What I Learned About Marketing Applying to the FBI.
The best advice came from a simple letter.
Many years ago I left the industry I came back to and went into law enforcement/public safety. After about 2 years of service at a local department, I was browsing for federal jobs and I saw a testing opportunity to work in the local FBI office. It was a dream of mine many years ago to work for the FBI. One of those childhood dreams we all had kinda like being a super hero.
The ad had some info on how/where to apply online. I decided to look up the local office’s number and thought I would give them a call to research this more and to talk to someone that could help me.
I call the listed number and answerd a Special Agent. I was more nervous calling the office then actually taking a test. I simply shared that I was currently in law enforcement and was interested in the opportunity and opening. It turns out I magically was talking to the LEAD AGENT of the office!! The big boss! He laughed and said, “Well, you managed to get the right guy on the phone.”
Here is where it gets interesting. After sharing witih him my training, my experience and background story, he went on to tell me that being an Agent was one of the most applied for jobs in the country. He said they get thousands of resume’s just sent to them by people wanting to be an Agent. After I soon learned that I didn’t meet certain qualifications to be an actual Agent, he went on to share some of the best advice I could have ever gotten.
“The key is to look as good as you can on paper” he shared. He sees hundreds of resume’s a day and the majority of them all look the same. The same degrees, same backgrounds and nothing stands out. He said the more diverse, the more interesting and more experience you have will stand out and spark interest. I will never forget what he shared and the time he spent on the phone with me.
I decided to follow up with a letter showing gratitude and using the marketing and selling yourself strategy he shared with me. I sent the letter out the same day and shared how thankful I was for his time, his service and his career tips. I used gratitude marketing and was sincere about it.
About a week later I get a phone call from the big boss to thank me and to share that they get tons of negative letters and he couldn’t remember ever receiving a letter with such gratitude and positive support. I almost fainted when I heard back from him and listened to what he said to me.
It made me realize that in business or in any career opportunity, simply by showing gratitude, marketing yourself in a true humble manner, and by sharing your respect for others good things will come back to you.
In order to market yourself these days, looking good on paper IS important. Not only on paper but virtually as well. Most of us have an online presence and can easily be viewed by anyone. You can’t market yourself without anything to show.
Moral of the story is, look as good on paper, or online, as you can.
I went on to take a test for the office position and didn’t make the cut. I was totally fine with that as I went back to my previous career after 9/11 happened. I am proud of the service I committed to and will always value the experience.
