I AM the Trendy Brand

It is no wonder that the advertising industry in BC has operating revenues of over $5 billion and that the future job prospects for advertisers and marketing managers is above average (http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:CInprFemvX8J:skilledimmigrants.vpl.ca/index.php/guides/industry/advertising+22advertising+industry22+statistics+sales&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca&client=firefox-a)--advertising works! Lets use Coca-Cola for an example. When I head into the supermarket to find my can of Coca-Cola, I know I am looking for a red can with whitish-silverish calligraphic font spelling Coca-Cola in a vertical fashion from the bottom of the can to the top underlined by a wavy line in the same colour. In addition, I know that when I pour the drink into my glass that it will be a dark brown colour, fizzing, and will taste exactly the same as it has for over a century. The key to brand positioning is consistency; and that is precisely what you are going to do in your personal marketing documents which include your resume, cover letter, job search business cards, and list of references.

So, you ask, how do I do this? Very simply really. First, figure out what your heading will look like. What size font did you use for your name and contact information? What style font did you use? Did you bold anything? Use small caps? What style underlining did you use? Where was your information placed? Was all of your information right-aligned, left aligned, centered, or broken up? I love this part because I can be creative and younique! Never outrageous though; we don't want to use a font that is hard to read. You may even want to use an image (not of yourself) that represents you in your heading. For example, if you are applying to be a make-up artist, you may want to use an image of a tube of lipstick just before your name in the heading. The image of lipstick creates a sense that you encompass beauty and aesthetics. The lipstick image is like subconsciously priming the reader of what to expect. Beautiful, I love it! Once you are happy with your heading, take a mental photograph because you will use this heading in ALL of your job search documents. Additionally, take note of your margins, border design (if you used one), underline design, or any other formatting that makes your documents youniquely you and use them consistently as well. How do you think CoCo Chanel succeeded? Louis Vuitton? Coach? All have a very specific logos that you could spot from a mile away. Ah, now you're getting it! Advertise yourself! Remember, you are your own younique trendy brand!

I got the job!!!

I got the job!!! Yea me! The whole process was so much work but it totally paid off in the end. I look at job searching like forcing myself to go to the gym so that I can fit into that new Victoria Secret bathing suit this summer. Do I want to go to a place where everyone can see how embarrassingly weak I am? No. Do I want to lift something that is really heavy? No. Do I want to sweat the make-up off my face? No. Let's face it, people LIKE going to the gym as much as people LIKE job searching...which isn't much! But in the end, you've landed yourself a killer job, you'll have stability, a constant paycheck, benefits maybe, and now you can buy yourself that Coach purse you've had your eye on.

Now let me tell you how I conducted my job search that resulted in landing this wicked job. Upon reading the job posting, I realized I had many transferable skills; so, I continued onward to research the company. When researching the company, I took notes on what I liked about them such as being one of Canada's top 20 employers or one of BC's best diversity employers for example. Basically, I was looking to answer the employer's question, "Why do you want to work for our company?" I continued my research by finding individuals on Facebook who did this particular job at this particular company and asked them if they would be interested in helping me learn more about their job and company. Luckily for me, a few people responded and answered all of my questions and then some. As the application process was all on line, I was super happy when one of the individuals offered to give my resume and cover letter directly to HR. I took all of the information I learned about the job and company and started targeting my resume and cover letter to the position, making sure I was staying consistent with my value proposition throughout. Since we are on the topic of consistency, from my resume to cover letter to my list of references, I kept my heading and margins exactly the same to create a sense of personal branding. These are, after all, my personal advertising documents; I am the trendy brand. I sent the employee my documents to hand over to the HR department and I applied online to ensure they were to get my documents one way or the other. Two weeks later I was contacted to come in for an interview. With a dab of Aquolina Pink Sugar behind my ears, not too much make-up, and dressed in my favorite business attair, I went to the interview. I took with me extra copies of my resume, my list of references, my portfolio, and a note pad just in case. The interview went great and when I got off the phone with this particular company a week later, I just had to scream out loud, "I got the job!!!"

Stop dragging your Manolos! It's time to find a job.

Hi ladies! Is it that time again? Time to search for a job? You've had your eye on that Coach purse for some time now, but you know that purse will never be introduced to your gorgeous Coach wallet unless there is cash inside. I understand finding a job can be difficult; it is like dieting, challenging, uninteresting, and requires a lot of determination--but think of the payoff! You'll be able to fit into that pair of Rock and Republic jeans you bought one size to small for inspiration. Ladies, dieting is a lot like job searching. And the payoff? Being able to afford your new Coach purse!!! If that is not inspiration, I don't know what is.