The New Graduate Job Network Uncovers How Creating a Personal Marketing Plan Can Help Recent Grads Get Ahead

News provided by

Apr 28, 2011, 11:00 ET

NEW YORK, April 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Similar to any company who is about to market a new product, a personal marketing plan can cut job hunting time in half and save you money. According to the experts at The New Graduate Job Network, a personal marketing firm specializing in helping recent graduates find jobs, entering a job search with a good game plan can often mean the difference between landing your next great job and remaining unemployed after graduation.

Robert J. Gerberg, CEO of The New Graduate Job Network, said that in today's competitive job market most people will never get enough interviews with a hit-or-miss approach because it leaves too much to chance.

"Over the years, we have seen equally talented people produce widely varying results. One will struggle while the other moves with speed," Gerberg said. "Those who move rapidly usually have had the benefit of a good game plan – a step-by-step track to follow."

Gerberg recommends creating a personal marketing plan that involves the following steps:

Surface the right information about yourself and set clear goals. Set goals that will increase your chances of landing a job and advancing your career. These goals can be anything from specific job titles to income goals.
Pinpoint what you should be marketing, especially your transferable skills. All of your assets and skills need to be identified. Then, they need to be incorporated into your resume, cover letter and personal marketing website.
Identify industry alternatives to target. Look into what else is out there. The key is to identify industries with characteristics that match those where you have experience or where your degree can translate.
If you have liabilities, you need strategies to neutralize them. If you have liabilities, such as little related work experience, that may restrict your success in the job hunt, as part of your personal marketing plan, arrive at ways for minimizing their impact in all written materials and conversations.
You need a step-by-step game plan to get your story told to all the right people. You want to lay out a step-by-step plan that will guide you in a search. This should be a weekly agenda that includes a plan for how you will search and a plan for interviewing if you are given the opportunity.

Providing the tools and resources any graduate needs to find a career after graduation, The New Graduate Job Network is equipped with an in-house staff and cutting-edge technology to assist those leaving college in their job search. Visit http://www.newgradjobnetwork.com/ for more information.