Guest Post: How To Be Pursued in Today’s Job Market

For this week’s #ThoughtfulThursday guest post, I invited Tricia Lucas, a sales and marketing recruiter extraordinaire, to share her tips on how to get the ultimate marketing or sales job of our dreams. Tricia and I serve together on the American Marketing Association (AMA) Triangle Chapter Board of Directors. Tricia is a dynamo of energy and enthusiasm and I love keeping tabs on her super cute dogs on Facebook. Even if you aren’t in the job market right now, it’s never too early to position yourself for future success. Thank you, Tricia, for contributing to our blog!

Our evolving marketing landscape continues to challenge both hiring managers and job seekers as we respond to the demands of the digital world balanced with the fluctuating economy. The digital revolution has driven many marketing professionals to question their next steps. Many are trying to marry their dream jobs with the reality of making ends meet leaving them struggling with just how to balance security and stability with their pursuit of fulfillment.

The Convergence of Passions, Strengths, and Market Value

You heard it before because it is critical to your success. When you are in job transition it is important to first identify your inner passion. This is the time to step back and really think about what you want to do. Is there something you love doing now as a hobby? What do you read? What would you do if you won the lottery tomorrow? This part of the process is creative and energizing and may be easier for some than others.

Next, you must identify what you are good at doing and what you are not. Too often I see marketing job seekers attempting to be good at everything for fear of being eliminated from consideration. If you are between jobs then embrace this time as an opportunity. Why try to fit yourself to a position that isn’t a match? You will only be miserable in the long run and will probably find yourself in transition again.

We all have our own combination of skills and talents that we utilize in our social and professional lives. Find out what you do best and build on your key strengths. Many people mistakenly focus more on strengthening their weaknesses instead of their strongest traits.

By exploring the ways in which you naturally think, feel, and behave, you can build on the areas where you have infinite potential to grow and succeed allowing you to be the best of the best at what you do.

The third and most challenging piece of the process is to tie your passions and strengths into market value. What is marketable or of value to others? Reality is that most of us have to pay bills so finding our “market value” is a necessity in today’s job market. There are plenty of career professionals, assessments (Myers-Briggs, DISC, StrengthFinders), and programs available that will help you through this process. Find the right tool or professional that will allow you to discover and maximize your key strengths while matching them with your true passion so you can work and excel in a role that you want to be in.

Timing

It is also important to talk about timing. Don’t wait until you are out of a job to go on this journey. Embracing your strengths will either add value to you in your current role or help you to recognize what a better role might be for you. In order to Stay Hired Not Fired in Today’s Evolving Job Market, I continue to emphasize the value of Thought Leadership. As marketing experts, you should maximize your strengths by staying relevant to mentors, thought leaders, and others that are successful in your field. Do you know your industry thought leaders like Spike Jones, Aaron Draplin, Tamsen Webster, Jackie Huba, Ann Handley, Seth Godin, Jay Baer, Joe Pulizzi, and Guy Kawasaki? Connect with them through community networks and industry conferences like Internet Summit and High Five. Take advantage of the access to professional development opportunities, continuing education like Hubspot, LinkedIn’s Lynda.com, Coursera.org, and relevant networking opportunities through your employer. Never stop your professional and network development because you are employed.

Spend time perfecting your key strengths in the areas that you contribute best and strive to be a thought leader in that space. Your up-to-date knowledge will enhance your marketability in today’s competitive job market. If you are doing what you love and your good at it then you will be recruited for that next position. Wouldn’t it be nice to be pursued for that next great role instead of doing the pursuing?

About The Author – Tricia Lucas

Tricia Lucas, Co-Founder of Lucas Select Inc. has over 25 years of demonstrated success in recruiting, marketing communications, social media, and business development. She is a published author in The Huffington Post, CBS Small Business Pulse, Fox News, Recruiter.com, SheKnows.com, Jobvite.com, and Ellevate.com. and has been involved in 9 startups as well as sales and marketing roles at IBM, QMS-Minolta, SAS, and most recently Lucas Select, a sales and marketing recruiting and consulting company to help technology companies recruit more efficiently by focusing on Recruiting Efficiencies, Employer Branding, and Social Media.

Categorised in: Career Advice, FANtastic Selling Tips, Guest Blogs, Personal Development, Thoughtful Thursdays