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Market yourself: Build a better profile

It’s tempting to think that all you need to do to find work is upload your resume and wait for recruiters to knock down your door…but don’t.

I’ve worked with a lot of new consultants over the years and without a doubt, the thing they have the most trouble with is learning to sell themselves. It’s pretty easy in the employee world—send in a resume and a cover letter, do well in the interviews, and you’re set—but when you become a consultant you also become your own business. If you want to stay working, you’ll need to learn how to market yourself. It’s not tough, but it can be a bit daunting if you haven’t done it before.

Take your cue from marketing 101 classes (which, by the way, I recommend that all new consultants take) and build yourself a marketing plan. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but it should answer these five questions:

What is my product and why should anyone buy it? What skills are you offering to customers? How do you represent your value to a customer? Why should they pick you over hundreds of other candidates?

Make it easy for prospective clients to classify your skills and capabilities. It often helps to craft a one- or two-sentence paragraph summing up your key values. We call this the “elevator pitch,” the short, to-the-point explanation that sells you to a prospective employer in just a few seconds. You should also list the top five to ten capabilities or skills that you think are most attractive to employers.

What are my goals? Clearly understanding your goals makes it easier to build a plan that can reach them. It also helps you craft a resume that’s focused on reaching those goals. One great way to do this is by building a shopping list (literally) of what contracting success means to you:

* How much money do you want to make?
* How many hours do you want to work?
* Where do you want to work?
* What types of jobs most interest you?
* Do you want to continue as an independent contractor for the foreseeable future?
* Do you want to expand and possibly own a company with employees some day?
* Do you see contracting as a way to “test-drive” potential employers and eventually sign on as an employee when you find the right place?

Who are my customers? You need to understand your total available market, i.e., the companies out there that realistically would need your talents. What companies would you like to work for most? Are you restricting your market to companies in your city/state, or looking nationally and internationally?

How much should I charge? Setting your prices is a whole ‘nother subject that I’ll go into another time, For now, HotGigs.com’s rate comparison tools offer one good way to get started. They’ll give you a general picture of the going rates for someone with your skills.

How will I reach my customers? This is the heart and soul of a marketing plan, and I’m going to spend several posts just on this topic.

The first step in reaching your customers is always getting the word on your “product” out to customers. There are lots of ways to do this, and one of the most effective is your HotGigs.com profile.

A profile starts with your resume, but don’t just upload your old employee resume and expect it to work. Build a new one, focused on accomplishments that translate well into contract work. Keep it short, use bullet points instead of long text passages, and put your elevator pitch and a short bullet list of your key skills at the top. Then test it with two or three people who know your work.

HotGigs.com lets you type in a text-based resume or upload a resume file, which we then parse into the appropriate fields. I think the technology’s extremely cool, but it’s not foolproof; before you activate your resume, review it first and make sure the right data is in the right fields and it’s as easy to read as possible. This is your primary calling card for new clients, so it pays to take a little extra time here.

When you’re satisfied with your resume, activate it so that it becomes visible to HotGigs employers and recruiters. And make sure you keep it current—I suggest revisiting your resume and giving it a touch-up every few weeks, especially if you’ve completed a successful assignment.

But there’s a lot more to a HotGigs profile than just the resume. In the next post, I’ll show you how you can expand your HotGigs marketing campaign to make it easier for top employers to find you.