Marketing The Brand Called You

Andrew Bergstein

( Andrew Bergstein is an instructor in marketing and a faculty adviser in Penn State's Smeal College of Business. )

Many of the approximately one-million undergraduate students receiving their diplomas this spring knew only one kind of economic climate and often viewed good times as a permanent condition. The economic climate has changed rapidly since September and, even though experts feel it is rebounding, this spring's graduates will face tough competition as lay-offs and under-employment create a backlog of young people with good educations but limited work experience.

I began by business career during the first world oil crisis, worked through the economic catastrophe of the second energy crisis as well as the 1989-1991 recession and now teach and advise business students at Penn State. Many well-educated students about to graduate face a difficult job market and, by fall, over a million new college students will join the job market pipeline. Looking for a job in a tight market can be a little like the children's game of "Musical Chairs." I advise my students to make sure one way or another they have a place to sit down when the music stops. Here are some job search strategies I share with students:

Manage the "Brand Called You ." Aspiring workers should view themselves the way companies and other organizations view their brands. People can develop features, benefits and attributes, which can be traded for money, and other benefits. The key is developing skills, abilities and behaviors desired by the market, including through formal education, and the explosive amount of information available from the media, online, in books and public seminars. Too few people, including college students, take advantage of informal sources of knowledge-a great deal of which costs little or nothing. Companies manage their brands over time; so too must workers. The skills and abilities required by employers change, so the "Brand Called You," must constantly react, evolve and improve.

Commit to Lifetime Learning . The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. estimates that in today's "Knowledge Revolution," the average worker will need the equivalent of one year of college education every seven years. Much of this knowledge cannot be delivered through conventional methods, so the proactive lifetime learners stand the best chance of sustained success. 40% of the jobs estimated to be available in 2020 involve technologies, products and companies which do not exist today-many of which will require skills which will have to be developed post-college.

Get a New Job in Sales . Whether it's permanent post-graduation employment, summer work or an internship, the successful candidate should view himself or herself as the salesperson of their own service product. Sales success centers on having a good presentation (cover letter, resume, oral and written communications skills, appropriate clothing, personal appearance, and excellent interaction skills). Employers can afford to be pickier, so those who present themselves in the best fashion increase their chances to succeed. On-campus career centers are a great place to start, but should not be the sole source of job leads. Good salespeople prospect for leads wherever they can be found.

Target Your Customers . Some communities, industries and job types present job opportunities and others currently do not. Business journals, Chambers of Commerce, online sites and other media can be used to identify geographic areas where there are jobs, including areas with low unemployment. Certain industries, such as defense, security and insurance are expanding, while others like education are counter-cyclical to the economy and actually growing. Once the geographic and sectors targets are identified, the harder work of tracking down the right people to contact for jobs begins. Any salesperson will tell you if you work hard and can deal with rejection, success can be achieved.

Get and Stay Connected . Personal contacts are the key to long-term success. Most colleges and universities have resources to connect graduates to alumni; making this a great starting point. Whether a person is returning to their home community or moving to a new location, a great way to make job and career connections are through local organizations and volunteerism. Connections can be made with people, including community leaders, who can be very valuable jobs leads and mentors.

Have a Back-Up Plan . Traditionally, the re-employment market lags most economic recoveries and the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that over the coming decade the number of jobs requiring a college education will only equal the number of people forecast to receive degrees. Currently there is more supply than demand for college graduates. Military service, Teach for America, the Peace Corps, teaching English abroad, law or graduate school are all worth considering if even only as a back up plan. Don't wait to be unemployed on graduation day to at least explore these options.

Be Willing to Settle For Less . Some college students seem bent on getting exactly what they want as if their first job was a "Holy Grail." This might not be the time for the perfect job, with the perfect company, at the perfect salary in the perfect location. Those who demonstrate flexibility stand a better chance to succeed over the long career haul.

Start looking for your chair now. Sitting on your rear-end on the floor reading the "Want Ads" is not a fun alternative.