Articles

How To Effectively Market Yourself With An MBA Degree

2010-07-20

If you have recently completed a master's degree program in business administration (possibly as part of a dual program), you will be pleased to know that a higher salary on the job may be within your reach. As MBAs often find out while taking degree programs, self marketing can be an important skill that determines job success. Whether you are looking for a new job or a promotion at a current job, you will find such a skill to be a valuable asset in future endeavors. Although job interviewing skills can be regularly emphasized in education prior to an MBA, the importance of self marketing lies in highlighting your skills that you believe will benefit a current or prospective employer. Simply put, you are the "product" that shows a "customer" reasons to "buy" you instead of other "products." Salespersons representing large businesses often have a broad support base for their advertising; whereas, representing yourself you advertise on a smaller scale by. In this case, networking may be your primary vehicle of support. People who know you the best will often be familiar with your skills and success stories; and for this reason, you should cite them as references when prompted.

There are several avenues through which MBAs can use self marketing for available jobs, whether or not these jobs are openly advertised. The hidden jobs, which according to statistics make up the vast majority, are all the more reason you should do your part as you interview, send out your resume, and negotiate a salary that works for both you and a prospective employer, and network with everyone you know. Instead of simply referring to what you did in previous jobs, be ready to discuss your history of success with your skills using real-life stories, and highlight these skills on your resume above everything else. You thereby improve your chances of justifying the salary you request. After you finish a job interview, it helps to put out an incentive to stay in touch with your interviewer by sending a thank-you letter.

Even if you had the opportunity to work on self marketing skills during an MBA program, there is always room to improve them and this can be a gradual process. If you do not think you are ready to use these skills to your advantage when interviewing, consult with as many helpful materials as necessary and practice with others who have been in similar situations. You deserve to have no less than the utmost confidence in yourself at your job interviews. Completing an MBA is a major step toward your next dream job, and you need not sell yourself short.