Provided by CareerJournal.com

Read Mitch Wienick's "From My Perspective" article published in WSJ's CareerJournal.com on October 14:

Can you market your candidacy like a consumer product? A former Procter & Gamble executive explains how the company's approach to new product introductions can be applied to a search campaign.

When I worked in marketing at Procter & Gamble, I learned valuable lessons about successfully introducing a product into a crowded category. I'm now a career coach and believe these lessons are relevant to executives seeking new positions.

My first marketing assignment at P&G was Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. Through the efforts of many excellent people, this product became the No. 1 dishwashing-liquid brand in the U.S. The five key factors that contributed to Dawn's initial success and continued market leadership also relate to successfully finding a new position.

First, before Dawn was even developed, its marketing team needed to get formal approval for why the company should introduce another brand in an already competitive category. At the time, six major dishwashing-liquid brands were on the market – three of them sold by P&G. The team gained senior management's support after it studied the marketplace and created a unique selling proposition for Dawn: to be the most effective category entrant for removing tough grease-based food stains, a problem which no other brand was effectively solving.

For job hunters, creating a unique selling proposition is akin to developing a resume. You must make a case why you should be invited to interview. The resume is the "proposal" a recruiter or hiring manager reviews before starting the application or interviewing process. Unfortunately, many job seekers don't make salient and persuasive arguments for their candidacies in their resumes. Instead of making their resumes "selling" documents, they write "telling" documents, which are usually work-history chronologies. The key to persuading hiring managers to meet you is to create a unique position for yourself in the mind of the "buyer" -- whether a recruiter or hiring manager -- relative to other candidates.

Clearly defining the target market was a second important factor in Dawn's early success. Similarly, job seekers must clearly define the type of position they want, their target industries and companies and the geographic area of their search. I've seen many candidates unnecessarily prolong their searches because they didn't answer these basic "what," "where" and "for whom" targeting questions. The best candidates, in contrast, have established clear strategic priorities, know exactly what they're seeking, and communicate it well.

One client who had worked for McGraw-Hill, General Electric and a dot-com start-up in varied positions, such as finance, marketing and sales, needed to use this step because of his diverse background. We established that his real passion and strength was in the sale of publishing products in the northeastern U.S. Once we determined this, he successfully focused his search efforts on companies in this market and region and found a position in New York City to which he can commute by train.

A third critical factor in Dawn's marketing plan was an ambitious sampling program, in which homemakers were given trial packages. When making career transitions, job seekers can use two major "trial devices." The first is to conduct a targeted resume mailing to companies and search firms that might be interested. The second is to network with friends, business acquaintances, suppliers, customers and company executives who might make referrals to others who can identify openings or influence the hiring process. Mailing your resume and arranging productive networking meetings is a way for influencers and hiring managers to see what you have to offer them -- in essence, trying you out before they buy.

Job hunters who limit the number of contacts they make -- usually because of a reluctance to meet others – will have fewer "tryers" and "buyers" for their candidacies, which in turn means fewer chances of securing new positions. Such executives will have longer job searches and usually need coaching on ways to build a strong contact network.

The fourth factor that contributed to Dawn's success was excellent retail distribution. Similarly, job seekers need to distribute or "place" themselves where they can network as productively as possible. This includes meeting with former suppliers, customers, professional service providers and consultants and joining organizations and associations relevant to their targeted positions.

A former president of a large industrial-products-distribution firm who helped found his industry's trade association put this principle to work when seeking a new position. He networked with officers of the association, who helped him find out about a position as president of a smaller distributor in a related industry that hadn't been made public yet. The executive applied for, interviewed and was offered the job, which he accepted.

The fifth and final factor was having a product with a compelling message -- on which Dawn truly delivered -- available at the right price. Because the marketing message sold its powerful performance advantage, the brand was introduced at a price above the then market leaders, which it sustained for years.

Likewise, job seekers need a compelling message, which incorporates what they want to do; their experience, skills, and strengths that support this goal; and the contributions they expect to make. Price, of course, equates to the job seeker's desired compensation package. For the right bundle of benefits, employers are likely to pay a premium versus the compensation a job seeker previously earned. At a minimum, compensation for your proposition will be competitive with the marketplace.

One client determined that what he liked and was best at is using data creatively to drive business performance. He embodied a compelling personal message about this objective in his marketing documents. He also used his goal to only focus on companies which value and develop data to gain an advantage over competitors. His successful use of a strong marketing message helped him locate and land a senior position with prominent public company that derives an advantage by creatively gathering, analyzing and using customer data. Moreover, his offer included a sizable increase in both base and variable compensation as well as a more generous stock option package.

Since job seekers are not only the product but also the product managers, the elements that contribute to a consumer product's successful introduction are directly relevant to their campaigns. Job seekers who conduct disciplined searches can repeatedly market themselves like a consumer product. I can confirm through experience with clients that mounting such a personal marketing campaign ultimately translates into "product leadership," and this means career success.

This article is reprinted by permission from CareerJournal.com © 2003 Dow Jones & Co. Inc. All rights reserved