ROLE OF SELF-SELLING IN JOB SEARCH

WE ALL WANT A CAREER WHETHER IN PRIVATE, GOVERNMENT, BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP ETC. TO LEAD AN AFFORDABLE AND RESPECTABLE LIFE. MOST OF US DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOOK FOR JOBS. WE ARE NEVER TAUGHT HOW TO DO THIS. OUR TRAINING AND LIFE EXPERIENCE NEVER PREPARE US FOR IT.
SOME PEOPLE WITH THE SAME OR LESS QUALIFICATION & KNOWLEDGE ARE WELL PLACED AND ADVANCE IN THEIR CAREER COMPARED TO OTHERS WITH HIGHER QUALIFICATION AND KNOWLEDGE. WE LEAVE IT TO LUCK BUT IN REALITY THESE PEOPLE HAVE MASTERED THE TECHNIQUE OF SELF-SELLING IN CAREER. EACH ONE OF US CAN DO IT AND THE NEED IS ONLY TO BE WELL AWARE OF THE CHANGING SCENARIOS OF THE JOB MARKET AND MASTER THE ART OF SELF-SELLING ALONG WITH ACQUIRING THE KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE.
IN THE WORLD OF JOB-HUNTING, YOU HAVE TO SELL YOURSELF BECAUSE THAT WILL (A) GET YOU IN FOR THE INTERVIEW AND (B) IT WILL ENABLE YOU TO PREVAIL OVER THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT YOU'RE COMPETING AGAINST. SELLING ONESELF IS BASIC TO ACTIVITIES SUCH AS WRITING A "KILLER" RESUME, WRITING GOOD COVER LETTER, NETWORKING SUCCESSFULLY, INTERVIEWING SO YOU GET THE JOB, AND NEGOTIATING THE BEST SALARY AND BENEFITS PACKAGE. ALL OF THESE ACTIVITIES INVOLVE SOME MEASURE OF PERSUASION, SOME MEASURE OF SELLING YOURSELF.
SOME OF THE PEOPLE INITIALLY PUT OFF BY THE IDEA OF SELF-SELLING/MARKETING, IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM. THEY HATE THE IDEA OF BEING PERSUADED; THEY FEEL THAT THERE IS SOMETHING INTRINSICALLY BAD ABOUT BEING INVOLVED IN ANY ACTIVITY THAT EMPLOYS PERSUASION AS A MEANS TO GAIN AN END.
IN CONTRAST, WE NEED TO CONSIDER "GOOD" SELLING, WHICH IS A SKILL THAT CAN BE PRACTICED WITH INTEGRITY, SINCERITY AND NO LOSS OF PERSONAL WORTH OR ESTEEM. "GOOD" SELLING DOES NOT INVOLVE SLEAZY PRACTICES, OR LYING, OR UNDERHANDED METHODS. MOST PEOPLE EQUATE SELLING OR PERSUADING WITH THE WORD "BAD", WHICH IS A PREJUDICE IN ITSELF. IF IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE GOOD MARKETING MATERIALS THAT SUPPORTED THE SALESPERSON AND POSSESSING THE SKILLS TO USE THEM IN ORDER TO FINDING ENOUGH PROSPECTS TO HAVE A REASONABLE CLOSING RATIO, IT IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT HOW TO SELL TO GET A JOB.
SOME POINTS OF SELF-SELLING PRACTICE ARE SUMMARIZED HERE AS:
IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE SELF ESTEEMl & CONFIDENCE
IT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN A POSITIVE, FORWARD-LOOKING FRAME OF MINDl
TO HAVE AN EXCELLENT AND PERSUASIVE RESUME THAT SELLS YOU AS BETTERl QUALIFIED THAN THE NEXT PERSON, BEING ABLE TO WRITE GOOD COVER LETTERS, DEVELOPING A COLLECTION OF EXCELLENT PERSONAL MATERIALS AND STORIES THAT DESCRIBE YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS
KNOWING HOW TO GIVE AN "ELEVATOR" SPEECH THAT EVOKES WHAT YOU WANT IT TOl
THE SELF-AWARENESS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE IMPRESSION YOU'RE MAKING ON OTHERS IS A FIRST STEP IN REVERSING THE TRENDl
HAVING THE BASIC SKILLS TO INTERVIEW WELL (I.E., TO BE ABLE TOl DETERMINE WHAT THEIR "PROBLEM" IS AND HOW TO SELL YOURSELF AS THE FIXER OF IT)
PROSPECTING BY NETWORKING FOR THESE "PROSPECTS" AND/OR VIA Al PRO-ACTIVE BROADCAST LETTER. STRIKING THE RIGHT CHORD EITHER THROUGH PERSONAL INTERACTION OR THROUGH E-MAIL OR THROUGH POST WITH THE EMPLOYER ALWAYS PAYS
NETWORKING BY JOINING PROFE-SSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND GETTINGl INVOLVED WITH THEM, YOU MEET OTHERS WHO WORK AT OTHER COMPANIES AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.
KNOWING HOW TO NEGOTIATE THE BENEFITS/SALARY PACKAGEl
IT OBVIOUSLY PAYS TO BE CREATIVE AND FLEXIBLEl
UNDERSTANDING THAT REJECTION WILL OCCUR REGULARLY IN THE JOB-HUNTING PROCESS AND NOT DE-MOTIVATE YOUl
IT'S POSSIBLE TO LIMIT YOUR RANGE OF OPTIONS, AND BY THINKING THISl WAY, YOU CONSEQUENTLY LIMIT THE RANGE OF ACTIONS YOU TAKE. THAT, IN SHORT, LIMITS YOUR CHANCES OF FINDING A NEW JOB
TAKING AN EARLY BREAK IS BETTER INSTEAD OF GOING ON FOR GETTINGl HIGHER QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE. PEOPLE ARE JOINING SERVICES AT THE INITIAL STAGE OF THEIR EDUCATION AND THEN MAKING BEST USE OF FACILITIES AVAILABLE IN THE ORGANIZATIONS TO IMPROVE THEIR QUALIFICATIONS AND TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE WITH ALL THE SERVICE BENEFITS
THERE IS NO USE OF STICKING TO ONE ORGANIZATION AND SWITCH OVER CAN BE MADE WHENEVER BETTER OPPORTUNITY COMES IN THE WAY.

DR. S.S. VERMA ((THE AUTHOR IS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS, S.L.I.E.T., LONGOWAL DISTT. SANGRUR PUNJAB)