Your Questions About Direct Marketing Jobs

Jere answers:

When we lose our jobs or lose our status the thing to remember is not to get upset, become bitter or resentful, or lash out and blame others. After we have dried our tears, we have to bounce back, accept the loss, reinvent ourselves and move on.

Perhaps, we need to change our attitudes and shift our paradigms; perhaps we need to confront our values, or learn new skills. Perhaps, we need to get honest feedback on our performance, on our work behaviors and attitudes to identify our strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement. Perhaps we need to retool ourselves. Perhaps we need to leave our present organization when we are no longer happy and fulfilled in what we are doing.

When we find ourselves in this situation we have to plan our career. Career planning is a deliberate process of knowing WHO we are so that we can be sure WHERE we want to go or WHAT we want to be at some defined point in the future. It involves an analysis of career/job options that are new to you. Career analysis is based on accurate, valid and timely information from — reading, interviewing primary resources persons and direct observation of those persons while doing their job.

Here are some sites, which can help you plan your career.

Job Hunters Bible – My favorite. I have taught their system to hundreds of people with great results. Richard N. Bolles, America’s dean of Career Consultants, heads the company and is also the author of the book, ‘What Color Is Your Parachute.’ This book should be available in your library.
Http://www.JobHuntersBible.com

Careers for the ‘People Person’
http://www.learningandlife.com/options/top-5-people-person-careers.php

CareerBuilder.Com
http://www.careerbuilder.com

CareerPlanner.Com
http://www.careerplanner.com/

U. S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook
http://www.bls.gov/oco/

The Princeton Review Career Quiz – Free. A brief 24-part questionnaire related to the Birkman Method, with intriguing career suggestions.
Http://www.review.com/career/careerquizhome.cfm?menuID=0&careers=6

The RHETI Test – Free. Related to the Enneagram
http:/www.9types.com/

Tests for Sale

Analyze My Career – Aptitude tests, personality tests, occupation interests, entrepreneurial index.
Http://www.AnalyzeMyCareer.com

John Holland’s Self-Directed Search
http://www.self-directed=search.com/

Other Career Tests and Sites
http://www.assessment.com/
http://web.tickle.com/take/online-career…
Http://careerplanning.about.com/mbody.htm?once=true&
http://www.ncda.org/

Peace and every blessing!

Jere answers:

Your brother’s timeline is reasonably accurate – for perm jobs.

Finding direct-hire positions is a slow process as companies tend to be very careful about whom they hire. What you should/could do is look for contract-to-hire positions. Many, many companies prefer that route as it gives them (and you) a chance to “try each other out”…I call it rent-to-own (LOL). If you expand your search to include that option, you will be looking at about a 2 month time frame, vs. 3-6 months. However, and this is a big “however”, you are running up against a time-factor. In about 3 weeks, the job market is going to take a major nose-dive due to holidays. Companies generally put jobs on hold from mid-Nov to mid-Jan.

Work with as many recruiters as possible. This will cast the widest net and will get the most response.

Also, go through your profiles on the job boards with a fine-tooth comb. Look for spelling and grammatical errors, consider re-wording parts if you are not absolutely sure about them. Also, make sure that your resume is formatted on the boards in an easy to read fashion. You should ALWAYS have a formatted version and a plain-text version. The formatted versions don’t translate well to text fields.

This is also going to sound a little rudimentary but double and triple check your contact information on the boards. You may have an incorrect phone number or email address listed.

Jere answers:

1. Experience – without experience you won’t even get in the door. Land a solid internship and start making those network connections.

2. Solid networking – knowing the right people at the right time is great.

3. Skill – you could have a degree in math, experience in accounting but if you just struggle at math, then you aren’t going to excel. You have to have SKILL and a PASSION for your career.

4. Forward-thinking attitude – start plotting your career from the start gate. Do you want to be a CEO? Then fine…what skills do you need to be a CEO? Do you want to be VP of marketing? What skills do you need? Actually take time to research (and call actual people in those positions – hey, more networking) and figure out what you need. A title isn’t as important as a skill. For example, let’s say you’re in business and are working with marketing right now. You volunteer for a project in video production, which will give you more experience in that. You volunteer for a project in sales, which again gives you more experience. The more you can refine your experience to what your goal is, you’ll put yourself above the competition. What does someone in your future position need to have, and what would the competition look like? You’ll need to prepare to prove yourself, even if you’re young.

