Learning how to market yourself is a critical life skill necessary to develop to achieve your career vision. Often, I get questions from people asking advice on what they can do to convince an employer to hire them. Career changers, veterans, recent graduates, and experienced candidates alike can all follow 3 universal rules in all their marketing efforts be it the resume, interview, or any other career marketing collateral. What are these 3 universal rules for marketing yourself? You can remember them with one word – R.E.D. Here they are:
3 Universal Rules for Convincing Employers to Hire You
- Relevance – No matter who you are, all employers need to understand how what you can offer is relevant to their needs. You may have a trophy case full of trophies, you may be a published author, or even a sought-after public speaker but no matter what your competencies, capabilities, or past achievements are, they don’t matter a bit unless they are relevant and you are capable of articulating them in a manner that is crystal clear.
- Evidence – Your opinion is only as good as the facts you have to support it. You may believe you are the best fit but evidence that backs your claims is what convinces employers. Don’t just make claims about how awesome you are – offer specific, focused, clear examples that prove you are the best choice.
- Differentiation – Articulating relevance alone isn’t enough because you can’t forget the competition. It is guaranteed that you will have other candidates competing for the same opportunity you want who also have highly relevant qualifications. You must articulate what differentiates you from the competition and what differentiates you must remain relevant and demonstrate value.
All three of these variables are critical and they work together. You may differentiate yourself but how you do so must be relevant. You may have evidence of claims but is your evidence so spectacular that it differentiates you? These three variables combine to form a basis of what one must do to effectively market themselves and “convince” employers. When I tell people this, they tell me it seems like common sense or it seems obvious and it does – but, putting it into action takes effort because it is a skill that must be developed. Don’t let the dust collect on your resume and don’t let the rust build on your interview skills. Use these three guiding principles when considering how to market yourself and practice!
What do you think about these 3 fundamental rules?
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