than what they ever imagined?

Perhaps you?

Have you recently heard any say they want to go into the vinal records industry?

I doubt it.

Why? Because it’s an industry that seems to have had it’s day… it’s done (not really… check out this 2007 article titled Vinyl May Be Final Nail in CD’s Coffin).

Can you interview to be the salesperson for vinal records? Or the operations manager at the plant where vinal records are manufactured? Or a broker, project manager, buyer, product manager, marketing manager, etc?

I think you’ll be hard pressed to find anything. Mention to someone that you are looking for a job in this space and you’ll probably get looks of “are you nuts?”

Let’s take this extreme example and change it around a tiny bit: ask yourself why you are looking for a job at a _______ company.

________ could be related to the size of the company, or the size of the industry, or a geographic location, etc.

I’ve seen tens of thousands of professionals look for jobs in the last few years, and I sometimes wonder if they are barking up the wrong tree. Perhaps what they should be looking at is something entrepreneurial. Or something to help create multiple streams of income. Or something that is NOT a job at ________ company.

Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?

Maybe in a few years it will sound as crazy as … looking for a job at a vinal records company.

Are you barking up the wrong tree?

Quality Education Sites -

Research Papers - Looking for professional assistance with writing research papers? Here you can find a lot of information on how to pick up a good topic, how to write an introduction or an outline of the paper.

Research Paper Writing - Help with writing research papers! MLA and APA research paper examples! Thousands of ideas on how to choose and interesting topic for your paper!

Essay Writing - Years of experience and hard work now serve your academic needs! The most professional help with essay writing you can find online. Good essay samples are available here as well.

Custom Essay - Order top quality custom essay now! No matter what the topic of your essay is, we can help you! BestEssay4u.com is a custom writing company you can trust!

A few years ago I needed to relocate and was looking for a realtor.  Granted, I wasn’t a traditional “hiring manager” in a big company, with a job description and a Monster account.

I was just a dude who needed to engage with a professional.

Kind of like what your next boss is… just a person who needs to engage with a professional (YOU).

I lived in a modest neighborhood, and had the biggest floor plan in the neighborhood.  I certainly don’t say this to boast (hey, I said it was modest), but if you’ve ever sold a house you know you don’t want to sell the most expensive (or biggest) house in the neighborhood, especially if you want to make money.

We loved our house and I had an idea of what I wanted to make on it.  It was 16% over what any other house in our neighborhood went for.  The market wasn’t very good…. but I really wanted to get what I thought the house was worth.

I made a call to a realtor who we knew, but she didn’t think we could sell it for that much.  That’s fine, realtors know their stuff, and this was more than she wanted to take on.  I imagine she had other clients who were demanding and in the end they felt it was her fault…. so no problem there.

I can’t remember why we didn’t call the realtor who sold us the house - I’m guessing she didn’t keep up a good relationship with us.

The next realtor I talked with came out to our house, looked around, and listened to me say how much I wanted for it.  He knew it was more than I should have been asking… the commission difference wasn’t much for him, but I really wanted a certain price.

He thought about it and finally said “Okay, let’s do it!”  He actually put some serious thought into it… it wasn’t just a whim.

You know what? I hired him.  For one reason.  Because he believed he could do it.  He believed it could work.  He had the right attitude - and I didn’t want to hire someone who only half-way believed.

Two lessons here - can you believe in what you are interviewing for?  And, are you showing that you believe it (I’m one to put on a poker face)?

Attitude.  It got him hired.

The question is, what is going to influence a hiring manager to actually hire someone?  You need to be able to answer this question - in generally, and hopefully specifically as it relates to the hiring manager who is interviewing you.

Last week I wrote The underqualified candidate, which I’ve had on my mind for quite a while.  One of my points was, are we shooting too high, and therefore missing everything we are shooting for?  I was shooting too high (GM, VP, CIO) and too low (business analyst, project manager), and wasn’t getting any interviews.  I didn’t take a proper inventory of my skills, which led to a long, dreadful job search.

In the comments Emily makes some strong points - I’ll respond over there in the comments when I’m done with this post, but let me share some reasons why I hired people:

To get the job done. I’ve heard that people only hire for two reasons - two make the company money, or to save the company money.  When I was interviewing people I didn’t have that in mind - I had a good idea of the job I was hiring for (usually they were new positions, so I had created the job descriptions and had the end goals in mind - usually operational).  Perhaps make/save money is a good definition for C-level job seekers, but at the level I was hiring I had very defined roles and knew what they should be able to do.