5. Reality. You won’t make $50K right away. You’re going to have to climb the corporate ladder.

6. As for majors: Double major in business or finance and Spanish. Spanish will give you a head start (and a premium salary in some careers) while a business or finance degree is basic enough to get you plugged in nearly anywhere. If you are good at math, try engineering.

Jere answers:

If you have an interview set up, find out who it is with, then make sure that you know their way to work.

Set up a single day ad campaign where they see your name everywhere, for instance if they stop for coffee pay the counter guy a couple bucks to put your card in the guy’s bag (or tucked in the sleeve of the Starbucks cup). Put up a sign which he will see which touts your merits. You can figure out more, I’m sure. Basically, you’re looking for a job coordinating advertising, so coordinate an ad campaign for yourself directed specifically at him.

Jere answers:

According to the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook:

Advertising, Marketing, Promotions, Public Relations, and Sales Managers

Keen competition for jobs is expected.

College graduates with related experience, a high level of creativity, strong communication skills, and computer skills should have the best job opportunities.

High earnings, substantial travel, and long hours, including evenings and weekends, are common

Marketing positions (see detailed charts at website for median salaries for each title)

Advertising managers oversee advertising and promotion staffs, which usually are small, except in the largest firms. In a small firm, managers may serve as liaisons between the firm and the advertising or promotion agency to which many advertising or promotional functions are contracted out. In larger firms, advertising managers oversee in-house account, creative, and media services departments. The account executive manages the account services department, assesses the need for advertising, and, in advertising agencies, maintains the accounts of clients. The creative services department develops the subject matter and presentation of advertising. The creative director oversees the copy chief, art director, and associated staff. The media director oversees planning groups that select the communication media—for example, radio, television, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, or outdoor signs—to disseminate the advertising.

Promotions managers supervise staffs of promotion specialists. These managers direct promotion programs that combine advertising with purchase incentives to increase sales. In an effort to establish closer contact with purchasers—dealers, distributors, or consumers—promotion programs may use direct mail, telemarketing, television or radio advertising, catalogs, exhibits, inserts in newspapers, Internet advertisements or Web sites, in-store displays or product endorsements, and special events. Purchasing incentives may include discounts, samples, gifts, rebates, coupons, sweepstakes, and contests.

Marketing managers develop the firm’s marketing strategy in detail. With the help of subordinates, including product development managers and market research managers, they estimate the demand for products and services offered by the firm and its competitors. In addition, they identify potential markets—for example, business firms, wholesalers, retailers, government, or the general public. Marketing managers develop pricing strategy to help firms maximize profits and market share while ensuring that the firm’s customers are satisfied. In collaboration with sales, product development, and other managers, they monitor trends that indicate the need for new products and services, and they oversee product development. Marketing managers work with advertising and promotion managers to promote the firm’s products and services and to attract potential users.

Public relations managers supervise public relations specialists. (See the Handbook statement on public relations specialists.) These managers direct publicity programs to a targeted audience. They often specialize in a specific area, such as crisis management, or in a specific industry, such as health care. They use every available communication medium to maintain the support of the specific group upon whom their organization’s success depends, such as consumers, stockholders, or the general public. For example, public relations managers may clarify or justify the firm’s point of view on health or environmental issues to community or special-interest groups.

Public relations managers also evaluate advertising and promotion programs for compatibility with public relations efforts and serve as the eyes and ears of top management. They observe social, economic, and political trends that might ultimately affect the firm, and they make recommendations to enhance the firm’s image on the basis of those trends.

Public relations managers may confer with labor relations managers to produce internal company communications—such as newsletters about employee-management relations—and with financial managers to produce company reports. They assist company executives in drafting speeches, arranging interviews, and maintaining other forms of public contact; oversee company archives; and respond to requests for information. In addition, some of these managers handle special events, such as the sponsorship of races, parties introducing new products, or other activities that the firm supports in order to gain public attention through the press without advertising directly.

Sales managers direct the firm’s sales program. They assign sales territories, set goals, and establish training programs for the sales representatives. (See the Handbook statement on sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing.) Sales managers advise the sales representatives on ways to improve their sales performance. In large, multiproduct firms, they oversee regional and local sales managers and their staffs. Sales managers maintain contact with dealers and distributors. They analyze sales statistics gathered by their staffs to determine sales potential and inventory requirements and to monitor customers’ preferences. Such information is vital in the development of products and the maximization of profits.