It’s true that when you apply for a job in any industry, you’re told to really sell or market yourself to your (hopefully!) potential employer.
But consider this: why not take things a step further and actually employ your marketing skills to help you secure a new position?
I don’t mean the standard stuff that everyone should do, like update their LinkedIn profile or polish up their resume.I’m talking about actually using the strategies you use on customers or clients, to literally market your way into a new marketing position.
Here are my top suggestions on how you can market your way into a new marketing job:
Get Social
Does the company you’re applying for have a Facebook page? A Twitter handle? A YouTube channel? Follow them.
And even better, start casually interacting with them on these channels. Before I applied at IMA I started re-tweeting their content, or sharing their posts on Facebook once or twice a week. That way, by the time I had finished updating my cover-letter and submitted my application, my name was already on their radar.
Be Active
It’s not enough to just regurgitate the company’s content—make sure you’re establishing yourself as current with marketing trends and tactics by curating your feeds with content from other industry thought leaders.
Have some content of your own to share? Even better! Don’t just tell your prospective employer that you can use social—show them with your personal accounts.
Stay Up to Snuff
Do you have a personal blog or podcast (if not, you should consider it!)? Or perhaps an online portfolio?
Maybe you haven’t posted in a couple of weeks and things have fallen by the wayside. Before you apply for a marketing job is the perfect time to pick things up again. Start churning out content again before you apply—that way if you reference your personal work in the interview, you’re not scrambling to throw some posts together.
Start Downloading
Your company research shouldn’t end at checking out the CEO’s LinkedIn profile.
Comb through their website. Do they have content offerings? Fill out their forms to download them!
If they’re doing things right, they get a notification each time a form is submitted on your site, and by downloading their content, you’re already building your own personal brand recognition with them. Bonus: you can bring up these content offers in your interview and really stand out.
Provide Value
I tell this to clients all the time—don’t email someone just to email them. You need to provide them with value. That’s what will keep them coming back to you.
The more value you provide, the more they will rely on you.
Don’t wait until you get hired to provide your future employer with value. Did you stumble across an interesting article that highlights something you talked about during your interview? Send it over to them with a note thanking them again for meeting with you.
Did your interviewer mention her love for the Patriots (hey, that happens sometimes!)?
Send her that funny Tom Brady meme you saw on Facebook and let her know how much you enjoyed your conversation!
Keep yourself front of mind, but provide value while you’re doing it.
You already have the skills, so why not use them to get ahead? Don’t just tell your employers that you understand marketing skills and strategy—show them. You might just find yourself sitting in a spankin’ new office at the company of your dreams.
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