Summer is a great time of year. Summer in New England is very different than the HOT summer days of West Texas. I love summer and the abundance of fresh vegetables, watermelon and the ease of finding good ice cream.
One of New England’s big surprises was the number of great easy to find little ice cream shops. To find one I discovered I could just look for where people are lined up waiting to purchase ice cream on a summer evening or afternoon. The second part of this surprise for me was that most of the ice cream shops close on or about Labor Day!
The impact is that it feels like ice cream is in short supply in the fall and winter. That of course is nonsense, good ice cream is not in short supply in the fall, winter or spring, it is just not as convenient to get and takes a bit of effort to find it during the other seasons of the year. The result, if I want ice cream in the other seasons I have to make an effort to locate it.
Sometimes in a job search it is easy to feel ‘lack’ or think jobs are in short supply like ice cream in the off season. That too is nonsense.
Once you spend a little time reflecting on where you are and what you want from your career and your next position, you will also discover an abundane of opportunities. These may not be as convenient as going around the corner and looking for the line or opening an email with a long list of your ideal positions.
Your ideal job is not in short supply, but effort is required to locate it. You must be willing to market yourself, and you need to know what you are looking for and be willing to seek it out.
Your talent, skills and abilities are wanted and needed, opportunities are abundant. Are you willing to do the work for the ideal opportunity?
Most of the people lined up outside the ice cream place, knew where to go because of word of mouth marketing. Someone told them about the great ice cream, they went and experienced it, they told others and line grew!
This word of mouth marketing did not happen without work, a plan and day-to-day execution on the part of the ice cream shop owners.
Are you leveraging your word of mouth marketing? Why not?
Sure there is a shop, a place for people to go to experience and learn more, (your online profile), the unique story of the ice cream shop and the ice cream it sells. How it is made, what makes it different and the best in the area (your USP, your brand, your story). The shop has a sign out front, (your job title, your business card), a menu board of the ice cream they offer (your résumé).
The ice cream shop communicates their message and they help others communicate and share their message. Maybe in print with a flyer, a storyboard, and as people gather in the line they are talking about the ice cream. The line and those conversations are part of their social proof that the ice cream is good (your recommendations, references, your network).
All of these marketing elements are critical to drawing people to the shop to experience the ice cream. They built the message and their reputation over time. This did just happen.
The shop assessed what they had to offer, worked to understand the wants and needs of their customer, and then they create and enhance a market for the ice cream as they communicatie and encourage others to share the story. They focus on the experience and they have customers willing to stand in the long summer lines for ice cream!
The behind the scenes to creating the end result – a great reputation, long lines, perception of short supply, and high value, began with a careful assessment of the value available, how to communicate the value offered to the marketplace, followed by the creation of a plan and the daily execution and evaluation of the plan. Time and hard work!
Have you taken the time to assess, plan and execute your personal marketing plan to land your next job?
What is your story?
You are unique, in short supply (there is only one of you). You will be available for only a short time, and you have a high value in the marketplace. What are you doing to tell your story, to pull people and interested employers toward you?
Wouldn’t you rather have employers seeking you out?
What would it be like to be like the ice cream shop in the summer with long lines of people waiting for you?
How would it feel having people standing in line to interview you, experience you, to talk to you and to want to work with you?
Would that lead to having several offers to review and then select the ideal one for you?
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