7/12/2020

What are the key things to include on a CV when applying to a marketing role?

Firstly, a CV needs to be concise and include the responsibilities of your role and the projects you have worked on previously. By including these, this puts you across as an action orientated individual, which looks really good on a CV. It’s also important to include evidence of being willing to learn (eg. volunteering experience or teaching yourself something in your spare time) as the attitude of knowing how to achieve something, is actually better than having the knowledge behind it in the first place. This is because when I applied at Lenovo for example, there were skills I may not have met in the job description but I could demonstrate I can learn things quickly and willingly via my CV. 

Ultimately writing a marketing specific CV depends on the marketing role. For instance, if you’re going for something digital, then mention you’ve got SEO experience (and if you don’t, do an online course so you can say you have experience!) Make sure you put down the experience you have and how they form specific skills. For example, if you say you’ve done event management, then mention that was pre-event management and also post-event management too. A key skill I would also look for is being able to work with different departments, as it’s rare that an organisation would have departments in silo.

In your experience, is there anything to avoid doing?

Some interviewers ask “what’s your biggest weakness?” and of course people are going to lie when answering this, as you want to put your best self forward in an interview. However, if you can show you do have a weakness or things to develop, identify where you need improvement, and how you combat this to make you a better employee; then this is a much better response than “I’m a perfectionist” or “I try too hard” or “I care too much”.

At the very start of people’s careers they tend to settle as they are so desperate for roles, so my biggest advice is: don’t just go for any role if you can help it. If you really like an industry, go job searching in that area, even if you think the roles available at that time seem out of your depth. You never know what the job criteria is like on the other side, so you may get an interview (and even if you don’t, you’ve still made a name for yourself). It’ll pay off dividends if you start on the path that genuinely interests you rather than get side-tracked by another role, just because of a better salary for instance.

So for students leaving university and entering the job market, do you think it’s worth them applying to jobs slightly further ahead in experience as well as graduate schemes?

Yes, when I was entering the job market I didn’t have my degree yet, and I had a handful of AS Levels, but I was punchy and tried my luck. I got so many rejections, but there was that one person that gave me a chance and it worked - so don’t limit yourself!

Are there any resources you can recommend for graduates to be looking at to boost their CV?

Yes, Google have Digital Academy, and they have a free introductory course on SEO and SEM, for example. Also, as much as Hubspot don’t have free courses, they do have good courses to demonstrate skills eg. How to write copy for SEO. Also, as much as I’m biased, The Open University have loads of free courses through their portal called Open Learn. By populating the qualifications part of CV even further than your degree, it will help you stand out when applying for roles.

How much influence do social media accounts have on the recruitment process?

You can guarantee that if someone has invited you for interview, or just considering you for an interview, that they will google your name and try to find all of your social media profiles, and they will read through them wherever possible. Therefore I would recommend keeping everything private on social media as whatever you put on that is public, will be viewed by your employer - so always be mindful of that! However, if you do wish to keep things on public, as a marketer it’s a good idea to build a personal brand, so make sure your social media puts across your interests and who you are.

Is a LinkedIn profile important for a graduate?

Yes, but it’s important not to keep it static and make sure it’s updated regularly. You can do this by finding agencies or businesses that are doing work you want to go into, and share what interests you, as it will help expand your network even further. This way it shows that the industry or role isn’t just a job to you, it’s also an interest.

Do you think it’s relevant to mention the type of experience a graduate has had, such as working from home/in an office, in this current climate?

Yes, most employers will expect this generation to be digitally savvy anyway but it’s good to mention it. However, the point isn’t to show you can work online, but that you can adapt to change quickly and continue to meet your responsibilities.

Is there any advice for people starting a new role remotely, in this current climate?

From personal experience, I would advise to become really friendly with whoever your direct line manager is and whoever is in your team; and through that, get an organisation chart to understand who the biggest touchpoints are in your role and get the introductions in the diary as soon as possible.

What is your best advice for transitioning from studying at university to working in an entry-level role?

The biggest thing is to get stuck in by asking “Can I do this? What are you working on? Can I help with this?”.  By finding out what people are working on, you’ll hopefully come across things that interest you, even if it’s not related to your role, so you have the opportunity to ask “do you mind if I have a go at this?”. This will make you more visible to people in the business and show you’re a team-player – which are both key if you’re aiming for a promotion.

Any advice for graduates wanting to build a network in these times?

I recommend you connect (via LinkedIn) with all of your contacts, and like I said, start finding businesses/agencies that do things that interest you, comment and share their work, and link in with the marketing people that work there. It worked for me actually, it helped me get the foot in the door for one of my previous jobs. People love answering questions about what they do, so if you have a question off the back someone’s post, ask it, and strengthen the LinkedIn connection. 

Is there any other advice you think would help a graduate looking to go into marketing?

If you can, I’d find a mentor. I had a guy called Tim that employed me at Novatech, and even after he left the company, he was able to still advise me on my development and I could get honest feedback. It’s a great way of building your network as well. I’d also say it’s important to map out what you want before job-searching, as it makes it a lot easier in the long-run.