Sell yourself to potential employers

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Dear Mr. Walberg:
In recent "Getting Hired" columns you have referred to "selecting employers" rather than just "looking for a job.". Could you elaborate on that concept? What is the difference? If I am job searching, I am looking for a job. So, how would that be different than selecting an employer?
E-mail from R.D., Atlanta area

Dear R.D.:
I didn't intend to get into a battle of semantics, so let's talk about the mechanics of the search process, not just the words.
"Looking for a job," for many people, is posting a resume online, checking out the classified job listings, responding to everything that looks promising, and basically waiting for something to happen. That's my take on the basic approach to job searching, and in today's economy it's not enough. In fact, it hasn't been enough for many years.
"Selecting employers" requires a lot more work, but gets far better results. Let's start with the basics:
-- If you're going to sell a product, you must have product knowledge. Know all about YOU -- your strengths, your weaknesses, your skills and talents, and most important, your accomplishments in workplace experiences, either for pay, in school, or in volunteer activities. It's what you have done, not what you have been paid for doing.
-- You must be able to identify what you want to do, and explain it clearly in just a couple of minutes, to anyone in any field of work. That's how you network.
-- You must put yourself in networking situations, socially and professionally, as often as possible.
-- You must "work the room" not just spread the word. Network actively, gather names, and follow up with contacts. Keep your name alive.
-- Do the homework. Using contacts and the Internet, get to know companies that need people like you. Get names of human relations people, department heads, managers and owners. Don't worry if they're not hiring, just whether they need someone like you to be more profitable.
-- Put it all together by following up network contact leads and making direct contact with employers you have identified. Get your product -- YOU -- in front of buyers -- EMPLOYERS - that need you. Sell, sell, and sell! That's what selecting an employer is all about.

Marvin Walberg is a job search coach. Contact him at mwalberg(at)bellsouth.net, marvinwalberg.blogspot.com, or PO Box 43056, Birmingham, AL 35243.

GETTING HIRED