Like Me? Follow Me.
Off the back of this, I get asked by graduates all the time about what they can do to ensure that when they do send us a CV or apply for an SEO job they get that all-important interview.
My answer is generally very simple: show me something you can do for me right now.
At I-COM we think it's very important to work with graduates and the graduates we hire bring a great deal of enthusiasm and lots of ideas - but even coming out of online marketing courses, they have very little real world experience and need to be taught the practical skills and how to implement the work we carry out for our SEO clients every day. While we're happy to teach our graduates the intricacies of SEO, we still need them to be able to deliver work from day one.
So, if you're applying for an SEO job, make sure you can demonstrate to prospective employers what skills you can apply to work from the moment you start:
- Are you a good writer? Then demonstrate why you'd be great at copywriting and producing online PR while you learn about the basics of SEO.
- Do you have web development skills? We're always looking for people to do simple development tasks that may involve front-end development and updating web pages.
- Do you blog or have good social media skills? If we can get you doing the day-to-day updating of client accounts and we don't have to police your spelling, grammar, or representation of client brands then you'll be able to help the more senior members of the team.
- Can you write a good business letter and are you confident on the phone? Then we can get you contact potential link partners.
The skills we require for an entry level SEO job are not necessarily related to extensive understanding of search engine optimisation - either a good command of written English, good communication skills or some basic web development is enough to get your foot in the door.
Secondly, we know loads of people are flocking to internet marketing because they are either told it's the only place to find a marketing job or because they like the idea of being a "social media guru" - that is to say, they think that a job in online marketing involves spending all day on Twitter and Facebook, promoting trendy brands and products. This makes graduates looking to break into the industry ten a-penny.
If you want us to notice you, then you need to make yourself stand out from everyone else by demonstrating a real ambition to get into SEO. If you're applying for an SEO job we want you to want to do SEO - you may need to understand social media. We may want you to help us with social media campaigns. However, if you apply for an SEO job - show us you want to do SEO. Have a blog or a website and optimise it. Demonstrate you know how. Talk to us about developments in the search industry.
What we need to know is that you have skills you can apply from your first day on the job to help our clients grow their businesses and that you have the desire to learn and real enthusiasm for a career in the search industry.
