EmploymentDigest.net

How Failing to Leverage a Niche Can Stop Your Job Hunt Cold

Posted on 06. Sep, 2009 posted by Bill in Employment News

You already know that that job hunt is tough… but many professionals are still winning interviews and landing jobs, even without an intense Internet job search effort. How are they doing it?

By discovering a niche and marketing themselves for it.

Here’s an example: Bob, an asset management executive with a long history in equipment leasing and capital financing, knew that he was facing an economy in which many companies have cut positions similar to his.

Knowing that saving money is of paramount importance to most firms intent on survival, he thought carefully about how to combine one of his passions with what he does best in his career.

He analyzed which industries might rely on keeping up appearances, and settled on an area of interest for him–golf. Then, he tapped into his network, and researched area employers to find golf operations corporations.

He tuned his cover letter to provide details on the cost savings he had achieved throughout his career, and mentioned that he believed the potential employer could benefit from continually obtaining new equipment, while still paying the same prices as before.

The result? He was able to secure interest from these firms, as well as job interviews, by contacting them to educate them on how his services could help them maintain their identical level of business revenue, plus SAVE money at the same time.

The lesson here is that it’s important to examine your existing skills to see how they might apply elsewhere.

In doing so, it’s important to focus on your competencies, rather than your job title (as other job hunters do), and to build new networks along the way.

Here are 3 key steps to making this leap for yourself:

1 – Take the time to investigate.

In the blog Tough Economy Jobs, writer Danny Iny refers to the book Long Tail by Chris Anderson, and explains this type of self-marketing as “finding a niche where your uniqueness is needed or appreciated.”

He goes on to note that, when you find out where you can add value, you become the only “appropriate candidate” for a job, and save yourself the time and stress of fighting to be heard above the crowd.

Like Bob, tapping into an area of leisure-time interest or a hobby can intrigue employers even more, since you’ll come armed with a wealth of knowledge on the subject–even if it’s unrelated to your traditional “job.”

2 – Decide where and how to market yourself.

As employers weed through candidates, your chances of finding a job in your newly discovered area of expertise are slim if you keep responding to Internet ads.

However, if you shift your thinking from mass job-search mode to filling that specific need you’ve identified, you’ll find that you have fewer employers to target–although with more research to complete first.

To find companies that fit the bill, turn to either corporate databases such as Hoover’s or Dun & Bradstreet first (some outplacement companies offer access to these services).

In addition, you can hit your local library to tap into references on industry segments and major employers.

Don’t forget that sites such as LinkedIn provide a wealth of information on employers, in addition to individuals. Familiarize yourself with Internet search techniques to find companies that fit your newly defined parameters and industry preferences.

3 – Tune your resume and cover letter accordingly.

While you may already have a resume that supplies information on your qualifications, it’s best to take this one step further and create a new version focused on your niche.

Busy hiring managers won’t make the connection between your skills and the fit for them unless you lay it out on paper.

Be sure to include keywords that reflect the industry you are pursuing, as well as a list of competencies that qualify you for the new role you seek.

In your cover letter, you can bring hiring managers up to speed on the value-add you bring to their business through this extensive pool of knowledge, and why you’ll be able to make both a short- and long-term difference to them.

Many employers have been forced to run leaner organizations in this economy. Don’t forget to delineate the ways in which you can add bottom-line results in the form of profit or cost savings! This will give you an added edge.

In summary, your job hunt will be that much more successful–and less of an effort–if you can not only articulate the value that you bring to an employer but CONVEY this information to them in a way that compels them to call you.

With a 98% success rate winning interviews for executives and senior-level professionals, Laura Smith-Proulx, CCMC, CPRW, CIC is a global resume authority and former recruiter. The principal of An Expert Resume, her work has been recognized for opening doors to jobs at top corporations, with multiple nominations for international resume industry awards.

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