Job Search Target Marketing for Jobseekers

Job search target marketing is the process you undertake to find employers that are a right fit for your values and skills.

The amount of time you spend on target marketing in your job search, the more confidence you will have that the decision you make will be a solid right fit for your career and personal life.

You’ll also score bonus points for reducing the time and effort you spend marketing yourself to companies who aren’t a good fit.

Creating a job search target market blueprint.

The goal of creating a job search target market blue print is is to find the companies that suit your skills and to understand why. Essentially you are creating a snapshot of your ideal employer by learning about companies that best suit your values, skills and career interests. Your goal is not to limit yourself to a target group of companies, but instead to look at as many companies as you can for potential fit. Then narrow down your list by assessing these companies based on a series of questions.

Here is a look at a basic series of questions you can propose to define the companies that best suit what you have to offer and what companies best suit your requirements.

Step 1. Employer Profile
Step 2. Unique Company Characteristics
Step 3. Your Proposition

Step 1. Employer Profiling

This first step will help you define the most suitable companies.

What industries do you wish to target?
Are you looking for private or public companies and what is the reason for your choice?
What is range of suitable locations?
What is the size of most suitable companies?
What services or products do the most suitable companies offer?
What stage of growth suits you best?

You may find there are more companies than you originally thought. Broaden your options in this first step because steps 2 and 3 will help you target the best companies.

Step 2. Unique company characteristics.

This step will be based on your own knowledge and experience. Look at each company you have found and answer these questions for each of them.

What challenges are faced by this business and the market?
What issues will this company face over the coming 12 months?
What major problems is this company dealing with today in this market and with their business?
What social, environmental or political issues affect this company?
What are the major competitors of this company and how does that affect this company’s operations today?

Step 3. Your proposition.

This final step will align what you have to offer to those companies you have identified in through steps 1 and 2.

Rate each company based on which companies best suit your next career move?
How will you approach these companies so they can quickly see your relevant skills and experience?
How can you increase the profitability of each particular company?
What is the potential of each company in their market?
What is the money these companies will offer?

Job search target marketing is about taking down traditional mental barriers one may have and looking at as many companies as possible in the first stage. We can often get distracted by companies which market themselves the most. You may uncover companies that are quiet about what they do yet may offer you exactly the right fit for your personal and worklife balance.

Barbara Ashton is the President and Founder of Ashton & Associates Recruiting.

Ashton & Associates Recruiting… Helping you hire right. Every time.

Ashton & Associates Recruiting is constantly adding new and relevant advice to our stock of resources for both job seekers and those looking to hire. Here are some suggestions to get you started. Make sure you bookmark us for next time!

Tips & Advice for Jobseekers

On Hiring Right for Employers

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The 5 C’s of a Great Hire

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