not taking it personal

Okay so I have to be honest, when I first read the email from Curt "Selling ourselves" it kinda rubbed me the wrong way and I was ready to vent BUT I didn't and decided to not take it personal. Alternatively, I decided to look into how I could take the feedback and learn to market myself better and this is what I found on the Monster.ca website:

Assess Your Soft Skills

In 1999, two years of experience as a systems administrator might have gotten you hired. No longer -- not when you are competing against hundreds of candidates with skills similar to yours. Candidates must now assess their soft skills. "This is about doing a little bit of soul-searching," Wilson says.

Ron Peterson, branch manager at the IT staffing firm Bradford & Galt suggests techies ask themselves about core competencies, especially mentoring and team-building. "Intangibles are going to sell this individual," Peterson notes.

I probably don't have to mention the obvious here but I will anyway.....this comes from doing our Personal Inventories and assessing our strengths and weaknesses.

Develop an Elevator Pitch

The elevator pitch is a brief self-marketing statement to be delivered at job fairs, conferences or other networking events. The pitch should echo the summary of a resume, according to Wilson, focusing on four key points designed to attract employers' attention. The pitch should sound informal and unrehearsed. To practice, deliver it to your answering voice mail, Wilson advises.

What do I want to communicate and market about myself in the span of a few sentences?

Seek a Support Structure

In order to learn, or relearn, networking and interviewing skills, look to organizations offering workshops or classes.

The big one for me would probably be public speaking classes to help me feel more comfortable in communicating.

Know Your Audience

Selling yourself effectively means learning everything you can about a company, from the time you write a cover letter to interview day. Tech job seekers "need to have researched the company, be able to speak intelligently about the company and offer their skill set to solve the company's problems," says Barry Mills, national recruiting director for MATRIX Resources, an IT staffing company.

As Matt has said time and time again, have a plan before you meet with someone and everyone to maximize the opportunity that's in front of us.

Be a Closer

Mills suggests techies use a traditional sales tactic for closing the sale. At the end of an interview, ask the interviewer, "Based on this interview, is there anything that would keep you from hiring me for this position?" As Mills notes, "It's very much a sales-type question." What's more, send a follow-up note to the individuals you've met at the company, thanking them for their time.

By presenting the other person with an opportunity to offer us real time feedback we can know exactly how our message was received by the other person. If needed, we can clarify further or take the feedback and apply it to the next situation.

- Paul -