If you’re not a Marketing Executive, chances are you might not see any correlation between the creative discipline and your career. But taking some time to reflect on the concepts you learned in Marketing 101 in Business School might not be a bad idea. So much of executive career management comes down to marketing, only the product you’re trying to sell is yourself. Whether you’re in an active job hunt or trying to advance your career within your current company, you need to have a distinct brand and a unique value proposition, and you should be able to communicate those clearly and concisely to your boss, during an interview, or even in your 2-minute pitch at a networking event.

Marketing guru Seth Godin provides inspirational sound bites each day on his blog, many of which can be applied to your career management strategy. Two of his recent posts are particularly relevant: “The simple first rule of branding and marketing anything (even yourself)” and “No one ever bought anything in an elevator”. In these two articles, Godin stresses the importance of keeping your promises and learning how to create interest in your  personal brand.  Godin says: “Want a bigger brand? Make bigger promises. And keep them.” Keep this in mind when you’re striving for that next promotion or when negotiating to start a new opportunity. Exceeding expectations will create a positive brand image for yourself that will help open doors internally or externally.

Godin’s comments in “No one ever bought anything in an elevator,” stress the importance of the famous elevator pitch, but he takes a new spin on it. We all know that it’s important to hone our 2-mintue pitch and to practice it before going on an interview. But keep in mind that you aren’t going to get the job based on that pitch. Do it right though and you’ll get that next conversation, or that follow up interview. Your pitch needs to be engaging and compelling to leave the person you’re talking to interested to learn more. Make sure you’re focusing on things that make you stand out from other people who might have a similar background.

Finally, think of your resume/CV, your cover letter and your online profiles as your marketing collateral for yourself. Spend as much time on them as you would if you were charged with taking a new product to market. Make sure everything is well written, using compelling language, and that visually, they look nice, they’re easy to read and they invite the reader in to learn more.

If you’re not a marketing executive, this might not come easy to you. That’s why BlueSteps has a team of personal branding experts waiting to help you communicate and sell your unique value proposition. All members get complimentary consultations with our resume writing team and our coaches. So start thinking about your marketing – make sure you’re creating, communicating, and delivering value in everything that you do.

--

This article was written by Eryn Feinsod, Global Marketing Director, Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC).

BlueSteps is the exclusive service of the AESC that puts senior executives on the radar screen of over 8,000 executive search professionals in more than 75 countries. Be visible, and be considered for up to 75,000 opportunities handled by AESC search firms every year. Find out more at www.BlueSteps.com.