June 21, 2006 3:03 PM

When the product is you
Posted by Douglas Eisenhartat 3:03 PM

When you're out looking for a job, what are you trying to sell? That's right: yourself. When you're job hunting, the product is you.

And if you're a new college grad without much of a clue how to sell yourself in the professional job market, now there's help - if you've got the bucks:

For up to $3,000, D.A. Hayden and Michael Wilder, owners of a Boston marketing firm, say they can create personal "brands" for graduates that recruiters won't soon forget.

"When we say that we can package a graduate," says Wilder, "it means finding out the personal strengths of the graduates or seniors we're working with, and using those strengths to create a personal story that will be compelling to an employer."

Diane Lewis' article from yesterday's Globe correctly points out that this type of coaching and grooming is done throughout the business world, even with the highest level executives, so why not with those starting out at the lowest rung of the ladder?

There are, of course, alernatives, and cheaper ones at that. Many would argue that the college career services offices provide the same tools and advice, included in the already hefty ticket price.

But somehow one expects that two former senior-level ad execs would probably put, shall we say, a different spin on the product. And if the product is you, well, maybe it's worth it.