Guide to market yourself professionally: Determine your USP

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Are you busy hunting jobs, preparing for group discussions and worrying about building a strong resume? Are you too frustrated with the numerous rejections you have to face? To some extent, this is the picture of every job seeker’s life. From scrolling the newsfeed of LinkedIn to mailing CVs to the HRs of different companies, their time flies. But here’s the thing, you must know the tips to market yourself professionally before you step into the process. 

The key to getting your dream job is not only about impressing the recruiter. It’s all about being yourself. Remember, your USP to recruiters is you, yourself. You don’t have to think about what the recruiters will think and do. All that you need to do is wrap yourself up in a shiny package and market yourself professionally to the recruiter. 

Key points to remember

Say for instance, will a waiter serve desserts before starters and the main course? No, absolutely not! Will Dominos deliver your favourite cheesy wonder pizza without properly garnishing it? Again, the answer is no. All of these situations reveal a simple formula: presentation matters. Similarly, your success in a job interview depends on how well you can present yourself and your qualities to the recruiter. Even a candidate with a powerhouse of talent might get rejected because of poor presentation skills. 

You have to project your skills to the recruiter in the right manner. And the first step in this journey of building your career is professional development. 

Well, to begin with, I must say that professional development is not restricted to a certain period of time. Rather, it is an ongoing process that takes place throughout the entire journey called your ‘career’. It involves training, certifications and courses which will contribute to your learn and consequently enhance your knowledge and skills. It helps you upgrade yourself professionally so as to enhance efficiency and productivity at the workplace. 

Due to the advancement of technology, research and development, there is a constant need to learn and upskill yourself. Professional development broadens the horizons of your knowledge and takes you a step further on the ladder of success. From business to politics, from education to weather forecast - we must be well-equipped with everything that is happening around the globe. And to market yourself professionally, you should develop a keen interest in learning new things. 

Attending seminars or conferences and reading newspapers, journals and business magazines are also essential parts of professional development. Apart from these, you must gain hands-on experience so that you can get proper exposure that makes you ready for corporate life. For this, joining internships and working on projects is extremely important. This is the beginning of your professional journey. 

Building a CV

Let us now move on to the next and most important step of your career development that includes building a resume. If you are actively looking for jobs, words like “shortlisted”, “CV”, “placement” would resonate in your ears now and again. As the essence of professional development lies in your CV, a strong resume can open the gateway to your dream company. 

So, to market yourself professionally, you must focus on constructing an effective resume that has the potential to create a positive impact on the recruiter. Your resume is a reflection of yourself in the eyes of the recruiter. It’s all about advertising yourself and highlighting the best skill-sets that make you an asset to any and every organization. 

“Rome wasn’t built in a day” and your resume can’t be created in a day either. One has to toil hard, work day and night to build a strong resume. You must introspect and know more about your personality in order to frame a great profile summary. Explore your skills and talents to enlist the most appropriate ones that suit the relevant field and the given job profile. Keep the content of the CV precise and make it effective at the same time.

The final step

Once the shortlisting of CVs is done, the interviews take place. Research about the company thoroughly once you’re selected for the interview. However, I have some tips for the D-day. Stay confident, walk with an air of optimism, speak with a professional tone, believe yourself and most importantly, be yourself. If you crack it, that will be the best news ever. But even if you don’t, remember great things are coming your way.