11 Tips for Getting a Digital Marketing Job

After a decade of tremendous growth, Click Rain managers have had countless interviews, recruiting calls, headhunting efforts, applicant screenings, presentations, and all the other stuff that goes with building a solid team. We've become fairly versed at picking out the digital needles from the applicant haystack, but that process has gotten considerably more difficult as of late. Is the talent pool shrinking? Is the number of digital jobs growing? Are we looking for some specific qualities and skills in those we hire?? Yes, yes, and yes.

In today's connected society, nearly every job applicant we see is a "digital native", so determining who is passionate about working on the web and who is passionate about wasting time on the web is a challenge. Through our hiring and growth, however, we've picked up some recurring themes that we felt were worth sharing. For those of you wanting to break into the online marketing world, here are 11 tips to help you get noticed.

1. Create an Online Presence

If you want to work in the online space, you'll want to have an online footprint to match. Start a blog, polish up your social profiles, and make sure who Google says you are is who you say you are. Make sure you check out Google images and see what pops up for your name.

2. Be Polished and Professional

As a marketing candidate, you must be able to market yourself. Ensure your application submission and introduction of yourself is succinct, grammatically correct, and represents you well.

3. Know Your Industry

Get comfortable with acronyms, and get ready to drop them and explain your approach. PPC, SEM, and SEO are all very different. Using them incorrectly is a sure sign of a novice skill set.

4. Speak to Analytics

In the digital world, metrics are king. Talk about your successes not just with click-throughs and visits, but with things like return on ad spend and lead count increases. That will get the hiring manager to sit up and take notice.

5. Use Social Media

Engage yourself with the company you want to work for. Social reactions, page follows, and other ways to engage go a long way in showing the employer that your interest in the company is there. Ensure your LinkedIn profile stands out with recommendations, skills, and experience.

6. Be Strategic

While interacting with a company’s social media can help you get noticed, make sure it’s not for the wrong reasons. Ensure your social profiles represent you, but try to avoid foul language, derogatory statements, elitist banter, politically charged rhetoric, or anything that won’t help your cause. If you decide to connect with an employer on LinkedIn, add a personalized message.

7. Invest in Learning

Score some certifications to demonstrate your love of the game. There are the typical ones like Google AdWords and Analytics that take a bit of knowledge and hands-on experience, but some others like the Hubspot Inbound Marketing Professional program and Hootsuite Certification are easier to obtain and still carry credibility in the industry.

8. Get Technical

Showing some level of programming savvy—even if you are not a programmer—can really set you apart. A basic understanding of programming languages like HTML can help you understand how the interweb is put together.

9. Stay Current with Trends

Digital marketing is always on the move and evolving. To be taken seriously in the industry, attend webinars, take online classes, or read blogs from industry experts.

10. Develop a Network

A strong referral can push your resume to the top of the stack. Attend local meetings and conventions and follow up with connections online to expand your network.

11. Hone Your Skills

Cultivate both a creative and analytical mindset, digital marketing requires both. Find ways to exercise these skills and showcase them on your resume.