Despite the fact that people’s ambitions and dreams are different; and driven by diverse backgrounds and cultures, there is always a dream in everyone’s life to hold a key position or own a business or be somewhere in a better place in the future. This is the main driver to pursue your dreams as a student or a professional. However, good planning is the master key to reaching where your dreams are. This personal marketing plan aims to market me to potential employers after graduating from the Qatar University MBA program. I have always been dedicated to my family, work, and education. My marketing strategy is comprehensive, and yet flexible to accommodate any changes that might occur along the way. It is a plan for my job search campaign similar to what a company would use to market and sell a product.
Situational Analysis
Customers
Many potential employers in both government and private sectors are currently providing new positions in the business management field. However, due to current political challenges between GCC countries, and the potential world economic recession, the job market is tight and available offers are not up to the normal benchmark. Currently, I am a project manager at Qatar University in the Information Technology Services department, my potential employers; would be to get promoted within Qatar University in a top management role, or get a strategic management role at Qatar Foundation. Throughout my 10+ years of a project management role, I have gained a tremendous experience in stakeholder management and risk management with proven project delivery success. Currently, Qatar foundation is offering four executive management positions and I would expect in a year or so from now; the number would increase to eight or more due to the completion of some expansion projects. As mentioned before, there are government entities and private sector companies that are my potential employers, Qatar Foundation is considered a higher education private sector employer, Qatar University is considered a higher education government entity, Ministry of Health offers business management positions in the health care sector as well, these are three different types of business management roles in three different domains. I believe my quality is my key to success in QF. Customers' job requirements vary; however, they all agree to have a solid experience in management with related education backgrounds preferably from western countries such as the UK, US, or Canada. That is including strong soft skills and leadership.
Company
My vision is to be a highly skilled business professional. Experienced, knowledgeable, and innovative, a well-known person in the business management field. I am planning to be a business strategic director; a member of the top management team in my current institute or a competitive institute in Qatar.
Personal values and strengths:
Always take time to do the right and new things
Consider the future with every decision I make
Learn ways to learn more
Be true to me and my beliefs
Skills and knowledge will always be acquired by learning and practicing
Provide my family with support, guidance, belief in abilities, encouragement, and security making sure never to stifle a dream
Weakness: While targeting my goals, I often become overworked, which may lead to stress.
Constrain on my job search: I am not willing to relocate; therefore, my target market is Qatar.
Competitors
Strategic management positions competitors can be anyone with excellent experience in developing business strategies, in higher education that is including experience in managing IT project portfolios related to system developments, infrastructure, and digitization. Most of the competitors might not have higher education experience; which I gained throughout my working period at Qatar University; I was exposed to managing portfolio projects across the university for the past 7 years; this is one of the strengths I excel in among other competitors. As mentioned; my potential employer is Qatar Foundation; where mainly looks for a higher education experience that matches the size, environment, and culture they have here in Qatar, preferably, western education and experience are a plus for any candidate.
Competitor Matrix
Criteria Me Competitors
Experience 10+ years 5+ years
Higher Education Experience in Qatar Yes Yes
Western Education and Experience Yes Most likely no
Certified PMP – Scrum Master Foundation Yes Most likely no
External Market Environment: It consists of political, economic, social, and technological. We cannot control the elements of the external environment. However, we must understand how it changes, and the impact of that change on the target market. The blockade from a political perspective is one of the external market environments that is affecting the job market, which also affected the economic and social aspects.
Strength Weakness
Result Oriented Impatient about results at times
Good interpersonal and communication skills While targeting goals. I often become overworked which may lead to stress
Always open for new development and learning Being too critical of other people’s work
Team player
Being too sensitive
Analytical, multitasking, and time management abilities
Good experience and knowledge
Opportunity Threat
Qatar is one of the wealthiest countries in the world; they have strong partnerships with several European countries, which involves diverse international companies opening in Qatar Political unrest in the region and GCC challenges and issues
Qatar 2030 vision creates lots of jobs and projects opportunities
Globalization creates complex job competition
Development of Doha as a financial center and an international business hub Potential economic recession
SWOT Analysis
With good interpersonal and communication skills, I have managed to not be critical of other teams’ work; this weakness I started noticing when I was a high school student I needed to review my team member’s work, and pick their mistake and sometimes I take it personally with them. Over time I learned how to interact with them, mentor them, and coach them for a better quality of work. I am a multitasking person with good time management skills this helped me to overcome my weakness of being impatient about the result. With globalization and high competition, I have been differentiating myself by taking an MBA program and other related professional certificates to better compete in the job market.
Market Segmentation
Market segmentation is the process of dividing a market into various segments. Segmentation is carried out in accordance with geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral variables. My study of market segmentation is as follows. Geographic segmentation: Calls for dividing the market into different geographical units. I have decided to initially market myself in Doha. I will apply to well-known companies related to business management in the city, focused on the higher education sector. Currently, I am only interested in Doha.
