How to Land Your Dream Online Marketing Job?

In the last decade, and especially, in the last five years, there has been a veritable boom in the number of internet users as well as companies using websites, the social media, and more to interact and engage with their target audiences. As both companies and non-profits look to enhance their online presence, the demand for qualified online marketing professionals is expected to go through the roof. Often, in the early stages of your career, it is more important to focus on the type of the company rather than the position. This is because if the company is progressive and offers a challenging work environment you will be able to get exposure to business situations that will help you considerably to refine your online marketing skills and grow faster within the industry.

Find below some of the tips on handling the interview process and more:

Getting Ready For the Interview

The biggest mistake that you can make is to appear for an interview without having any idea of what they do, what their business model is, and how they are faring in their sector. It is a good idea to study the company website to learn about what they do and the sector they service. You can also get to know details of their management structure and the profiles of their top management personnel. Look up their financial performance to see what sort of profits they are making, and the performance of their stocks. If they have been in the news, find out why. Press releases issued by the company and news reports in leading newspapers are a good source of such information. Another good way of learning more about how the company interacts with its audiences is by visiting its pages on the various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.

Demonstrate Value

Depending on the information gathered on the company by your research and the position you are applying for, you should think actively about the value you can add to the company. This will invariably be also one of the questions that you will need to face at the interview so you can get ready a plausible answer to the difference you can make. While it is quite obvious that with your limited knowledge your answer may not be quite accurate, it will still be proof of your effort to get to know the company and its concerns about increasing customer engagement. Observing competitor online activity and making suggestions is also a good strategy to help you get past other candidates.

Be prepared to ask intelligent questions at the interview that will give you a better idea of what the future will hold for you, if you are indeed offered a position. Typically, the biggest opportunities and threats perceived by the company, its future direction of growth, the biggest challenges for the position you have applied for as well as the ideal profile of the candidate are important issues that you can seek more information on during the interview. This will also help demonstrate your incisive thinking and long-term vision that is required of every SEO expert. 

A Learning Experience

It can be difficult to believe but every interview that you can attend is a vital part of your learning experience. You get to know the companies, people in the industry, and what they are looking for in digital marketing candidates. Even if you do not get past the interview, you should look at it positively and send a thank you note requesting them to also share with you the reasons why they did not hire you and any recommendation they may have so that you can improve your profile. Remember that it is these very same people who make up the industry in your area and it is very likely that you will be interacting with them in the future. It is a good policy to maintain good terms with senior people because you can learn a lot from them, especially in an industry that is as dynamic as online marketing, and there could be opportunities to work with them in the future.

Conclusion

To build a career in online marketing, it is a good policy to not only study prevalent and emerging marketing techniques but also about the company you are applying to and its competitive environment. Do not be afraid to ask questions so that you are able to understand more about the company and figure out if indeed joining them would be good for your career. Learn from each interview that you attend so that you can cover your deficiencies and emerge with a better profile.