We’ve all been there; you’re looking for a new job, and as time goes on you find yourself more and more discouraged at the lack of responses. Days, weeks, and possibly months go by without as much as a few nibbles. You gradually start lowering your expectations, expanding your radius and even widening your specific industry targets. Jobs that were once unattractive now seem like the preferred options. As you see it, the problem is the economy, other “better” candidates, or hiring managers that just don’t understand the value you bring to the table.

To prevail in the face of all this perceived negative pressure, there has to be a change in the strategy that hasn’t been successful.  You have to get into the mind of the recruiter or hiring manager and think about what problem they are trying to solve. Generally, the main problem is finding someone who can meet the job criteria at the right price. There are many factors that go into this value calculation such as the competition, urgency, job market and the desired experience level.  Knowing the target pay-scale of a position and your own experience level will help you to sell yourself for it. It’s imperative to have a grip on the market value of the job you’re aiming at for an understanding on how you stack up.

Out of all the factors, the one that you control the most is the one that sets you apart- your apparent value. You have the power to seed and grow the idea that you are in fact the person to go with. Recruiters want to see success happen. For someone to be successful in a position there has to be passion, experience and knowledge. It’s easy to tell if someone is following their passion because the jobs on a resume will tend to line up along industry or functional lines.  Explaining the path you’ve taken shows a great deal about who you are and how you handle situations. How you answer the question “why do you want this position?” is a how recruiters will gauge your interest level.  If your answer to the question starts with needing a 9-5 to pay your bills, you won’t be getting the job. Anyone can give that response- it’s assumed you want to make money (does anyone work for free?). Instead, think deeper about why this job is better than the rest and honestly explain why you’d be motivated to plant your roots in the company and work hard.

When it comes to your resume, your level of experience is clear from the examples given under each job title. Whether you have one year or 15 years, it’s impractical to fudge what you did and for how long. However, your industry knowledge is much more abstract and subjective. Ask yourself if you’d rather have an expert with five years experience or a novice with 10. It helps that many openings have leeway with experience when knowledge is clearly demonstrated. That being said, if your experience is too far off from the requirement, then it’s probably not the best fit.

As it is, the job world is ever changing and to keep up, you should never stop improving .The more energy spent building your skills, the less you’ll have to push a recruiter to send your resume forward. Remember to stay positive and be meticulous about the jobs you want. When your experience, knowledge and passion align with the right job, marketing yourself to a recruiter will come naturally.

Blog post originally posted on Eliassen Group's Blog at http://blog.eliassen.com/blog-0/bid/74187/How-to-Market-Your-Skills...