This past week I received emails asking for advice on finding a job in the marketing and branding field. What’s the path I took? Where did I start? How did I separate myself from others? How should I prepare for interviews? I could go on with everything thing I was asked, but I figured I would rather shorten it and talk about the process I took to find my job here at Nextfly.
First off, a job is not going to come to you. You have to be proactive in finding the perfect job. When I began searching, I looked at every possible avenue out there. Angie’s List, Glassdoor, agency websites, creative staffing agencies, jobs.com and craigslist were some places I looked just to name a few. Yes, I even tried Craigslist. But, those are not the only places I checked. To be honest, none of those places really mattered because the truth is you’re chance is slim by using those sites. The true difference is in networking.
My job here at Nextfly was not found through one of those sites, but yet by my friend Lizzy, who told my friend John, who went to school with the brother of Andy, who hired me. See what happened there? That’s networking!
If you type networking into Google it will tell you networking is interacting with other people to exchange information and develop contacts, especially to further one’s career. I took every advantage I could when it came to networking. I went to professional networking events; I met with friends of coworkers; I met for lunch meetings with business professionals; and contacted professionals through social media outlets, and you should too.
Not only did I network myself like I was the prize object a company or friend wanted to hire, but also I had the materials to back up my skills. I had more than just a resume and portfolio; I had a fully branded kit of material that set me apart from other applicants. Marketing and branding companies want to see you have what it takes, and what better way to show you know branding than branding yourself. THIS WILL SET YOU APART! I cannot emphasize how much of a difference a clean resume with matching business cards and letterhead can make. Below is an example of the branding kit I used in my job search.
My last point I want to stress is be prepared for your interviews. The night before any interview research general questions that an interviewer might ask you. Research what the company is all about and write questions to ask the interviewer. They want to see you’re interested and have already done your prep work. Along with this, take notes during your interview. It shows the interviewer that you are paying attention and that you are keen to details.
Now, I’m not saying that this is a fool proof plan to getting a job, but this is a great start for those who are unaware of where to start. This will be the first of a series of guides and help blogs for career advancement. In the next couple of weeks I will be covering résumés, interviewing tips and even a question and answer session.
If you want help or advice for getting an interview, resume review, or general help in finding a job feel free to shoot me an email or contact us on Twitter. Good Luck in your job search!