How to Find a Job in Digital Marketing

Growing faster than any other traditional economy, Digital Marketing is ripe with potential job opportunities. However, entering this industry can be very competitive as employers aren’t just looking for anyone. These days, individuals are measured on their personal projects and their attitude instead of being solely measured on their CV and qualifications. Employers are impressed when you can exhibit passion and willingness to learn. Getting your first job in any domain can be a tough task. However, if you want to kick-start your career in the digital marketing domain, then you are in luck because that’s what this article is all about. Give it a read!

Get Experience

Most Digital Marketing agencies require you to have at least two years of experience before they hire you. But this can be a real catch twenty-two as you can’t get the experience without a job but you can’t get the job without the experience…so, what are some of the other ways you can gain experience?

If you can’t gain any experience from professional customers, there is no reason why you can’t gain a wealth of experience on your own. Start your own blog, website or social media channel to prove that you can outreach, write copy, edit and gain an online following. You can also offer help to small businesses in need of an elevated web presence. The more self-motivation, passion and genuine interest that you have, the better your chances of getting a Digital Marketing job.

By being active on social media and blogging platforms you will learn invaluable skills that could fast-track you into your desired digital marketing job. Knowing how to use WordPress, understanding the fundamentals of keyword research and having the ability to write engaging blog content are all valuable skills. With a successful blog of your own and a strong online following in other domains, you can demonstrate to potential employers the skills and experience you already have and they will be impressed!

Keep your LinkedIn profile up to date

It is important to make yourself digitally visible when applying for a job in Digital Marketing. Sign yourself up to LinkedIn and keep your profile up to date with all your work experience, personal projects and career aspirations. Your LinkedIn profile must be immaculate. Recommendations from your previous and current employers are priceless as they speak volumes about you as a professional and an be a very influential tool for prospective employers.

Tweet

To increase your chances of reaching the interview stages, you need to show your prospective employer that not only do you take an interest in the world of digital, but you are actively contributing to it. Get involved in the twitter scene and start building up a following. Follow those who you admire, re-tweet interesting and relevant articles and just immerse yourself in it all. You also have a much better chance of coming across digital marketing jobs in the Twittersphere than you would on job sites.

Network, network, network

Networking can be a scary word for some as it often means stepping out of your comfort zone and contacting people you may not know asking for work. However, networking is extremely important and connecting with local professionals can be hugely beneficial to furthering your career. Send your CV to plenty of companies and even if they don’t have any job opportunities available, ask the company to keep your CV on file in case of future opportunities. You can also connect with people on a digital level by adding people on LinkedIn, following them on twitter and getting involved in conversations by commenting on their posts. Surrounding yourself with experts who are passionate about what they do will also drive you to work harder and inspire you to keep on top of the current trends.

Keep up with personal projects

If appropriate, share in your CV any personal projects, hobbies and interests that you have outside of work. This way, your potential employer will see that you have personal goals and interests that motivate you. This is a great way to show companies and other professionals that you are passionate about what you do. Once you gain a job in digital marketing, you can use your experience as an opportunity to grow your understanding so that you can face your own projects equipped with the knowledge of how to improve them.

Learn the terminology

The Digital Marketing industry is extremely fast-paced meaning that companies are constantly adapting and changing to keep up with the latest trends and social media campaigns. Working in this sort of environment means that you need to be passionate about what you do and willing to learn new skills. Digital Marketers need to be comfortable with acronyms such as PPC, SEM and SEO. They are all very different terms and misunderstanding them could make you stick out like a sore thumb. Make sure that you learn the lingo of a digital marketer so that you can smash out some of these acronyms in your interview to prove how much you know.

Certification

One of the difficulties facing the digital marketing industry is that there are no barriers to entry, meaning that anyone with a loose grasp on the industry could get a position in a company. If you are struggling to get a job in digital marketing, due to lack of experience, why not complete a certified digital marketing course? This will help you stand out for your peers in the industry.

Show a Genuine interest in the company you are working for

So, you have applied for a job and been offered an interview. This is a great time to look them up on their website and research their company and what they do, in depth. When attending the interview, show that you’ve done your research. For example, they may have stated they want to grow their business so show your interest by asking how they hope to achieve this. Your interviewer will be impressed by your level of interest in the company and your eagerness to know more. Be prepared to answer the question ‘why do you want to join us?’ You may also be asked who you admire or follow online as this is a great indicator to your potential employer of how passionate and involved you are in the industry.

Deliver above and beyond expectations

So, you got the job. Congratulations! However, not is not the time to sit back and put your feet up. Not at all. Instead, you should aim to deliver above and beyond expectations. You may have been chosen out of many other applications but this doesn’t mean that you don’t need to prove yourself. If anything, now is the time you need to back up everything you stood for in the initial stages and that means doing your job and doing it well. Show your employers that they were right to take you on. Do a better job than anyone else, keep learning all the time and help others when they need it. Basically, work to the best of your ability and be constantly willing to learn, grow and develop as the professional you are!

There you have it, that’s our advice on how to find a job in digital marketing. Just make sure that you apply at companies that you feel passionate about and want to work for. Nobody wants you working for a company that you just aren’t invested or interested in as it is a waste of everyone’s time. Fitting into the right environment will bring you success and if you’re enjoying the work you’re doing and you’re working in a good environment, you won’t feel like work is so hard.

If you put in the hard work, you are pretty much guaranteed to get good results!