How to Land That Job – Part 4

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As the hiring market picks up and new technologies put marketers in high demand, it is important to be ready to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. With that, welcome to our weekly blog series on getting that marketing job you’ve always wanted. Each week we will discuss a new tip or technique you can use to land that job you’re after. Last week’s topic was Create a Portfolio.

This week’s topic = Do Your Research

The first three posts in this series all dealt with topics related to getting the interview. That is step one. Step two is preparing for the interview.

So how do you prepare for an interview? You learn as much as you can about the company, the position, and how your skills fit exactly with what the company is looking for.

For most positions, the company or the person doing the hiring has a picture in their head of the candidate that will eventually get the job. They are looking for some specific areas of experience and expertise, and when they see the right candidate, they will know it.

That does not mean that you aren’t in control of your own destiny. Because if you can be the most knowledgeable candidate they interview, and blow them away in the interview, you can be the one they’re looking for when the process is all said and done.

Interviewers expect you to have some knowledge coming into the interview. And you can impress them by reviewing the company’s website, social media profiles, advertisements and marketing messages, LinkedIn and other company profiles, etc. Learn as much as you can about how they operate so you can ask serious and thought provoking questions about how your role would help the business achieve its goals.

While you are doing this research, you can prepare a cheat sheet for the interview. Write down some key strengths and weaknesses that you see. Include key questions that you want to ask them during the interview.

Remember, the interview is not just about them finding the right person for the job. It is also your chance to find out if this is really the right job for you.

Have anything to add? Keep the conversation going in the comments below…

New Blog Series – How to Land that Job

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The subject of applying for, interviewing, and being offered a job is one that has been covered from all angles by many sources. But judging by a lot of the questions I’ve been receiving from readers lately, as the hiring market picks up steam, you want to know how to land that marketing job that you really want. And so, starting next week, I’ll be posting a new weekly blog series titled “How to Land that Job”.

Tune in every Monday morning for another tip that you can use to get offered the job of your dreams. I’ll be covering topics like:

  • Resume building
  • Interview prep
  • Skills to learn

If you have a specific topic related to getting a job that you would like me to cover, please share them here or leave a comment below.

How to Market Yourself like George Clooney

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Interviewing is tough. The other day I found myself giving advice to someone close to me about an interview they were about to go on. And after relaying some of the usual crap that you can get from anyone, I remembered an episode of Inside the Actor’s Studio with George Clooney in which he was asked by someone in the audience about how to stay calm at an audition.

He gave two bits of advice that I think apply to any interview you go on in the business world:

  1. “Remember that the absolute worst thing that can happen is that you leave there without a job that you never had to begin with.”
  2. “They’re hoping you’re right for the role just as much as you’re hoping you’re right for the role.”

I’ve been involved in many interviews, from both sides, and I can speak to the fact that both of those statements are true. They might be difficult to believe, but they’re true.

If you think about both of those statements, and really believe in them, I promise you’ll be a lot more calm and comfortable on the next interview you go into.

Thanks George!