To all college students graduating in December: Now is the time to start the job hunt to land your dream digital marketing job. Not tomorrow. Not after graduation. There are little things you can start doing now.
This is no small task. However, the job market is unique in 2021, more so than it has been in recent history. As of the fall 2021, there are more jobs than there are people to fill them-leading to the labor shortage you’ve most likely been hearing about. Additionally, remote work has become a necessity to many due to lifestyle changes exacerbated by the pandemic (i.e. Needing to be home to take care of the kids, not feeling safe entering public spaces, etc.). The job market is changing rapidly.
Taking into account these changes, here’s five tips to land your dream digital marketing job after graduation:
Decide On Your Go and No-Gos
Are you willing to go into the office five days a week? Do you want to work a 9-5, or have more flexibility in your schedule? What’s the pay range you need to maintain your desired lifestyle where you want to live? These are all important things to consider when looking at job listings. Before you can land the right job, you need to know what you can and cannot live with, especially in this market where you are saturated with options.
Who Do You Know?
This one rings true as it always has: Use your network! Even before graduating, you will want to make connections with your teachers and classmates. Who do they know working in digital marketing? Do they have any connections who know of current job openings in your field? Also consider your digital network: Who are your LinkedIn friends connected to? Facebook friends? These can all be valuable pathways to landing your dream digital marketing job after graduation.
Sign Up for Job Alerts
You can (and should) sign up for job alerts on pretty much every digital marketing job searching platform there is. Feeling overwhelmed? Start with LinkedIn, Indeed and Glassdoor. You can customize searches on each of these platforms to find digital marketing jobs that fit your no and no-gos. Customize your search by location, position title, keywords, company, salary range and more. You’ll also want to make sure your digital profiles on these websites are up-to-date so you can apply quickly to jobs you’re really excited about. More on that in the next section.
Tidy-Up Your Digital Profiles
Especially in this remote work world, make sure your digital profiles reflect the type of job you want. Do you have a decent headshot? Have you uploaded your resume to the websites mentioned above? On many websites, you can quickly apply with one or two clicks using your digital profile, so the more updated it is, the faster you can apply for your dream digital marketing job.
Invest In a Productive Remote Workspace
Many of us working remotely for the first time ever learned this the hard way, but it is worth it to invest in a productive remote workspace where you live. At the minimum, you will want a desk big enough to hold a monitor and laptop, a comfortable chair with good posture support, and access to consistent, reliable Wifi. Especially for digital marketers, remote work is becoming the norm. Additionally, in order to be productive when working from home, you will need to have access to a quiet, comfortable workspace where you can take meetings without interruption.
Digital Detroit has more tips on finding an entry-level digital marketing job. The best piece of advice: Don’t panic! If you follow the tips above and give it enough time, you will land your dream digital marketing job. The current job market almost guarantees it.