Self Marketing

The Self Marketing Profile

A self marketing profile encapsulates who you are and what you have to offer the job market. A self marketing profile should include:

1. Your skills: Choose one or two skills which are most marketable in your chosen field. Choose skills from the six categories of executive skills: technical, analytical, organizational, communication, interpersonal, and leadership. Always be prepared to illustrate how you used your skills with stories from your work or academic experience.
2. Your knowledge: You can have knowledge of an industry (banking), academic subject (Finance), region or culture (Japan), or organization/type of organization (military, World Bank, IBM). Your knowledge can come from professional, academic, or personal experience/background. For example, someone who worked in a family business during their formative years has knowledge of small business environments; someone who is an accomplished athlete may have knowledge of a particular sport (resulting in opportunities in sports management, equipment, events, etc.).
3. Your experience: It is best to quantify experience in terms of years, whenever possible. Experience can be professional, volunteer, internship, or entrepreneurial. For example, working for several companies in sales may be represented as “five years of progressively responsible positions in marketing/sales”.
4. Your personal qualities: “Show me, don’t tell me” is the guideline for discussing qualities. Always illustrate claims with examples from your experience such as “I am especially innovative as evidenced by my approach to solving systems problems at xyz company”

The Sixty Second Sell: How to Use Your Profile

1. On a Resume
   Summary of Qualifications
   • Excellent computer/technical skills (skills)
   • Knowledge of E. Asian culture and business practices (knowledge)
   • Two years as an independent consultant in international marketing experience (experience)
   • Especially resourceful as evidenced by innovative fundraising proposals (qualities)
2. In a Cover Letter
   As you can see by my resume, I have an extensive background in sales and marketing (experience), excellent interpersonal skills (skills), and knowledge of the computer industry (knowledge) from my graduate research at….
3. At a Career Fair
   It is a pleasure to meet you. I am particularly interested in the cosmetics industry and your firm is a recognized leader. I have an extensive background (experience) in retail sales and an MBA from ___, where I specialized in international marketing (knowledge). I am very entrepreneurial, as evidenced by my success as an independent consultant (qualities). I am also knowledgeable about Latin American business practices (knowledge) and speak Spanish (skills). Are there opportunities in your firm for someone with my qualifications?
4. On a Voice Mail
   Ms. Jones, I was given your name by Dr. X, a faculty member at ___ School of Business and Public Management. I expect to graduate with an MBA in International Business/Finance in May. I have also recently completed a short-term assignment with an international investment firm (experience), where I gained valuable knowledge (knowledge) of the Asian market and investment strategies. I also have a background in accounting (experience) and excellent computer skills (skills). I would like to meet with you and discuss ways I could be of service to your organization….