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Interviews and Beyond

Interviews and Beyond

Your personalised marketing plan...

Marketing yourself

Marketing is a huge part of selling a product successfully and the same goes for selling yourself. Landing a job is about convincing an employer of the value of your skills and qualities. To do this you need a strategic and personalised marketing plan that throws the spotlight on your employability. In effect, you have to develop a walking, talking advertisement of yourself – one that says “you need me!”

Good habits, 24/7

Whether you are in your final or penultimate year of studies at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you can generate opportunities through actively and positively affecting others in your day-to-day life. Making a good first impression with everyone you meet is a good habit to get into, so start today.

First impressions

How long does it take for you to form an opinion of someone you meet? First impressions can have an instant and lasting impact.

Remember that others can quickly form judgements about you based on first impressions. Having the ability to make eye contact and to shake hands firmly, speak clearly and dress in professional business attire, will score big points right from day one.

Whether the form of contact is by phone, email, letter, face-to-face or teleconference, you have to be sure you are sending out the right signals with people you meet.

Self-marketing tips

  • Relax, smile and use positive body language
  • Be prepared for ice breaker questions, such as “Tell me about yourself?”
  • Don’t chew gum or cover your face/mouth with your hand
  • Establish rapport quickly and communicate with interest
  • Always speak politely and positively
  • Ask and remember the names of those you meet, including at an interview
  • Don’t slouch or sit with your feet on chairs
  • Shake hands firmly and long enough to notice eye colour
  • Turn the technology off when engaging in conversation.

Get your writing style right

Your first point of contact with an employer will usually be through a job application. Your résumé, cover letter and statements addressing selection criteria (see 'Writing a winning application') will be your primary self-marketing documents, so make sure they market your skills appropriately. Job applications reflect how you communicate, how you regard the employer and your level of care and attention to detail. They are also an example of your writing skills and illustrate how you are likely to communicate with colleagues. For all these reasons, it is worthwhile spending the time polishing your application. It is also good to have someone else read your application, as another pair of eyes can often pick up mistakes you have not noticed and provide constructive feedback.

Your email writing style should be just as professional as other written correspondence – even though a potential employer may respond informally, you cannot assume anything so it is best to keep to a formal style.

Oral & interpersonal style

It is important to make sure the greeting on your mobile phone and landline sounds friendly and professional. When you give out your phone number on a letter, résumé or application you are inviting calls from potential employers, so be prepared! Many interview processes will start at this first point of contact. Your email address also sends a message to employers, so keep it professional (ie. ditch the [email protected] ).

Networking

The number one way to market yourself effectively is by networking. For more information see the Networking  page on this site.

This article is taken from the 2007-08 edition of GCA's employer directory Graduate Opportunities .
Article by Lee Miles, Career Advisor/Work Experience Coordinator, Edith Cowan University.

© 2007 Graduate Careers Australia

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