Use Advertising’s AIDA Model To Land Your Dream Job

Every year our Six Sigma clients brand and sell thousands of products. In addition to Six Sigma, many of them use AIDA, which stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action to get their products out in front and into consumer’s homes. AIDA is a proven sales model that is taught in business schools around the world and you can employ it to get the job you want and the promotion you deserve. AIDA is used to persuade customers to buy. In the case of employment you are the product and the recruiter or employer is the buyer. The sooner you separate your ego and self esteem from your employment search the better. If you were selling pencils and they didn’t sell, you wouldn’t feel depressed, you would look for a better way to package and sell them. Start thinking of yourself as a product and the emotional side of job searching becomes a lot easier. Using AIDA will help you view job hunting and employment is an entirely new light to help you land your dream job.

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Capture an Employer or Recruiter’s Attention

Before you can sell anything to anyone, you need to pique their interest and capture their attention. When using advertising this is done with flashy packaging, flyers, promotions, banner ads and a thousand other things. In personal branding you do this online through your online persona, your web page, your blog and on paper with your resume. Use your resume to capture an employer’s attention. Imagine a thousand resumes coming across a desk. Why do you stand out? Make it great and to the point.

Cultivate an Employer’s Interest

Once you get that first phone call it’s critical to be informed enough about the company to accurately answer some questions and put your best foot forward. This is a critical part of the sales process. Most people take calls these days on cell phones and you must concentrate on the call. If you can’t, explain that you will need to call the person back to conduct the interview and ask when it is convenient for them. The point of the phone interview is to get them interested enough to call you in for a physical interview. During the phone call use as much momentum as possible to secure the next interview. Keep their interest by asking and answering in short clear sentences. Ask about scheduling the next interview. Phone interviews are critical. Practice your speaking skills with a friend if you need help perfecting your phone interview.

In the Physical Interview Increase Desire

With a physical product giving the customer what they want creates desire. They may not even know they want it until you show it to them. Product desire is created using style and packaging. Think about buying a product in an Apple store, each item is set out like a little jewel to be picked up and played with. Each electronic gadget is physically beautiful and a helpful sales person is there to tell you all the ways in which this beautiful product can improve your life. All of this creates desire and that leads to purchase. When you are selling yourself in the physical interview you need to do the same thing. Learn about the company and then determine all the things you can do for them. When you show up for the interview put your best attributes forward. Funny, energetic, smart or nerdy, these are all potential positive attributes. Cultivate the best you. Put a good physical presence forward as well. Get a haircut and a new suit if you have an interview. Don’t know how to do this? Go into a large department store and use their free image consulting services. Start looking at yourself as the product and think of ways that you can make yourself absolutely irresistible to a potential employer.

Action, Keep the Momentum Going

Your interviews were great, but don’t let it stop there. Follow up with e-mails, phone calls and even extra ideas you have for the company. Put those ideas you forgot to mention in a glossy report you just “quickly” put together for them. Send the report in a few days after the interview. Get them to make the Action you want. Interviewing can go on for weeks- you want to remain at the top of the list and in the front of the employer’s mind no matter how many great people they interview after you.

Product Satisfaction

AIDA is great but it misses out on a crucial last step to creating a happy customer. This is product satisfaction. You have sold yourself to the company and have the job. It is very important to meet their expectations. Image from leolintang/Shutterstock