Job search: should you sell yourself like a product?

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Conducting thorough market research, selling yourself while differentiating yourself from competitors: job searching is increasingly seen as a marketing approach. For better or worse?

1- "Selling" yourself to find a job: 
This expression is not new, but it's gaining traction in this tense context, which doesn't spare executives. "Given the highly competitive environment, recruiters can compare service offers," summarizes Noémie Circurel, director of the recruitment firm Robert Half International France. The recruiter, like many consultants and coaches, intentionally uses a term inspired by marketing to emphasize that "today, a candidate absolutely must know how to sell themselves."

Like a product? Pascale Botella, a former headhunter and founder of the recruitment and HR firm Entrio Partners, unequivocally titled her executive mobility support program "self-selling." In seven steps, over several weeks, she offers to "learn how to sell yourself to find your new job" and to "develop your own marketing" through various workshops and interviews.


2- A trend amplified by social networks...
According to Tania Gibot, consultant at APEC, "we are indeed in a marketing approach, particularly because beforehand it is necessary to conduct market research and understand companies." An analysis period similar to what a product manager might do before launching a new product.

Personal branding. Professional social networks, such as LinkedIn and Viadeo, contribute to this approach. Using the right keywords for search engines, carefully choosing a photo to be appealing, relaying duly selected and attractive information: the strategy must be planned and constructed. This is called "personal branding," presented as the application of communication techniques used for a brand to an individual, leaving little room for improvisation.


3- ...and by the crisis
This "self-marketing," accelerated by web tools, is more essential than ever. "The idea that those seeking employment, whether unemployed or employed, need to 'sell' themselves to recruiters is not new. But it seems to be gaining even more momentum," observes Emmanuelle Marchal, sociologist and research associate at the Centre de sociologie des organisations (Center for Sociology of Organizations) of the CNRS.

Evolving standards. According to this expert in recruitment and the labor market, presentation standards have evolved and pre-selection stages have become more cumbersome, with much less flexibility and ease of direct contact: "The encouragement to adopt a marketing approach and to sell oneself is part of this context: it is as much a signal of the weak position in which candidates find themselves as it is of the despair of recruiters who no longer know how to identify the best candidates."

Fitting the mold. Tania Gibot of APEC makes the same observation: "Companies are increasingly recruiting based on affinities; they are looking for people who adhere to their culture. Hence the need for the candidate to have a very personalized approach towards their target." Simply put: they must fit as well as possible into the mold presented to them.


A risky approach in the long term? Emmanuelle Marchal concedes that "some candidates manage to benefit from the targeting work they undertake." But she points to two major risks in generalizing the injunction to implement this marketing strategy excessively: "for recruiters to unlearn their profession, and for candidates to engage in a game that is not necessarily suitable for them."



Ghislain Enfrein, 42, engineer, job seeker

"Companies are very demanding, you have to know how to attract them"

"Fifteen years ago, you sent a cover letter and a CV, and it worked. Today, skills needs have evolved, as have recruitment methods. Companies have become very demanding; you have to know how to attract them. So I'm trying to differentiate myself in the job market, which is why I wanted to be supported by Entrio Partners. I don't reject the expression 'self-marketing' because it's indeed about highlighting my skills and qualities.

"And to have a coherent approach: CV writing, identifying keywords for job board robots, validating target sectors and companies, exploring different job search avenues, differentiated presentations depending on the interlocutors, presence on social networks. It's real work. Since I started in October, I've gained confidence. And it has led to several interviews."

Manuel Jardinaud.


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