So from a recruiters perspective, how do you become uber-marketable?

1. Start a blog. Easy to do these days, very easy. It’s a great way to prove that you know something about your profession. It’s also a great way to keep up with technology. My suggestion; research a certain topic/technology/trend you’re not familiar with, then write a review or blog post about it. You learn something, while also proving to others that you are familiar with that specific topic. Keep it clean, keep it professional, keep it updated, and keep it somewhat vanilla.
2. User Groups. Get involved online through the distribution lists, and in person. Attend events, network with other people. If I’m looking for a particular skillset, I search for the local user group, then dig around the discussions online and at times attend the events to see who’s involved or who’s participating. You can quickly see who the “go to” people are in that user group with a small bit of research.
3. Twitter. Another great personal branding avenue and a way to promote your knowledge and abilities, plus if you’re following the right people, a great learning tool. Plus, you can have your blog fed directly into Twitter. It takes a bit to grow your network and to attract and find the right audience, but it’s another way for recruiters and employers to find you. Again, keep it professional, with a little bit of personality.
4. Presentations. Instant PR and branding for yourself. Present at user groups, or wherever you can. It’s the single best way to get your name out there. And most user groups or conferences always have room for speakers.
5. LinkedIn….obviously. Network, network, network! If you don’t know about LinkedIn, you’re so far behind. The single best personal marketing tool out there. It’s a 365/24 hour a day online resume that employers won’t care if you’re using. Use it, and use it heavily. Then plug in your blog, twitter account, current reading list, and utilize slideshare to display your presentation materials….all on your profile page. It’s a recruiter’s one stop shop to find out all about you professionally. And do a google search on your name, LinkedIn will be one of the first items that pop up. Here’s some additional tips to optimize your LinkedIn profile for search purposes.

So how do you maintain marketability?

1. Training. Stay on top of the game. If your current job isn’t allowing you the opportunity to keep up with the trends, do so during your own time.
2. Relationships. Keep the relationships with those past clients or recruiters in tact, you never know when you’ll need them. Spend some time to reach out to them for happy hour or lunch, or send holiday cards or something out of the ordinary. Keep your name in front of them consistently.
3. References, either directly or indirectly. If you’re talking to a Sr. Recruiter in your profession, chances are that more than likely they know someone you’ve worked with in the past. And if those recruiters are any good, they’ll be reaching out to those connections to do a backdoor reference on you. You need to keep this in mind when you’re pissed at a client or particular colleague, you never know when someone will ask them how they feel about you professionally. You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve checked references and they’ve come back negative (even ones that are supplied by the candidate).

Just keep in mind, recruiters and employers are always watching, we’re resourceful. If you become more visible and public, your chances of landing a job when you need one increase dramatically because people/employers will already know about you. Do a google search of your name, do you like what you see? Do you think employers will like what they see? If you do all the above steps (and do them well), I guarantee you will never have a difficult time finding employment.

A good example. We’ve all known or met a consultant that’s frickin’ brilliant, but when their end date is up, so are they. They don’t get extended. Feedback is always fine on these people. The client will say, “solid performer, I’d probably hire him again if the need arose”. But, they hop around on 6-9 month contracts, and never run into a real long term gig. These people are definitely employable, but they’re not going to get extended time and time again. They’ll continue their careers hopping from one gig to the next, making a decent living. What’s wrong with that? Nothing. But when really looking at it, it’s simple to understand why they don’t get extended often. Technical skills are only one piece of the puzzle. The may have an ego that’s tough to stand, or have a negative attitude towards everything. Now, I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not perfect. And most people are in the same boat. But, if you’re going to be an “A” player in the consulting industry, you should read on and take bits and pieces from my “Blueprint” and incorporate them into your consulting toolbox.

Presentation Abilities

It’s all about personal branding these days, and being able to present your ideas and thoughts to clients with presentations in relation to your particular field is essential. Consultants that are heavily involved with user groups throughout the metro, or participate regularly at workshops at some of the local conferences always get noticed more. Clients and recruiters tend to drink the koolaid if you’re well spoken and can speak intelligently in front of audiences.

Political Acumen

Oh we all know how this can play. Some people just have that knack for being able to play the political game. And ask yourself this, how many clients have you been at where this is not an essential skill? If you say none, you’re nuts. Corporate america is political. Heck, mom and pop shops are political. Get to know the right people, and make sure you’re visible to those certain people. I know it sucks sometime to kiss ass, but it will help your chances of surviving. I’m sure you’ve worked with people that don’t really accomplish much, but they always know what to say and who to say it to. Unfortunately, most of the time those are the ones that keep getting extended. Play the game, become buddy buddy with the right people.

Technical Proficiency

This is obvious. You need some sort of technical competency to be marketable. Although, I do know people that don’t have any, and still remain employed. Key is, they’re not consultants! This is a very general category, but can be defined in many ways. Keep up with technology if you can. Read blogs, get involved, spend personal time brushing up. A lot of times your current client isn’t using current technology, well you better use your own time to learn the current technology, or else you run the risk of becoming obsolete.

Leadership Competence

Being able to lead a team is another piece of the puzzle. Not all people are leaders. And that’s fine, but people are drawn to leaders. That includes client managers and recruiters. I think leaders are just born. In fact, I consider myself a pretty good leader. I have a knack for being able to rally a team to a common goal, in a positive way. If you’re a leader, great. If you’re not, well you’re not. Hopefully you make up for your deficiencies in other areas of the blueprint.

Client Relationship Etiquette

Get to know your client/s. Pretty simple. Know them personally, not just professionally. A little ass kissing never does any harm, does it? But this is really more about maintaining relationships. Since the consulting industry is so relationship driven, it should be a priority to keep up with all of the current and past client relationships. Show some personality!

Communication Skills

Being able to speak, read, and write clearly is one of the biggest factors to marketability. If you can’t speak clearly, you can’t interview or interface with the client clearly. You can’t write? Your code, documentation, and emails will scream 6th grade arithmitic. If you can’t read, well that just sucks for you.

Attitude

This is so underrated in my opinion. I’m typically a pessimist, and I’m trying to get better. But working with negative people really drags you down. Those are the people that spread rumors and live on bitching about their jobs and co-workers. Their negativity spreads like cancer, and ultimately starts affecting others attitude and performance. You need to be able to shrug off situations at work, and grab positives from everything you encounter. A negative attitude will make it easy for a client to cut ties.

My next post will detail out the other 6 intangibles for consulting success; Flexibility/Adaptability, Team Player mentality, Looks (grooming, etc.), Interviewing skills, Hunger for continuing education, and Professional connections.