Self-Marketing - You Are a Product Or Service and So You Must Market Yourself!

To some people this whole concept may sound daunting at first. Often people remain in a job for many years, and in some cases one job since starting work, so it can be a big shock to the system to have to stand back and reflect on themselves in this way!

To begin with it is vital to list out your skills, strengths, experience, achievements and qualifications. This will enable you see just what you have to potentially offer an employer.

I strongly recommend you really take your time with this - it's very important to get this personal 'inventory' down on paper. I know it might seem a bit laborious but it's well worth it in terms of all aspects of 'selling yourself' - your CV, your letters/applications and interviews! Let's face it, the better you 'know yourself' the more confident and effective you will be in terms of 'selling yourself'! So to move this forward get some blank sheets of paper, turn off any distractions and spend a valuable hour writing down everything you can think of that comes under these headings; Try to keep a separate list for each of these and do not restrict yourself. If you only did something for a very short period a couple of years ago you can still list it here - try to leave nothing out! SKILLS. What skills do use regularly, or occasionally, in doing your Job? Think of any Training you have received, such as courses or 'in - house'.

STRENGTHS. What do you believe you are good at? What does your Supervisor or Manager tell you that you perform well on? If you have annual appraisals or reviews what have been your strong points?

EXPERIENCE.

What have been your duties? How long have you done current and past jobs? What are your main duties and responsibilities? Do you have a Job Description to hand to help you list everything?

ACHIEVEMENTS.

It is vital to try to include as many as possible because Employers love these as they can show them the benefits of employing you. When first asked this it's not uncommon for many people to recoil and believe they can't list anything! So try to think of how your organisation has benefited from what you have done, and then this will potentially be of benefit to your next Employer!