Continuing from the last post about your job search and the SWOT Analysis, let’s talk about the 4 P’s of Marketing (great overview and more details here)
In most of my marketing classes this was a pivotal model/point… it seemed that all decisions came back to at least one of the P’s. Here’s how you can think of the 4 P’s of marketing and your job search… remember, you are CEO of Me, Inc. and you CAN NOT neglect (self) marketing!
Product – What is your product? This could include what your personality is… do you tend to be a rainmaker (sales, working with the customer) or a peacekeeper (admin staff, negotiations). Are you analytical, creative, thoughtful, strategic, and/or good at execution? Have a heart-to-heart with yourself and figure out what you really bring to the table – not only will you be able to know how to sell your strengths better, you’ll not sell your weaknesses (and dislikes). For example, I can be analytical, but I really don’t like to do analytical work… digging deeper and deeper into the numbers does not bring me any happiness… why was I trying to be a business analyst??
Price – What is the lowest you can make? Is it $35k/year? Is it $65k/year? What is the highest you think you are worth (honestly)? If you had a business where you were going to hire YOU, how much do you think you’d be worth? I remember before I got out of school I told my executive uncle how much I wanted to make in my first job and he just laughed at me. Shoot high, of course, but a big dose of honesty here (especially in a depressed economy… does the current economy change your numbers any, considering your competition will likely go down to their lowest price?).
Place -Traditionally we like to think of a job as going to a place… a factory, a building, etc. Can you bring home the bacon by sitting at home and working on a high speed connection, or working out of a Starbucks, or from your car (I call this “windshield time”)? If you have an office, do you have to be there (ever)? Lots of people are working remotely now… what does this mean for you – what tools do you need, what discipline, mindset do you need to be successful at this? If you need to come into an office and have that social experience, maybe this will limit the opportunities you can apply to?
Promotion – This makes me think of “personal branding.” What are you doing to ensure that your customer (boss/employer) and their customers know who you are and why you are valuable (ie, why you should be fired or replaced)? Hiring you is not the end – you need to continually let them know what you are bringing to the table, and what wins you are creating. Use technology like blogs, create newsletters, make sure you network (internally and externally)… and read Brag!
The SWOT post was about evaluating the competitive landscape and the competition… this post is about defining your ideal (or dream) job… go ahead, have some fun with this – spend an hour thinking about these P’s and what you are and how you fit in… perhaps it will change how you do your job search?
