The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the working landscape over the past year and a half. The popularity of working from home has exploded, many lost jobs, and others are still trying to financially recover from the pandemic’s impact.
For many Americans, it can be stressful trying to figure out how to market yourself in your career, especially during uncertain times like this. But there are still many ways that you can stand out from the competition and ensure that you get the position and salary that you deserve.
So, how do you get there?
1. Create an elevator pitch. Before you start with anything else, you need to begin by creating a solid elevator pitch, which is a statement of who you are, what your career goals are, and what skills you have that benefits a company. It should be summarized in 20 to 30 seconds, and it should clearly define a problem and a solution in the simplest of terms.
2. Create a brand for yourself. For many people, branding feels a lot like bragging, especially when it comes to putting your strengths on a public platform. However, employers respond to candidates who put forth effort and establish their professionalism before they even have a conversation with you. If you want to be taken seriously in 2021, it’s critical to have a LinkedIn page, professional headshots, a website that includes your portfolio and credibility, and social media channels that reflect your personality while also making you look professional.
3. Establish a relationship with a recruiter. Networking is a big part of getting your name out there in the working world, but there may be no better person to establish a relationship with than a recruiter. Recruiting agencies have relationships with hundreds or thousands of companies in a wide variety of career fields, and have proven to be the most successful in connecting companies with the right talent. Most importantly, going through a recruiter that a company trusts immediately gives you immediate credibility, and a foot in the door before you even get to the first interview. If you’d like to take a look at some of the jobs we’re hiring for right now, click here.
4. Identify your soft skills. Soft skills are things just as listening skills, communicating, resolving conflicts, working in groups, etc. Business and process disruptions have been a huge part of the COVID-19 pandemic, so these skillsets are being looked at harder than ever by employers. When speaking with potential employers, be sure to use your soft skills as a way to illustrate how you can be an asset to the company.
5. Turn your soft skills into anecdotes. Once you’ve selected your soft skills, you need to practice expanding on them and turning them into anecdotes. At the end of the day, employers are human beings, and everyone loves a good story. Stories provide context and specificity, which is not always common enough in cover letters, resumes and interviews. For example, when you talk about your communication skills, go beyond just saying, “I’m a good communicator.” Instead say, “My team leading abilities allowed me to become team leader of the sales department, and through our first quarter of working together and refining our sales process and doing our part to better communicate with one another, we were able to increase sales by 15% last year.” With this information, the company will have a statistic and relevant details about your skillset that will make you far more memorable.
If you’d like to start this job hunting journey off with seasoned professionals, the team here at Carter Recruiting and Associates has more than 30 years of experience helping talent find jobs that fit their needs and interests. Click here to get in touch with us, or check out this page for more job hunting and marketing tips!
Carter Recruiting and Associates is one of the largest independent recruiting and outplacement companies in Arkansas. Our headquarters, located in Little Rock and our satellite office in Conway, both service accounts nationwide. We have satisfied clients and references from some of the largest companies in the state. With over 50 collective years of experience in the recruiting business, we have a vast amount of resources and knowledge to ensure a job well done.
Cherie Richardson
President
Cherie is the owner and president of Carter Recruiting and Associates. She holds a BA in psychology from the University of Mississippi and has over 30 years of experience in the recruitment of executive and manufacturing professionals. Cherie’s work has been instrumental for new plant start-ups, as well as building and maintaining relationships throughout the region and state of Arkansas. She is a member of the National Association of Female Executives and the National Association of Women Business Owners.