Become the product manager of brand you

PRESCRIPTION
Your career has never been so threatened and the competition has never been so fierce

DIAGNOSIS
Utilize your sales skills to market youself like the next blockbuster

It's all about you. How you present yourself can have a tremendous impact on the goals you attain. And whether those goals involve increased job security, a promotion or a new job, that presentation can be the difference between success and failure. Just like with the medications you are detailing, success will depend in large measure on the marketing effort behind it. Welcome to Brand "You."

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The challenges are formidable. As I noted in the first article in this series ("Getting there," August 2008), the industry is contracting and more layoffs are expected to create an enormous talent pool of experienced and unemployed competitors.

"Turbulence is life force," according to Ramsay Clark. "It is opportunity. Let's love turbulence and use it for change." So let's embrace turbulence and focus on the only change that we can control: our marketability.

The marketing plan for Brand You begins with a self-assessment to evaluate your value as a prospective employer might. The self-assessment forms the basis for a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis— a time-honored method that marketers use to identify needed change and guide development of the marketing plan.