How to Get a Job

How to get a job

3 Principles of a Successful Job Search 

(three takeaways from Dr. Zafar Iqbal)

When we talk about a successful job search, a good resume and compelling cover letter are necessary for a successful job search. That is the reason why most universities provide a career center that can help you build your resume and cover letter. In this post, I am going to discuss three essentials for a successful job search. 

1. Start Now

Now. Yes, I mean it. Start your job hunting right now. It does not matter whether today is your first or last semester as a student, or you are a fresh graduate, or you need professional development. Start now is a simple step, yet, crucial. People often procrastinate their start. Start building your network from 2 to 3 degrees. And if you are a student, “don’t just be a student.” Be a proactive student. If you are seeking career development, “don’t wait for the perfect job.” Just like what Steve Jobs said in Stanford 2015 commencement,

"If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle." - Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

2. Introspection and Extroversion

  • Eliminate and include through internal thought

Build your own story from your resume. Connect the dots of your pattern. Rational your path by sitting with your resume and experience.

For example, Dr. Zafar Iqbal was a mechanical engineer 30 years ago. Now, he is a Marketing Professor. With his mechanical engineering degree, he can communicate the complexity. Speaking about Marketing and Complexity, “solving marketing complexity is not about just about getting the next campaign right. It's about a new philosophy of marketing strategy – a new type of understanding, where micro-changes in individual behavior yield large changes in macro results (Icosystem).” There are patterns everywhere in your life. Again, try to sit with your resume and ask yourself, “What is my story?” As you figure out your pattern, draw your line, believe your story, tailor your story to 2-3 minutes, talk.

  • Talk! Talk! Talk!

Now that you have a 2-3 minute story. Try to ask feedbacks from your peers, set up an appointment with your professor, or set a one-on-one meeting with your colleague. Try to see if you have a fruitful conversation.

Don’t be afraid to start a conversation, especially if you are an International Student. Talk, even though you know that the company does not hire International Students. Why? Because you never know if they'd employ International Students in the future.

3. Apply the 50-30-20 Rules

Similar to the 50/30/20 Budgeting Rules, this rule requires networking, utilize the job finding platforms, and your application.

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The most asked question prior to networking is

How do you network?

Develop networks through friends, family, professors, alumni, and people in your LinkedIn network. You can start with a chat:

 "Dear NAME,

[Introduce yourself and your association]. I found your contact information through [your association office/an alumni/an event/a friend]. I want to respect your time. [Connect your education, experience, expertise]. I’d love to chat with you for 30 minutes of your time and hear more about what you do at [his/her company].

Sincerely,

YOURNAME”

Other ways to network:

  • Early Coffee Session

  • Happy Hour Event

From here, continue building the relationship with your network. While you make your network, use your 30% to find job opportunities through Handshake (largest career community for students and recent grads), research, job fairs, and on-campus events.

When you already sat with your resume, have your 2-3 minutes story, list of networks, applying for jobs should take only 20% of your job findings time. Now, it's time to start!

If you have any questions or thoughts, please leave a comment below.

P.S.: Shoutout to Kellstadt Marketing Group for hosting the event!

Sources:

How to Stand Out as a Marketing Applicant

How to stand out as a marketing applicant

The American Marketing Association published an article last month about how you can stand out in the job market as a marketing applicant. The author of the article was Tom Gimbel, who is in charge of staffing and recruiting services for various industries and is CEO of the LaSalle Network.

The first thing is to make sure you have a strategy outlined for the whole process of finding, applying, and landing a job that you are interested in.

Before even applying anywhere, take a self-assessment and understand the implications of compatibility. Understand the different types of cultures, environments, and people working in different places and how you may fit with one type vs. the other. Know if you would prefer working a little bit with a lot of people, or working through more complex issues with fewer clients.

After assessing yourself, you should have a decent idea of which type of companies and industries you should be applying for positions in. For each company that captures your interest, make sure to do some in-depth research to make sure they fit your needs and that you have value to bring them. It’s crucial to make sure that they don’t have a lot of employees quitting regularly and that the industry is not stagnating or in decline altogether. Make sure to check on keywords in the job description and that you meet the qualifications to be considered.

Tom cites a survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit; it revealed that candidates with a higher proficiency in HTML and CSS coding, data analytics, and graphic design are getting ahead of others. If you aren’t sure if you are proficient enough to put it on your resume, the best thing to do is take a course, shadow a marketer, or simply start reading from reputable sources on the subject. This is the only way to not deceive an employer, and the overwhelming majority of employers will catch deceit. Most importantly, it’s essential to research and know what the company wants in relation to what you can give, and to also put yourself in the shoes of the hiring manager.

Lastly, the interview will decide whether or not you stand out as an applicant among all the other marketing applicants. Tom gives some great advice here, which is to show self-awareness. Don’t start listing off weaknesses or anything like that, but if asked about one then make sure to explain how the weakness if being addressed. Not many people would ask “do you have any hesitations about my background?”, but according to Tom it shows a lot of confidence (but ONLY if you can address each thing the interviewer brings up on the spot).

As we learned in KMG’s How To Get a Job workshop in January, be prepared to ask questions about the position and the company. To not have any questions shows there is not a lot of interest and a lazy approach to landing the job, at least compared to somebody that does ask questions. Tom also suggests preparing to tell the interviewer how you could implement a strategy to help their company grow, and while I agree, I would recommend to not go into high level strategy stuff that is not relevant to the position you are applying for. For example, if I’m applying for an entry level marketing position at Google, I am not going to start making suggestions in the interview for how Google use a certain celebrity for a creative new commercial idea.

If a marketing applicant can find a good balance of these tactics, it shows two critical skills the that marketing managers are looking for in new-hires: (1) problem solving and (2) critical thinking. This shows you did your homework, and every company expects their marketers to do their homework before making any suggestion or taking any action. Asking good questions and making appropriate suggestions for improvement in performance should lead to great conversations and will put your chances above the majority without a doubt. This doesn’t guarantee 100% success for your dream job, but it will guarantee your ability to be among the final candidates considered at all the companies where you do this.

7 Important Hacks For Effective Social Media Marketing

7 important hacks for effective social media marketing

In a recent article on forbes.com, Jimmy Rohampton lays out important tips on how to increase the effectiveness for successful social media marketing.

  1. Organize the content of your postings to attract more followers

  2. Tag a prominent social media user to increase the chances of spreading your message to wider audiences

  3. Draw attention to the timing of your posts on social media

  4. Follow trends on social media sites to get your brand involved in more online discussions

  5. Use social media tools such as IFTTT to manage your business’ online profiles

  6. Launching contents to promote interest in your product and to spread awareness of both the content and your brand

  7. Use tact when following people on social media- try aiming to connect with people who are in your business field

These 7 tips are just a few examples among seemingly endless possibilities to perform better on social media by driving more engagement, broadening reach, and most importantly increasing the ROI.  Check out the article if you would like a further explanation of each tip!