To make me look good. I quickly learned I would go to management meetings and get feedback on my hiring decisions.  Sometimes it was really positive, sometimes it was negative, sometimes it was petty - but it always came from my peers or from executives in the company.  I want you to make me look good, which shows that I can make good decisions.  Screw it up and I look bad.  I’m trying to figure out, in the interview and resume, how to make sure I don’t look like a dolt for a bad hiring decision.

To test people out. In that post Emily reiterates that I was hiring interns.  Guess what - I call hiring interns a “try before you buy” opportunity.  I could hire you for a semester and see if you really were as good as you seemed to be.  If you were, I’d extend it or offer you somethign permanent.  If you didn’t work out (your work wasn’t up to speed, you didn’t know how to communicate with others, or you simply didn’t fit in) we could easily part ways.  Don’t think for a second that people aren’t evaluating you ALL THE TIME, even after you land that job (whether it’s an internship or a C-level position).

To get rid of a headache. I don’t want to add more expenses on my payroll if I don’t have to - when I finally do it it’s because I can’t stand a certain headache anymore.  I want you to come in and be (as a professor once told me high speed, low drag (meaning, get the job done well and quickly, and be very little overhead for me).

To create opportunity. This goes back to the “make money” thing I mentioned earlier.  One hire I couldn’t make but really wanted to was an older sales professional - a rainmaker.  I really wanted to hire him to bring in extra revenue… but the board didn’t approve it.  Bad, bad decision on their part.  If I could have I would have hired him so fast.

There are other reasons why people hire…. you need to ask yourself: what are you bringing to the table? In order to know if that’s valuable or not, you need to know why the hiring manager across the table from you is wanting to hire someone.

Did you know that Career Resumes offeres LinkedIn Profile makeovers?  If Career Resumes did your resume it’s only an additional $125 for the LinkedIn makeover - if Career Resumes hasn’t done your resume it’s only $200 (if it is more, they will tell you why).

Here’s my opinion - most LinkedIn Profiles are weak.  I did a consultation a few weeks ago and found 13 different areas where the person could improve - some of these areas are easy to change, others will take some time.  Most people write a weak LinkedIn Summary… this is where Career Resumes professional resume writers come in.

How’s your LinkedIn Profile?  How much time have you spent on it?  Is it communicating the right message about you?

I once interviewed about fifteen people for an intern programmer position.  The seemingly most-qualified person had about twenty programming languages on his resume (for me, that was a red flag).

The least qualified person came in and the discussion went something like this (after I reviewed her resume):

me: so do you have any programming experience?

her: no.

me: …. do you have any desktop or networking experience?

her: no.

me: ….  …. do you have any design or analyst experience?

her: no.

me: …. …. …. do you have any customer service experience?

her: no.

me: okay, well, I really need someone who as some kind of computer experience - I’m sorry, this isn’t going to work out.

I could not believe it - I thought maybe she left some stuff off her resume, but in fact she really didn’t have any reason to be in that room.  Unless perhaps a professor told her she should get some experience interviewing.

I was disgusted, mad she wasted my time, but cracking up because this was the craziest interview I had that never should have happened.

When I started my job search I was that guy who thought I was ‘good enough.’  Then I realized I was competing with people, for the same job title, who had decades (DECADES) of experience more than I did.  (I was looking for general manager and VP positions)

I was not qualified to be in any of those interviews.

I wonder how many job seekers are trying for jobs that they simply aren’t qualified for?  More than would admit, I’m guessing.

How about you?

Have you come across any ethical issues in your job search?  I’m not referring to the company’s stuff, I’m referring to what a job seeker does.

This week I saw a blog post (I can’t find it now) that talked about a job seeker who wanted to apply for a job, but wanted to get more information first.  So he created a fake job posting, similar to what he was applying to, and gathered resumes and salary information from people who applied to his fake posting, to create a compelling pitch for the real posting.

Yuck.

Some comments said it was brilliant, and even though unethical, it is how we need to survive in today’s world.

Other comments made it clear that it was unethical and the guy will probably get his justice later.

I think it’s sad that we stoop to that level and justify it … however, during my own job search I saw my values, ethics and judgements continually challenged.  It was a very trying time.

In contrast to that story, and not to look like a goody-goody, I’ll share a different story.  I remember when I interviewed at a really cool company for the perfect job for me.  I was very interested in this job, but I had just met a guy who was a much better fit than I was.

I introduced him to the hiring manager, and he got the job.

I GAVE THE JOB AWAY.

How’d I feel?  Terrific.  I don’t remember getting a thanks for that referral, but it sure felt good to “do a good deed.”

When we are at our lowest, we can choose if we are going to be unethical (and blame our behavior on our circumstances) or we can choose to do the right thing.

I have no regrets about giving that job away.

Which path would you take?