Notice...*Before applying to the jobs on your list, write a short paragraph that describes what you’re passionate about (your values and purpose), what you’ve accomplished so far (your story), and what you bring to the table (your vision)--by Christina Del Villar

As you write, take a look at your SWOT analysis and consider how you can amplify your strengths, address your weaknesses, and set yourself apart from anyone considered a threat. Use the research you’ve done on your target audience to inform your tone (conversational vs. academic vs. professional).

For example, let’s say you are a social media coordinator who is passionate about space travel and you want to work at SpaceX or similar companies . You might write about how you first discovered space (a grade school field trip to the Griffith Observatory), why it excites you (Asteroids are a wealth of precious materials and space mining can lessen the strain on our natural resources.), people in the industry you follow (Elon Musk, Buzz Aldrin), and based on your experience and knowledge, what role you believe social media can play in amplifying the awareness around and importance of those kinds of missions (who wants to go to Mars for vacation?).

Now that you have your story, find ways to share it. In my experience, the best strategy here is to develop some attention-grabbing content that you can post online — but not just anywhere. Think about the target companies, industries, and roles you defined in your market research. Where do people in those spaces gather and engage with one another? As a marketing executive, I know that LinkedIn is the right social platform for me to share my mission and accomplishments, but if I were an engineer, I might choose Github, or if I were a graphic designer, Behance would be a better choice.

Your content could be a thought-provoking blog post, an original work of art, or even an inspiring comment on a hot-button issue in your field.

Your goal here is to start connecting with influencers in your target roles, industry, and companies. And when I say “connect,” I don’t just mean send a random invite, but really follow and interact with these folks. In addition to your own content, leave comments on their posts, ask questions, and like and share their work. Did they just win an award for an advertisement or a research they published? Would you like to know what went on behind the scenes to get there? Send customized messages, acknowledging what you admire or hope to learn from them, and if you have an ask of them, make it specific and be sincere.