SECTION 1 - UNDERSTANDING PERSONAL BRAND
MODULE 4: Understandingyour resources
This section is about understanding how to balance your three core resources: time, money and connections. These are the most important resources you have as you work towards your first marketing job. Getting clear on where you stand with each one now will help you plan your next steps with more confidence.
Assess your time, money and connections so you know exactly what you are working with before your job search begins.
Learning Objectives
Identify where your resources are strongest and where the gaps are that could slow your progress.
Understand why your network is one of the most powerful tools you have for finding roles that are never advertised.
Use your resource assessment to build a job search plan that is grounded in reality, not guesswork.
In this section, you will work through each of the three resources in turn. For each one, you will be asked to honestly assess where you currently stand. There are no right or wrong answers. The goal is simply to get a clear picture of what you have available so you can make smarter decisions about how to move forward in your job search.
Topic Items
Readings
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Time is the one resource you cannot get more of. It is finite. That makes it one of the most important things to think about as you plan your path into your first marketing role.
Time affects you in a few key ways during a job search. There is the time you spend actively searching and applying. There is time invested in upskilling, building your portfolio or preparing for interviews. And there is time that is simply taken up by everything else in your life.
The good news is that once you know where your time is going, you can start making smarter decisions about how to use it. If time is limited, you may need to lean more heavily on your other resources to compensate, such as building stronger connections who can open doors faster, or being more targeted in where you focus your energy.
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Money is a practical resource, and it matters when you are making a career change or stepping into the workforce for the first time.
If you are transitioning from part-time or casual work into a full-time marketing role, or if you are considering unpaid experience or internships to build your portfolio, it is worth understanding your financial position first. How much runway do you have? How long can you sustain a period of lower or no income while you build experience?
You do not need a financial planner to answer these questions right now, but being honest with yourself about your financial situation will help you make a clearer plan. Do not rush the process out of financial pressure if you can avoid it. The more prepared you are, the more confident you will feel when opportunities come up.
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Your connections are one of the most underestimated resources in your job search.
Research consistently shows that a significant percentage of roles are never publicly advertised. They are filled through networks, referrals and relationships. That means who you know, and more importantly, who knows you and understands what you are looking for, can be the difference between finding out about a role and missing it entirely.
Most people have a contact base of around 150 people. For a job seeker entering a competitive market, that is a starting point, not a finish line. The goal is to grow and activate your network so that more people are aware of what you are looking for and what you bring to the table.
You do not need to do this all at once. We will cover how to build and leverage your connections in the next section. For now, your job is to assess where you are starting from. How many people in your network know you are looking for a marketing role? How many of them could actually refer or recommend you?
Module Resources
What you'll cover in this video:
Why money, time and connections are the three resources that shape your job search
How to assess where you currently stand with each one
What gaps to look for and how to start addressing them
Why understanding your resources now sets you up for a stronger, more confident move into your first marketing role
Module 4 Activity
Please work through pages 34 – 37 of your Personal Branding Workbook.
Once you have completed this section, fill in the information in your e-ttraction marketing plan document.
Start with the Why section, which is a summary of the Understand information you have just been through.
See the template below. Once you have completed this, you will move on to setting your specific goals and a 12-week action plan.
Instructions for Intentions template:
Begin by filling in the summary of the Understand section: your top 3 values, personality traits from Wealth Dynamics, your Lifestage and Resources. It is useful to capture them here so you have a quick reference when making decisions ahead.
Then move on to some new sections. Here is an explanation of the areas to complete:
Life Vision: What you want your working life to look and feel like. Think about what matters most to you. Keep it short.
Example: Do work I enjoy and have enough flexibility to maintain the lifestyle I want.
Mission: Your external goal. What you want to contribute or achieve through your career.
Example: Help brands connect with people in ways that are practical, human and effective.
Topic Items
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