How To Reinvent Yourself To Get the Job You Want, At Any Age! - Steve Blacker

The ability to successfully market your skill set is critical to obtain the job you want. Today most companies are facing major sea changes and in many cases current business models no longer work. The two most important challenges every company faces are: 1) developing new profit centers without incurring additional operational costs, 2) reducing operating costs without jeopardizing their customer base or brand equity.

The challenge is to come in as if you are already working at the company you are interested in and to be perceived as both a problem solver and "change agent". You need not be concerned about a company stealing your idea as most companies today are understaffed and lack the people who will have the expertise to execute your idea. As Albert Einstein once said: "Don't expect the people who created the problem to be able to fix it." And do not limit yourself to areas that you have worked in previously before. If you can sell and market radio you can do the same for billboards or even credit cards.

First, research the company you are interested in working for by examining their annual reports, Google, etc. Read carefully the Presidents and other key executive messages to stockholders about their plans for growth, major challenges, opportunities, new products and services, etc.

Next Facebook and LinkedIn their key executives to see if any of their contacts/friends are people you know. If they are you may be able to ask them to make an introduction for you. These two Web sites will also contain other useful information about the top management people such as: career history, college they attended, etc. This too may be useful to help you obtain a meeting.

For your meeting you need to come in with ideas showing how your skill set can make that company more successful. To do this you need to take a reasonable amount of time to put your research together. Ask close friends and former business associates for ideas. The people who know you best should know your skill set best.

Can you create a new profit center for the company you are interested in without their having to make a significant investment?

Often times this can be done by re-allocating a company's staffing alignment. Or by testing a new product or service in a way that a launch can be achieved at no additional cost. This can be easily done with most new Digital offerings when a media company has an existing and large base of E-mail addresses.

Can you save the company significant operating costs without impairing its brand equity? Every company today is either looking to create a new profit center or to save in operating costs. Closely examine the company you are interested in organizational structure. Look for ways to reduce redundancy and streamline the operation. Compare their structure to others in their field.

Contact the top executive in the area of the company you are interested in. If you cannot have a third party introduce you through LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. then compose a very short E-mail and letter stating that you have an idea that can either create a new profit center at no additional cost or significantly reduce operating costs. If you can do both, so much the better. Be persistent in your follow up. If their office asks you to write out your idea and submit it do not do so.

Simply say you need ten minutes to explain and show your idea in person. Most executives work in half hour schedule blocks. Asking for just ten minutes, which is all you should need if you are well prepared, allows for flexibility to fit you in a busy schedule either first thing in the morning or at the end of the day.

Steve's most recent book You Can't Fall Off The Floor - The Insiders' Guide to Re-Inventing Yourself and Your Career chronicles his 50 year career working for over 25 different companies with 189 lessons learned and insider tips from Gayle King, Cathie Black, Chuck Townsend and 28 others; Blacker is still going strong today as a partner in Frankfurt & Blacker Solutions, LLC. His web site is blacker-reinventions.com and e-mail address is blackersolutions@aol.com

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