Building Powerful Documents that Reflect Your Market Knowledge
Posted: 12.01.2015
By Lynda Reeves, Graham Management Group, Senior Consultant
As a high-level jobseeker, you probably know the large role knowledge plays in your ability to influence others to interview and hire you. In fact, you are probably imparting lots of information about yourself in your resume portfolio. This will help others be knowledgeable about you. But, is your professional portfolio reflecting your market knowledge effectively?
By gathering market knowledge, you can express how you will fulfil the needs of your next job, company, and industry. If you want to create documents that are meaningful to your next employer, you need to first answer "YES" to these questions:
Once you have collected information, showcase it in diverse ways. Be prepared to articulate what you have learned. Ensure that all documents in your portfolio are strengthened by the results of your research.
Market Knowledge in Your Resume and Cover Letter
When you understand your personal Brand Strategy and how that relates to your targeted roles' requirements, you will be able to include powerful examples that demonstrate your market knowledge. Your resume will become more relevant to your readers when you feature those. The partner to your resume, your cover letter, needs to entice hiring managers and recruiters to look seriously at your resume. Adding a bulleted section with key terms, data, and examples that describe how well you understand the industry and the organization is a worthwhile strategy.
In both documents, be sure to include reinforcing statements that show the breadth and depth of knowledge that you are keen to share. It is also wise to mention how dedicated you are to staying current and well informed.
Market Knowledge in Other Career Documents
Be sure to include market knowledge in your professional biography - your formal portfolio version and your LinkedIn summary. Mention your talent for keeping abreast of industry changes. Offer nuggets that talk about the measures that you implement that keep organizations in the forefront.
When you add distinctive elements to your visual presentations that reflect your market knowledge, you increase the likelihood that the viewer will be intrigued to learn more about you. With a powerful PowerPoint show, in less than ten minutes, you can give the busy executive a good idea of how well in-tuned you are with their needs.
Your best recruiting letters will be those that demonstrate the knowledge you have about the market segments. Research each recruitment firm you are targeting to determine if they specialize in the industry sectors that appeal to you. Then identify the names of high-level clients that these recruiters support. Customize each letter to capture the highlights of your knowledge and address items that will make you someone they want to meet.
Your thank-you letter, business case, and any other letters you choose to send after the first contact - are excellent places to reiterate your market knowledge and expertise. As an attachment to any follow-up letter, you may want to include one or more added value items. Address new things you have uncovered since the original interview by following surveys, networking meetings, and industry publications.
When you are establishing your online networking presence, research keywords used by recruiters and hiring managers in your industry, and inject those within your material. This will not only show that you understand the segment, but will also increase your likelihood of being found when others are doing their searches.
An indirect - but important - way to use your market knowledge is to share key pieces of information with the referees you have on your professional reference list. These people need to be well informed about the industry and the role you are targeting in order handle queries to your best advantage.
Gathering market knowledge should be a vital and ongoing part of your job quest. Following any meetings or interviews, use what you learned in the tone and direction of topics to add elements that you may have forgotten to mention or emphasize.
Keeping current in your research will allow you to add a component that many of your competitors will overlook. The more advanced and up-to-date your portfolio information, the greater your documents will portray what you have to offer for job opportunities and networking situations.
When you understand the advantages of - and strategically apply - your market knowledge, you can secure a distinctive edge.
An interesting and often overlooked way to get pertinent data is to actively participate in appropriate surveys by giving relevant information yourself. The very questions to which you respond, frequently highlight the hottest issues that you should be addressing in your own material, interviews, and networking meetings.
Start gaining more market knowledge today. Take Graham Management Group's newest survey OUTLOOK 2010: Competitive Career Intelligence for Six-Figure Canadians and receive a complimentary self-study program entitled Strategic Planning for the Six-Figure Professional from Sharon Graham, Canada's Career Strategist. You'll also get free access to Graham Management Group's Canadian Competitive Intelligence Report and you'll receive a $100.00 credit on any resume portfolio development services from Graham Management Group in 2010.
Lynda Reeves is an award-winning, master certified resume strategist and career consultant. As senior consultant for Graham Management Group, Lynda assists executives, managers, and six-figure professionals, leveraging extensive experience spanning resume writing, human resource consulting, coaching, and training. You can contact Lynda and find further information and articles directly at www.GrahamManagement.com
As a high-level jobseeker, you probably know the large role knowledge plays in your ability to influence others to interview and hire you. In fact, you are probably imparting lots of information about yourself in your resume portfolio. This will help others be knowledgeable about you. But, is your professional portfolio reflecting your market knowledge effectively?
