You can use your marketing skills to better sell your marketing skills on your CV and get hired!

It's ironic, but despite knowing how to sell products and services, so many marketers have a hard time selling themselves. Creating a standout CV is a skill all marketers need to perfect if they want to grow their career. 

Here’s how you can use your marketing skills to market your marketing skills and get hired:

Who’s your target group?

Step one of any marketing campaign, is knowing your audience: who do you want to reach; which company, which recruiter, which higher up executive? Is it a small company, a big company, a start up, or a corporate? Do they work on big advertising campaigns are smaller social media campaigns? Is it a digital role at a digital company or not? It’ll be easier to craft your message aimed at a particular person if you keep their specifics in mind - and you should.

You’ll know which of your skills and traits to emphasise, which background information is best to include, and which industry buzzwords will attract. Before you send off a generic, boring, uncompelling CV, have a look at their job postings for clues as to what your target group is looking for.

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What makes you unique (and a must-have)?

Think of yourself as a product. If you had to market a doll, you’d highlight its unique aspects, e.g.

“It says 50 different phrases!” - “Comes with 25 different outfit options!” - “There’s no other doll with this many weaves!”

So, what makes you different from all the other products? Think of the skills, experiences, and awards that make you unique. In your CV you should define exactly what your X-factor is - you know, your value proposition. Also make sure that this aligns with the specific industry, company, and position you’re applying for.

Incorporate AIDA

You use AIDA to sell your products, so why not yourself?

Attention: Attract your audience (hirer) with an attention grabbing layout, introduction, and body. If you’re running any campaign or selling any product, short, simple and striking is what you’d use - so why wouldn’t you do the same when selling yourself?

The best advice: use bullet points; avoid long sentences and paragraphs.

Interest: Remember that most hiring managers just scan your CV. It’s your job to give the most important information while making it very interesting.

Luckily, you are familiar with handling data, with analysis and presentation - use this to your advantage. Consider the ways in which you can highlight your successes in quantifiable data, e.g. increased product engagement by 20% over 3 months. It’s important to include data that hirers can use to compare you to other candidates.

Desire: Start with your wins before you mention your responsibilities. Highlight your skillset in a way that makes you beat the other candidates. Your qualifications and the extra courses you've completed will help with this aspect.

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Pitch your pros and leave out negative words. Some experts even suggest that you create a catchy slogan, e.g. Want to increase your reach three fold? I’m your guy! This approach can easily sound cheesy so only go with it if you’re really confident in your copy skills and if it’s appropriate for the company you’re applying to.

Action: Be sure to include a suitable call-to-action. It isn’t rocket science, it’s marketing! Get them to make the action you want: your goal at this point is to encourage the employer to invite in for an interview.

Highlight why you'll be an asset to the company in a gentle manner – without being arrogant or forceful as this can put them off. Of course, you'll have to include your cell number and email address, but also make sure that it's accompanied with urgent and compelling and intelligent remarks. After sending your CV, give them a couple of days then call them, further prompting them to take action. Be smart about how you persuade them that you should be interviewed for the position.

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