Communication experts vary in their opinion of how many times an adult needs to hear/read a message before they remember it. Most experts say an adult must be exposed to a message between three and seven times before they retain it. What message do you want prospective employers to remember? Are you prepared to tell a prospective employer that you are a qualified candidate prepared to help them achieve their company goals seven times? Not sure how to effectively deliver your message multiple times? Use these five tips to deliver a constant, remembered message to prospective employers.
Use your phone message to verbalize your branding statement. Your message could state: “You have reached Mike Smith, a junior engineer with a passion for finding cost-effective solutions to business challenges, please leave your name, phone number, and a brief message.”
Let every email deliver a branding statement and a convenient way to contact you. Create or expand your email signature to include your full name, phone number, email address, LinkedIn URL, and your branding message. In the case of Mike, he will include the line: “Junior engineer with a passion for finding cost-effective solutions to business challenges.”
Use Facebook to send a message to prospective employers. Your first task is to clean up your wall; remove pictures and comments that do not support the top candidate message you want to send. Then, add comments and pictures that support your professional image. Add pictures showing you at work, working with a team, the cover of a completed report. Brag about the successes you have had in class or career. Most employers check out a job candidate’s social media pages. Make sure yours delivers the message you want.
Develop a complete LinkedIn page. I see a lot of profiles that contain a minimum amount of information. Others send the message, “I am currently unemployed”. Employers don’t hire you because you are unemployed. They hire you because you are qualified. They go to LinkedIn to find qualified candidates, not check employment status. Use your LinkedIn profile to highlight your skills and experience, not send a message on your employment status.
Become active on LinkedIn groups by sharing your insights and comments.
Make your message clear, well written, and unique to assure prospective employers remember it and you.