By gathering market knowledge, you can express how you will fulfil the needs of your next job, company, and industry. If you want to create documents that are meaningful to your next employer, you need to first answer "YES" to these questions:
- Do you fully understand the specific companies you are targeting?
- Can you articulate the challenges and opportunities related to your next position?
- Do you have a complete awareness of current industry trends?
Once you have collected information, showcase it in diverse ways. Be prepared to articulate what you have learned. Ensure that all documents in your portfolio are strengthened by the results of your research.
Market Knowledge in Your Resume and Cover Letter
When you understand your personal Brand Strategy and how that relates to your targeted roles' requirements, you will be able to include powerful examples that demonstrate your market knowledge. Your resume will become more relevant to your readers when you feature those. The partner to your resume, your cover letter, needs to entice hiring managers and recruiters to look seriously at your resume. Adding a bulleted section with key terms, data, and examples that describe how well you understand the industry and the organization is a worthwhile strategy.
In both documents, be sure to include reinforcing statements that show the breadth and depth of knowledge that you are keen to share. It is also wise to mention how dedicated you are to staying current and well informed.
Market Knowledge in Other Career Documents
Be sure to include market knowledge in your professional biography - your formal portfolio version and your LinkedIn summary. Mention your talent for keeping abreast of industry changes. Offer nuggets that talk about the measures that you implement that keep organizations in the forefront.
When you add distinctive elements to your visual presentations that reflect your market knowledge, you increase the likelihood that the viewer will be intrigued to learn more about you. With a powerful PowerPoint show, in less than ten minutes, you can give the busy executive a good idea of how well in-tuned you are with their needs.
Your best recruiting letters will be those that demonstrate the knowledge you have about the market segments. Research each recruitment firm you are targeting to determine if they specialize in the industry sectors that appeal to you. Then identify the names of high-level clients that these recruiters support. Customize each letter to capture the highlights of your knowledge and address items that will make you someone they want to meet.
Your thank-you letter, business case, and any other letters you choose to send after the first contact - are excellent places to reiterate your market knowledge and expertise. As an attachment to any follow-up letter, you may want to include one or more added value items. Address new things you have uncovered since the original interview by following surveys, networking meetings, and industry publications.
When you are establishing your online networking presence, research keywords used by recruiters and hiring managers in your industry, and inject those within your material. This will not only show that you understand the segment, but will also increase your likelihood of being found when others are doing their searches.
An indirect - but important - way to use your market knowledge is to share key pieces of information with the referees you have on your professional reference list. These people need to be well informed about the industry and the role you are targeting in order handle queries to your best advantage.
Gathering market knowledge should be a vital and ongoing part of your job quest. Following any meetings or interviews, use what you learned in the tone and direction of topics to add elements that you may have forgotten to mention or emphasize.
Keeping current in your research will allow you to add a component that many of your competitors will overlook. The more advanced and up-to-date your portfolio information, the greater your documents will portray what you have to offer for job opportunities and networking situations.
When you understand the advantages of - and strategically apply - your market knowledge, you can secure a distinctive edge.
An interesting and often overlooked way to get pertinent data is to actively participate in appropriate surveys by giving relevant information yourself. The very questions to which you respond, frequently highlight the hottest issues that you should be addressing in your own material, interviews, and networking meetings.
Start gaining more market knowledge today. Take Graham Management Group's newest survey OUTLOOK 2010: Competitive Career Intelligence for Six-Figure Canadians and receive a complimentary self-study program entitled Strategic Planning for the Six-Figure Professional from Sharon Graham, Canada's Career Strategist. You'll also get free access to Graham Management Group's Canadian Competitive Intelligence Report and you'll receive a $100.00 credit on any resume portfolio development services from Graham Management Group in 2010.
Lynda Reeves is an award-winning, master certified resume strategist and career consultant. As senior consultant for Graham Management Group, Lynda assists executives, managers, and six-figure professionals, leveraging extensive experience spanning resume writing, human resource consulting, coaching, and training. You can contact Lynda and find further information and articles directly at www.GrahamManagement.com
