Information in this blog post was obtained from Sprout Social, HubSpot, and Indeed.
There it is. The perfect social media marketing position that seems to be everything you’ve been searching for. The application is open. The location is in your area. Even more exciting is the fact that the job is with one of your target organizations.
Your heart starts to pound as you click the “Apply Here” button and view the portal for submitting the required documents. This job would be a fantastic opportunity but you’re concerned that as a recent college graduate, you might not have the skills or experience the marketing manager expects.
However, you might be surprised to learn that your educational and work experiences have provided many of the skills you need for your dream job. A solid understanding of these skills can help you to update your resume and personal portfolio to allow you to “sell yourself” to your future employer. Yes, that’s right. Marketing isn’t just for an organization’s products or services. You can also market yourself as the ideal job candidate! Here’s three steps to get you started:
Step 1: Know the Key Skills
Before you dive deep into the application portal, it’s important to understand the key skills employers look for in their social media marketers. A strong foundation of traditional and digital marketing skills is extremely important to success in the realm of social media marketing.
According to Rachael Samuels for Sprout Social, this is the case because social media managers fulfill a variety of roles, ranging from copywriter to analyst. To learn more about which position is the best fit for you, check out this post from The SMMU.
Regardless of the technical job title for your targeted position, it’s important to understand some of the key skills that might interest hiring managers. While Samuels (2021) offers a list of nine skills for social media marketers (read the full article here), we’ve compiled a list of the Three C’s (and one F) that you’ll want to highlight:
Communication
Copywriting
Creativity
Flexibility!
As you review this list, you might be questioning how these skills relate to social media marketing. However, Samuels (2021) suggests that these soft skills are essential. While they cross marketing discipline boundaries, they are the very elements that provide the foundation for success in the ever-changing social media environment.
As the first of these skills, strong communication provides the basis for interacting with a target market via social media. Communication involves listening to your audience as much as speaking to them. It's a two-way street that requires more practice than you might think.
Even more importantly, in the marketing industry, it happens on countless channels beyond social media platforms (Samuels, 2021). Be sure to demonstrate this skill to your future employer through careful, professional communication via every form of interaction you have with the organization.
The skill of clean copywriting goes hand-in-hand with the concept of communication. However, it also involves an understanding of the organization’s target audience and the brand’s voice (Samuels, 2021). In your job application, you should be able to convey the ability to compose error-free, concise written communication that is adaptable to a variety of social media audiences.
And yes, you guessed it: you should be able to be creative while doing it. According to Samuels (2021), the saturated social media space requires a social media marketer have the insight to create posts and campaigns that catch attention.
While an employer might be thrilled to discover these skills highlighted throughout your resume and prior work, they must all be interwoven with the most important skill of all: flexibility! As mentioned before, the social media marketing landscape is constantly evolving. In fact, the marketing industry as a whole remains in-flux.
Because of this environment, it is imperative that successful social media marketers stay up-to-date on the latest trends in the field while also maintaining a mentality and strategy that is prepared to change directions at a moment’s notice.
Step 2: Update Your Resume
Now that you understand some of the skills a hiring manager might expect, it’s time to get to work on the actual application documents. The first stage is an update to your resume.
We’re sure you’ve heard the basic formatting and communication tips for composing your basic document. However, this blog post by HubSpot offers a unique twist to the marketing resume that will truly allow you to “market yourself.”
According to HubSpot (2022), before you even begin to write, you need to understand your audience (or your future employer) as well as your personal messaging strategy. This means tailoring the language and structure of your entire resume to the specifications of the job description.
Consider the organization as well as the individuals who will be reading your application. While you’ll want to highlight the core soft skills we mentioned in Step 1, be sure to emphasize specific experiences and skills you possess that relate directly to the roles you will fulfill in this position.
These considerations provide just the foundation for success for your resume. If you’re looking for more helpful tips and strategies to help better market yourself through your resume (and cover letter), check out the full HubSpot blog post.
Step 3: Prepare Your Personal Portfolio
A strong resume and cover letter can provide the core information to help you land your social media marketing job. However, a powerful personal portfolio can provide the extra leverage to set you apart from “competitors” in the market for your dream job.
According to an article by Indeed, a personal portfolio can help to develop your personal brand while establishing you as a credible expert in the marketing industry. You can set up your portfolio on a free website builder such as Wix or SquareSpace. A quick Google search reveals a variety of resources to help you create a beautiful online representation of your work.
No matter what platform you select, include key elements such as a professional headshot and a biography. Don’t forget to include examples of your best work including images, graphic design work, class work, and other campaigns (Indeed Editorial Team, 2022). Be sure to highlight any successful metrics and any awards that are associated with your materials. Finally, tie in your new-and-improved resume by featuring it in a section of the online personal portfolio.
To learn more about key elements of and best practices for your marketing personal portfolio, check out the full Indeed article.
With Step 3 complete, you’ll be ready to successfully tackle Step 4… clicking that “Submit Application” button. However, you can do so with confidence in the knowledge you have about the key skills for social media marketers and how you can leverage those skills to bolster your resume and build your portfolio. With personal branding like that, who could turn you down?
Resources:
Cox, K.C. (2022, February 11). How to write a marketing resume hiring managers will notice. HubSpot. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-write-a-standout-resume
Indeed Editorial Team. (2022, March 28). How to design marketing portfolios (with six crucial elements). Indeed. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/marketing-portfolios
Samuels, R. (2021, March 26). 9 skills every manager must have. Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-skills/
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