Most people don't view themselves as a company.
But in the competitive world of job hunting, that's not a bad approach to take, according to Dan Schawbel.
A recognized "personal branding guru," Schawbel is the managing partner of Millennial Branding LLC, and a leading authority on personal branding.
Schawbel advises job hopefuls to launch a broad attack in their quest for employment. And in many cases, that means thinking like a company.
"There are millions of job seekers out there and the ratio right now is five applicants for every one job opening," Schawbel said. "The online world has become a global talent pool. If you don't have an online website, a blog or you're not on Facebook, every time a job comes up you're losing opportunities."
Schawbel said job seekers can greatly increase their chances of being hired by developing specialized skills.
"Seventy percent of employers are looking to hire people for specialized positions, while 61 percent of job seekers have more generalized skills," he said. "Try to pick an area and become the best in the world at it. You'll become more marketable and it will allow you more flexibility to move up."
Schawbel also noted that business are looking beyond technical skills and experience. These days, they're also placing an increasing importance on interpersonal skills, such as good communication, teamwork and organizational abilities, as well as cultural fit.
Marinoff, associate director of Cal Poly Pomona's career center, said today's job market is tough for everyone - students included.
"The average number of people who apply for every job posting that appears on Monster.com or other web-based job search sites is 300 to 500," Marinoff said recently. "So if you are a student who will be graduating next June you need to be looking now."
Marinoff said the job seekers in the current economy need to be focused - and aggressive.
"It's not about quantity, but quality," he said. "The summary to me is, `Am I the best dressed in the line? Do I have the best portfolio? Am I the most qualified?' It's very competitive, but we have a program in place through our career center that has a 100-percent placement rate.
We're working with students one at a time to make sure they are prepped and hand delivered to employers."
Schawbel said schools like DeVry University and its Keller Graduate School of Management offer specialized bachelor's and master's degree programs that are focused on high-growth career fields.
"You should do some research online to find flexible and affordable opportunities to dial in your personal brand niche," he said. "It's important to have an educational foundation. And some of these schools have professors with real-world experience. So it's not just about who you know, but also who they know."
Los Angeles County's unemployment rate held steady at 12.6 percent in September, but every San Gabriel Valley city saw its jobless rate decline, according to figures released last week by the state Employment Development Department.
But in the competitive world of job hunting, that's not a bad approach to take, according to Dan Schawbel.
A recognized "personal branding guru," Schawbel is the managing partner of Millennial Branding LLC, and a leading authority on personal branding.
Schawbel advises job hopefuls to launch a broad attack in their quest for employment. And in many cases, that means thinking like a company.
"There are millions of job seekers out there and the ratio right now is five applicants for every one job opening," Schawbel said. "The online world has become a global talent pool. If you don't have an online website, a blog or you're not on Facebook, every time a job comes up you're losing opportunities."
Schawbel said job seekers can greatly increase their chances of being hired by developing specialized skills.
"Seventy percent of employers are looking to hire people for specialized positions, while 61 percent of job seekers have more generalized skills," he said. "Try to pick an area and become the best in the world at it. You'll become more marketable and it will allow you more flexibility to move up."
Schawbel also noted that business are looking beyond technical skills and experience. These days, they're also placing an increasing importance on interpersonal skills, such as good communication, teamwork and organizational abilities, as well as cultural fit.
Marinoff, associate director of Cal Poly Pomona's career center, said today's job market is tough for everyone - students included.
"The average number of people who apply for every job posting that appears on Monster.com or other web-based job search sites is 300 to 500," Marinoff said recently. "So if you are a student who will be graduating next June you need to be looking now."
Marinoff said the job seekers in the current economy need to be focused - and aggressive.
"It's not about quantity, but quality," he said. "The summary to me is, `Am I the best dressed in the line? Do I have the best portfolio? Am I the most qualified?' It's very competitive, but we have a program in place through our career center that has a 100-percent placement rate.
We're working with students one at a time to make sure they are prepped and hand delivered to employers."
Schawbel said schools like DeVry University and its Keller Graduate School of Management offer specialized bachelor's and master's degree programs that are focused on high-growth career fields.
"You should do some research online to find flexible and affordable opportunities to dial in your personal brand niche," he said. "It's important to have an educational foundation. And some of these schools have professors with real-world experience. So it's not just about who you know, but also who they know."
Los Angeles County's unemployment rate held steady at 12.6 percent in September, but every San Gabriel Valley city saw its jobless rate decline, according to figures released last week by the state Employment Development Department.
No comments:
Post a Comment