Demographic segmentation: Calls for dividing the market into groups based on:
Qualification: (MBA), Age: (35 years and above), Gender: (Male), Marital Status: (Married) Income: $15,000 and above
Psychographic segmentation: Calls for dividing the market into groups such as Social Class:
I belong to the upper middle class. Life Style: Convivial, Active. Personality: Extrovert, strong decision power, Optimistic.
Behavioral Segmentation: Calls for dividing a market into groups on consumers' knowledge, and attitude on the response towards products. As follows: Activities: sports, socializing, listening to music, reading books. Interests: Recreation, traveling, interior design, event management.
The rationale for targeting Qatar Foundation; Qatar Foundation adopts international management practices; where I can better utilize my education and skills. Working in a multicultural environment enables me to enhance and develop my skills, on the other hand, QF provide better employee benefit and compensation, and with your knowledge and dedication, it is quicker to be promoted in the private sector compared with the government sector, in fact, I have been working in government sector for almost 7 years with the same grade and same pay, due to government HR laws restriction for ex-pats. Moreover, choosing QF as my potential employer; I believe my current qualifications including graduating from the Qatar University MBA program next year; will exceed what the potential customers require; that is including western education and work experience in the region.
Target market
Organizations are looking to hire a Business graduate with a minimum of 5+ years in the related business background, aged between 30 to 45 years old.
Production Differentiation and Positioning
“I will prove to be an asset to the organization”. This positioning statement stresses the fact that I will give the organization the maximum benefits that no other individual can. I am positioning myself on the bases of:
o Differentiation
Bilingual MBA graduate with over +10 years of extensive business management experience.
Marketing Mix
The marketing mix is a vital tool to help understand what the product or service can offer and how to plan for a successful product offering. The marketing mix is most commonly executed through the 4 P’s marketing: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. My target market will be strategic business management positions within Qatar.
The four Ps of my personal plan are:
Product:
A personal brand is marketing yourself in terms of your qualification and career as a brand. With a personal brand, the product would be me; throughout my 10+ years of experience in a project management role, I have enhanced my skills and obtained the most reputable international certificates in the Project Management Professional field such as (PMP) certificate, and scrum master foundation certificate. I have an extensive experience in IT Program management; with a proven track record in delivering multi-million dollar projects. While being recognized for excellent leadership, planning, scheduling, prioritization, contingency, and risk management. Ability to collaborate with senior stakeholders, lead project teams, and ultimately deliver client-focused results on time and within budget. Currently, I am an MBA candidate, expected to graduate end of 2020. The MBA program increased my self-confidence, and strategic thinking by being able to think outside the box, self-discipline, and commitment, and will give me a broader worldview and open doors for better job opportunities after graduation. With an MBA degree, I will have differentiation as a Job Candidate.
Price:
Setting up the Price is essential for the entire marketing mix. The price will convey messages pertaining to the product in terms of perceived quality and attractiveness. My salary requirement is in the $15,000 to $20,000 range. In addition, children's education allowance, and family accommodation, annual business class tickets for me, and my family members to my home country (Canada). In addition, I have the opportunity to be able to attend international conferences and training as needed. Annual bonuses according to the organization's policies.
Place:
Currently, I am working and residing in Doha, and not willing to relocate outside Qatar; unless a great opportunity appears in either the neighboring GCC countries or the US, in a strategic management field or a similar role.
Promotion:
My promotional strategy; is where I advertise, promote and market myself, through it; I should let potential customers (Employers) recognize what I am marketing and selling. In order to convince them to buy my product (hire me), with a clear explanation of what is my product, how to use it, and why they have to buy it. The trick in promoting my product is letting customers feel that their needs can be fulfilled by what I am offering. In the context of the marketing mix, promotion represents the various aspects of marketing communication, that is, the communication of information about me with the goal of generating a positive employer response. Marketing communication decisions include:
Advertising – through job recruiters.
Personal selling – via C.V. and interviews.
Public relations – publicity through networking.
Social Media – schedule all of my social media posts, engage with my followers, and measure performance
Social Networking –push my messages throughout my network
Email / Newsletters / Lists – Build or purchase lists of people that would be interested in my services
Conclusion:
The world has been moving towards globalization due to advances in communications and transportation, with this fact; individuals who are actively looking for jobs are facing difficult competition; organizations have numerous CVs and options available to select from. To be able to survive the tough global competition; one should stick to his/her personal marketing plan, alter it, and update it accordingly to get through the bottleneck. Salary and other offer details can be negotiated. However, negotiation should not compromise the organizational goals. I will work hard for promoting myself through my mission and vision, and overall quality in a broader aspect.
Reference:
(Joyner R., Academia, n.d.)
(Walker, 2018)
(Martin, Understanding Marketing mix, 2014)
(Self-Marketing Yourself to Find a Job During Tough Times, n.d.)
(Self SWOT Analysis, n.d.)
(The career, 2019)
(Tedrick, 2011)