I've been chatting with colleagues, interns, and other connections, and many of them tell me they're interested in getting into a similar role to mine. I'm always sharing my journey and how you can get started. With social media positions growing and people wanting to join this field more and more, it's essential to understand how you can stand out from all the other applicants. Keep reading on how you can make your application different from the rest and get a callback from employers in a timely manner.
BUILD A PORTFOLIO
Social media marketing requires having that "eye for design" and strong written skills. A website or Canva portfolio is an excellent way to show the content you've created or the copy you provide for social posts. Instead of telling employers you "created 10 campaigns," show them the campaigns so they can see your style and the creativity you hold.
I can't tell you how much of a game-changer it is when you have your examples ready to go for employers. I also see A LOT of social media professionals in the field with no portfolio to display their work, which is bonkers! Take that step to advance from your competitors. Is it time-consuming? Absolutely. But once you've established it, you can apply to positions more efficiently.
Demonstrate a Strong Understanding of Social Media Platforms
It's more than just saying you know Instagram and Facebook and all the other platforms, but if you can show them that, then you'll literally provide them the evidence that you have strong knowledge in strategy, management, and innovation. This is a great time to mention campaigns or strategies you developed and implemented in the past. If you're someone who has less experience, you can always create a mock campaign or strategy to display in your application.
Highlight the Analytics
Depending on who you're being interviewed by, it's crucial to show the campaign you worked on and how they performed. Gather the posts you shared for a campaign and see how each post did individually and overall in reach and engagement. They'll see that not only can you provide great content, but you're able to keep your audience engaged as well with the numbers you provided.
Exhibit Personal Branding
When you work in social media, you represent the company you work for and yourself as a brand. Creating content for your own socials and displaying consistency can prove you have a strong understanding of branding and developing ideas that provide insight to your audience. LinkedIn, especially, is the platform you can easily build your career and connections with others in the field. I also use Instagram to educate fellow social media people on how to launch their careers and provide businesses with content inspiration to enhance engagement with their target audience.
Provide Testimonials
If you already have clients or co-workers, you worked alongside, this would be another bonus to add to your portfolio or website for anyone you may have provided social media services for or having a team member share how you're great with collaborating and bringing new ideas for the table.
In my opinion, this gives them a little bit of insight before they hit your references up, or they may not even need to if you have detailed testimonials.
Display Professional Development and Continuous Learning
Whether you're post-grad or earning certifications through HubSpot, it's important to share those achievements on your personal platforms or your application where they fit best. Since digital marketing is always advancing, their is always something new to learn. Continue to take online courses that can enhance new skills that make you a well-rounded candidate.
The job market in the marketing world has become more competitive than ever. That's why it's so important to make sure you stand out from the other candidates. With implementing these recommendations, you can level up your application and land more interviews. It's also important to know that just because you don't hear back from an employer or get declined, it does NOT mean you are not of value. It is a long-term process and you'll finally learn what you need to adjust to see those offer emails land in your inbox. Happy job applying!
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