You Inc. : Build Your Career like a Business

Being successful in today’s market takes more than just having a college degree. The most successful people are strategic about how they approach their careers. You have to develop a set of strategies that will help you navigate beyond road blocks. Today I’m going to discuss two things that are going to make you more successful in your career. Two things you need to have in order to successfully run your career like a business is developing a Separating Factor and a Marketing Approach.

When you sit down in an interview, one of the questions you have to answer is what makes you different.  What makes you different is called your separating factor. Businesses that survive and remain in business for long periods of time have a separating factor that they can leverage beyond their competitors. Just like businesses, professionals that have a separating factor thrive. If you plan to have a successful career you must have a separating factor.

Then next important factor that will increase your chances is the marketing approach. How are you spreading the news of who you are? What do potential employers think when they view your LinkedIn profile or resume? Are you exposing yourself in an environment for employers to find you? You want to make sure that you are putting your best representation upfront for recruiters and employers to see.

One of the clients I worked with in the past was an engineer that couldn't get an interview. I discovered that she only sent her resume out hoping that employers would contact her. We partnered up and developed a marketing approach that helped her build some traction in her journey. She went from no interviews to gaining interviews from multiple companies. Instead of looking at the job hunt as an extra activity She started looking at the process as managing a business.

 My advice to anyone that’s in the job hunt, develop a separating factor and create a strong marketing approach. These two things are going to help you define what you need to do in your market to become successful. If you treat your job hunt like a hobby you’ll get limited results but I you want to have a successful job hunt, build your career like a business.