Your job-search marketing plan only works if you work it
Most business experts advise companies to develop a sound, practical, realistic business plan. Similar advice is readily given to job seekers – with a twist.
Many job coaches will advise their clients to develop a marketing plan for themselves. These plans are constructed with the job seeker as the product that is being marketed.
These plans are especially useful for the 50+ job seeker as the process of developing the plan forces job seekers to differentiate themselves from others in order to make them stand out from competing job candidates. It also forces them to clarify their search goals which will, in turn, help them to focus on positions, companies and industries.
In the past we’ve elaborated on the importance of developing such a personal marketing plan and how it can benefit the job seeker in innumerable ways. And that’s all very true.
Because of the self-evaluation involved, the actual process of developing a plan is, in fact, one of its major advantages. To complete the process, the subject is forced to think things through and perhaps make some hard decisions.
In addition, there is one aspect a personal marketing that very closely parallels the business plan. As important as the process is in defining goals and strategies, etc., the personal marketing plan – and the business plan – are rendered useless if, once completed, they are effectively put on the shelf and forgotten.
Despite the forced self-evaluation, your personal marketing plan does no one any good if its not put into practice. Historically, this is the problem of many business plans – especially those plans for entrepreneurs. And this is also the case for the job seeker.
This is not to say that a completed plan is set in stone. Changes and modifications are many times the norm. Most experts agree that any manner of plan should be regularly revisited to ensure its efficacy.
Due to their nature, business plans are typically reviewed annually, semi-annually or quarterly. Your personal marketing plan requires a much shorter turnaround. After all, if your plan has been well crafted, you probably won’t – or certainly don’t want to be looking for your next position for 3-6 months… or longer from its creation.
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