Feedback

First of all, I want to thank everyone who has provided feedback.  I have received several emails and messages about the blog, some of which have already helped me adjust my marketing strategy. 

One LinkedIn message in particular caught my attention.  Michelle, a fellow Liberty University graduate (whom I have never met) made some suggestions about an earlier post – Why the Job Hunt?

“Taft, I read your blog and think it is an interesting way of marketing yourself. However, I would rethink the post about why you are looking for a job. While very honest, it also is all about you. Employers are looking for how you are an asset to them - and God calls us to think about others before ourselves. We all want to have social lives, be paid well, and have promotional opportunity; but no recruiter or employer wants to hear that… You can say what you are trying to say but in a way that makes it about what you can offer to them instead of what you expect them to offer to you.”

Michelle makes some excellent points here.  Recruiters and potential employers will not hire me based upon what I want; they need to know what I can offer them.  I need to clearly articulate the ways in which I can help an organization meet its goals.  I plan to dedicate some future posts to talking about what I bring to the proverbial table, and I have some creative ideas for doing just that.  I will not simply repeat my resume in a post.  I appreciate the guidance and hope that more of you will share your wisdom and experience.

This is a perfect opportunity for me to explain myself.  First off, I admit that this blog is all about me.  It is a self-serving endeavor.  But I hope that it will become much more than that.  My ultimate goal is to create a living source of information that has the potential to help others.  By openly and honestly sharing the details of my search for a job, I may provide others with information that will allow them to avoid my mistakes and capitalize on the lessons that I have learned along the way.

So, please keep reading and sending me your ideas, advice and guidance.  Be sure to follow this blog – I have some exciting ideas that you won’t want to miss.

Until next time.

-Taft