markewicken in Job SearchTips and Advice

Your job search is a race to the finish

Think about your job search as a race… A race but you don’t know where you stand. Are you ahead of your competition or are you in second, third or fourth place? You don’t know.

This means that you cannot let up, loose your enthusiasm, or not do all the things you need to do to stand out and differentiate yourself from your competition. Things like following up after every interview with and appropriate ‘thank-you’ letter or note. Things like preparing for every interview, first, second or third, as if it was the first.

There is an expression…”It’s not over until it’s over” and this could not be more true than in your job search. To be the best and the one chosen at the end of the race you must be better than your competition in every way.

Next Read: 12 job-search ideas how graduates can differentiate themselves from the competition »

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markewicken: Mark Wicken is a marketing professional with over 30 years of advertising, communications and strategic planning experience within the retail and packaged goods industries. He has been a senior member of agency management teams with both account and brand management responsibilities. His strengths have always been on innovative thinking, solid organization and strong interpersonal skills. Starting in the advertising agency industry, Mark held senior account management positions at several multinational agencies including Leo Burnett, Foster, Caledon, Vickers & Benson and Saffer Advertising, and has been responsible for the management of accounts like IBM, McDonald’s, Esso and General Motors. Mark moved from his agency roles to the Client side and held the position of Divisional Vice President of Marketing for Domino’s Pizza International and Director of Marketing for KFC, Hardee’s and Sbarro restaurants in the Middle East. In 2002 he established The Mark Wicken Group, a business specializing in executive search, training and consulting within the marketing, advertising and communications industries. In addition to executive search, Mark has devoted much of his lifetime to teaching, education and youth development. He is President of MusicFest Canada ‘The Largest Annual Music Festival in North America’ and has been an instructor at the International Academy of Design and The Toronto Film School since 1998. Mark graduated from The University of Toronto, took post-graduate studies at Northwestern University, and is married with two sons.