Step-by-Step Self-Marketing Plan
Gather your Resources: See http://kevinbuckleycpc.com for links to many articles on job search that accompany the following.
Review the publications and on-line resources which follow these Tips and create a list of emails and URLs/web addresses of sites you want to review.
Some of these sites should include:
- Review Association Websites in a specific industry sector as these often contain the names of industry member companies
- When you are reviewing an Association website, look for the Member's Directory as this will list company names
- Internet Recruiter Directory websites - this page in our Job Search Guide is a good place to start to identify recruiters
active in your industry
- McGill University has an excellent .pdf that provides updated links to research Industry Sectors in Canada
- The Canadian government has a Job Bank portal which lists Jobs across Canada
- Other resources could include Chambers of Commerce, Industry Trade Journals and Publications which are often
found in the Links area of an Association's website
- Salary averages in hundreds of different positions and companies - an excellent site for research
http://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/toronto-salary-SRCH_IL.0,7_IM976.htm
Do Research on the Internet:
To obtain names and contact information visit the websites of companies and click on their 'Contacts' or 'Locations'
or 'About Us' or 'Offices' pages. Some companies still list names and emails of hiring managers in one of these sections
of their site.
Concentrate on those Companies who can utilize your Experience:
If your experience is in the Far East for example, approach those companies which are active in Asian trade-lanes - forwarders, steamship companies, importers/exporters, trading companies.
Find out if there is a local Chamber of Commerce or Trade Commission for bi-lateral trade between Canada and your home country.
Sometimes these organizations will be aware of native-language newspapers or job-board resources which you can investigate.
Ensure that your Resume is error-free:
If English is your second language, have it reviewed by someone who is fluent in English to ensure that the text is clear and there are no mistakes in spelling, grammar or sentence construction. The same applies to any cover letter which you might wish to include.
Brief, concise and focused are the keywords in an e-resume; avoid lengthy descriptions and stick to bullet points that are easily
read and have been polished to eliminate unnecessary words. You don't need to tell the reader your life story.
Use a business-like email address that includes your name for ready identification in an Inbox:
Also, since you have an email address, be sure to note this in your resume and make the link active for people to follow up with you.
Avoid using an unusual/funny/silly/strange or otherwise un-businesslike tag for your email address. The person who has an email
tag like weirdman13@xxx.com isn't going to get many replies! If necessary, create a separate email account just for job search and
make certain that it identifies you by name. This makes it easier to find you in a list of hundreds of emails received.
Send your Resume to the right Hiring Authority:
If your background is sales & marketing, send your resume to the Sales Manager or Director of Sales. If your background is export operations, send it to the Export Manager, and so on. For the best result, send your resume to the person who would logically be involved in making a hiring decision for your experience level.
Research and verify the Spelling of the Hiring Authority's name:
It is more effective to send your resume to an actual person. We strongly recommend that you take the time to research the right name and position title of the intended recipient of your resume. Google search terms example: controller+toronto will bring up results
that include those search terms in the results. Search terms that include company/location/title will tend to identify the person who is in
that company, that city and that job. Another method is to use the universal '@' sign to identify potential contacts in a company, and add the location: '@ibm.com Mississauga'. Experiment, search terms when used properly are powerful tools to identify information.
Use a site like Linkedin to quickly search for contacts in a given company or at a certain position level. This is our company profile
to access:
.
Use the Company search and refine your terms.
For more information on using this type of social media, see thearticle we have written to introduce the Linkedin resources: Tips For Using Linkedin Features & Resources http://kevinbuckleycpc.com
Create a generic email message in your Drafts folder:
A carefully composed standard message that can be easily modified and tailored to different positions is very useful to have
to copy/paste. Insert telephone contacts and how you can be reached at the top of the message.
Make your Email message count - say why you are writing:
Busy executives dislike having to guess why someone is writing because the sender left the message blank and just attached a resume. If you have gone to the trouble of sending someone an email, you need to ensure that you include:
- An attachment in one of the following standard formats: .doc - .txt - .rtf - .pdf. Avoid .wps or .wpd or unusual file formats
- A Subject line that says why you are writing - do not leave this area blank
- An attachment that clearly identifies who you are: save it in your own name - don't put resume.doc because it makes you
hard to identify from dozens of icons on the desktop
- Your telephone numbers at the top of the text of your email message - home and cel - make it easy to reach you
- A pasted .txt copy of your resume below the text of your email message - even if you include an attachment
- Standard fonts in your resume - times new roman, courier, arial, tahoma are all easy to read - avoid strange colours
- Keep it professional - avoid cute icons, emoticons and footer banners that distract from your message
Make your Email message brief and focused:
Busy executives dislike having to scroll through a long email message to get to the core of the message. State your objective clearly and briefly in a few sentences - edit and re-edit. Make sure the Subject header clearly expresses your objective. Tell the reader that
you are available at their convenience or a message can be left at a given telephone number.
Ask for the Executive's opinion of your experience:
People like to give their opinions. Rather than request a meeting, ask for the recipient's comments on your resume and experience.
Asking to set up a meeting without having established a basis for interest is usually not very productive.
