When you are applying for a job, it is much more than putting your name and experience on a resume and handing it to the hiring manager. In modern times today, especially in the world of creative advertising, you have to learn to sell yourself. You need to understand and discover how you can visually sell your artwork to a hiring manager, and how you can verbally sell yourself, almost like a sales pitch. It can feel unnerving to market your skills to a hiring manager, but here we break down how to do it in four easy steps.
Define and refine your skills
The most important part of marketing yourself to a recruiter or a hiring manager is to acknlowedge your most polished skills. Write down your best skills, but also write down where you need improvement. Understanding where you need to improve can help you in your journey to becoming a stronger candidate, and it will help you answer any interview-related questions.
Once you have your most defined skills, you need to analyze how your skills have impacted your work overall. Turn your skills into numbers that a hiring manager will be able to understand. If you are in social media, a great example could be, “my skills for engagement increased our follower count on social media by _ %,”.
Putting your skills into visual numbers helps the recruiter or hiring manager understand just how polished your skills are, and what you can bring to the company.
How can your skills help?
Now that you have quantified your skills, the next step is to understand how your skills can benefit the company where you are applying. If you increased the number of followers for the last/current company you work for, what specific skill led you to achieve that number, and how can you do that but even better, for a new company?
When you are pitching yourself, it is critical to sense and gauge what skills the hiring manager or recruiter is looking to gain. In the interview, if they mention they want to expand their brand or they want to commence a period of rebranding, understand and analyze what skills you have that will help them in their journey. Not only will those show how skilled you are, but it is a way for them to see you thinking critically.
Tell your story
Another piece of advice to take when you are considering how you would like to market your skills is to remember that the best way to get through to someone is by telling a story. Storytelling was used as a tool of communication for hundreds of years, and it has continuously stayed effective.
You will be much more likely to win the job if you can weave together your valuable skills into a story of triumph. Whether that’s telling a story about how you failed or succeeded, it will go much farther than listing your talents. Don’t be afraid to get a little creative!
Start Now
Instead of waiting until your next job search, start marketing yourself now. A few great ways to market yourself is by creating a digital portfolio and explaining your skillset, connecting with recruiters and hiring managers, and networking with different individuals and companies on LinkedIn. Going above and beyond before you are looking for a job will help you immensely in the long-run when you are marketing yourself.
Overall, the hiring process isn’t simple, and quite frankly, it can be a little terrifying. We hope that these tips help you on your journey as you look for a new job. Don’t forget to tell a story and prove to the recruiter and hiring manager that you are the perfect fit for the job.
Clutch is a creative staffing partner. We connect digital, creative, and marketing professionals with companies looking for freelance, temp-to-hire or direct hire resources.
