Develop Marketing Strategy
1. Decide Target Job or Field of Work
Selecting a career field can be a difficult decision. Keep in mind that the average person changes careers 5 times in their lifetime so you are not limited to the choice you make now.
It is important to narrow your options to a particular field of work or family of jobs. This will help you to focus the direction you want to take your resume and cover letter and make it easier to decide what relevant information to include. Some people find it helpful to have two or three choices, rather than limiting themselves to one. Prioritze these choices though, so you can begin by targeting your first choice.
Employers prefer cover letters and resumes that are tailored to their requirements versus general documents so customizing your material greatly improves your chances of catching their attention!
If you are having trouble choosing a career field, visit the UTM Career Centre and ask a Career Assistant about relevant career resources, or meet with a Career Counsellor.
2. Research Employer Requirements
Employers consistently tell us that what impresses them the most are cover letters and resumes that demonstrate your knowledge of their business!
This means having a good understanding of the position you are seeking as well as having an appreciation for the key goals, products and customers of the company and challenges of the industry. In addition, it is beneficial to understand the culture of the company or organization as it helps determine your fit for the environment.
Researching the background is a critical step in effective cover letter and resume preparation because it allows you to tailor your experience and skills to the employer’s needs. This increase the chances that you will be noticed among the hundreds of other applicants!
To find out more about how to research: visit UTM Career Centre and ask a Career Assistant to help you locate relevant resources, browse our website and/or meet with our Employment Advisors or Career Counsellors.
Research completed? The next step is to document the 5 to 7 key employer requirements (qualifications) using a table format so you can also document your experience. Examples.
3. Assess Your Qualifications
Qualifications is a word used to summarize your skills, knowledge and personal characteristics as demonstrated through your experience.
Skills describe things you can do such as writing, analyzing, problem solving. Go beyond your paid experiences: think about your university studies; your extracurricular activities; cultural, religious, charity group and sports teams that you are involved in.
- To assess your skills use the skills inventory to make sure you understand all the skills you possess from your experiences.
Knowledge describes what you know such as Accounting terminology, Science theories or Human learning behaviours. Your university course content can be a major source of this kind of knowledge.
Employers also seek certain personal qualities or behaviours that have been proven to lead to success in the workplace. These are who you are and include traits like team player, integrity and self motivation.
Your experiences provide proof of your skills, knowledge and qualities; employers generally believe that if you have demonstrated these abilities in the past, then you will so for them.
Once you have identified your skills, knowledge and personal qualities- with examples to demonstrate your experience- then you can determine which of them match the job posting requirements and/or fit the culture of the company (based on your research).
View a documented qualifications match
By the way- knowing about your skills, knowledge and behaviours will make your interviews great too!
4. Link Your Qualifications with Employer Requirements
This step is very important because it shapes your marketing strategy. By linking examples that demonstrate your experience and/or skills, knowledge and character traits with the employer requirements, you are using a tailored approach to present yourself in cover letters, resume, networking contacts and interviews.
Once you understand why you are a good fit, it is much easier to communicate that to employers!
View a sample matching chart.