Still on the grind like me?

As some of you might know, I have been job-hunting for the past 4 months now. It has been a wild ride, up and down and all-around. It has been an amazing summer filled with self-enlightenment, good reads, hard work, exploration, block rocking beats, movies, traveling, getting in shape, outdoor grilling, hydrating and knocking 20 strokes off my golf game. During my search, I am constantly looking out for new job postings, advice, contacts and any other piece of information that will help me land a solid job that I am interested in. I come across articles and books about career/job seeking all the time. For those of you out there who might be in the same boat as me, I am going to try and start using The IIIrd World Blog to drop any dope knowledge that I pick up about job-seeking. After all, we all have been there, will be there and might end up there sooner than we would like to think - this is unless of course, you love your job and plan on working there until you grow gray and old.

First little entry is about marketing yourself, a basic guide to selling you. (totaljobs.com)

How to market yourself:

A successful job hunt needs a compelling marketing campaign for a great product: you. Although this is your area of personal expertise, it is not always easy to pitch it right. Here are some tips from candidates and marketing experts:

Product definition
It's hard to put yourself in the frame of mind to sell yourself, even if selling is your job. Think of yourself as a product and tailor your application with benefits and special features that would make a potential employer want to buy.

Don't be shy
If you separate the skills and capability from the individual, it will help you be less bashful when you promote yourself to prospective employers. It's a problem for lots of Brits. "We're not good at self-promotion," says Peter Appleby, managing director of career consultants, Appleby Associates.

Pick your audience
Build a hit-list of employers who will be interested in your particular skills and experience. Don't forget to contact professional institutions and regional bodies. They will have useful intelligence on local employers and be less guarded than a company's HR department.

Get personal
Clara, a marketing manager looking for her next move up the ladder, decided to meet marketing directors in the flesh. A little flattery goes a long way and when Clara called she asked for advice, not a job. "A surprising number agreed to meet me and a personal recommendation led to a job".

Be forward but not arrogant
You need to sell your wares, but choose your words and tone carefully. It's important "to avoid sounding boastful when reflecting your strengths", says Mike Warren, director of Proteus Consultancy. For example, you could say: "I have a reputation for writing outstanding code" rather than "I am the best programmer in my team".

Network at home
Networking is as effective for raw graduates as for mature jobseekers, but, again, you need to be choosy. "Think rifle shot, rather than scatter gun," says Linda Whittern, director of Careers Partnership. Start off with family and friends who will work hard on your behalf and stick to a list of 15. You need to be able to keep on top of communication.

Use your budget well
Every marketing campaign has a budget and job hunting is no exception. But your resource is likely to be time. It's easy to be "busy" looking for jobs, but is your activity yielding any worthwhile results? When replying to job ads, stay focused and apply only to those companies that offer the right "fit".

Email etiquette
Email is unavoidable in the modern job hunt and highly effective if used well. "People scan emails, they don't read them," advises Paul Crabtree, marketing director of Adestra, an email direct marketing agency. His golden rules of email marketing are:

• Use bullet points and short paragraphs to make it easy on the eye.
• Use a subject line to explain what the email is about rather than cryptic, teasing messages.
• Tailor each email for each application and don't use the BCC function.
• Avoid data heavy graphics to ensure you get past company firewalls.