Graduating from college was a major achievement, and now that you have your marketing degree, you are ready to take on the world. The only trouble is finding the perfect job and putting that new degree to work in a way that makes the most sense for your long term goals. You want unlimited potential and the ability to get noticed for what you contribute. You want to work on projects that matter and be a part of a winning team, but where to go, and how to get the job?
The first step of course is to research the companies that employ people like you, and to apply for work with them. This can be done in any number of ways, but typically starts with the web. While you are compiling your list, however, you may want to take note of more than just the name and number of the companies you are thinking of applying to. In fact it will help out in the interview process (and maybe even in the cover letter) to know a little about your prospective employer before you go, and also to know who their competition is.
Preparation for your first interview has a lot of steps, and they probably taught you most of them somewhere along the way. Dressing for success, positive attitude, eye contact, etc. are all required, of course, but did they ever tell you to do research on the company you are applying for, or to know who the competition is and how they compete?
You should learn all you can about every company in the field that competes for the same marketing dollars, and if possible, learn a little about their clients as well. Do they target Pepsi, or are they focused on the little mom and pop operations that need work once a year? Do they offer charity work for worthy causes, or are they focused on the big contracts? Knowing what is important to your prospective employer will allow you to prepare for answering the tough questions they may throw at you in the interview process. It will also give you a chance to put together a custom resume for each interview, one that focuses on the things that company is looking for.
You may also want to go one step beyond a resume, and put together a little marketing package of your own on the one thing you know best – yourself! By marketing yourself to employers, you can let them know what is important to you and that you share some of the same goals as them. Having a resume and cover letter targeted to a single employer is one thing that can help you stand out in the crowd. You may also want to put together a custom web page for each one as well. You can get free websites from a variety of different providers, and could customize each one for a different employer, listing it in the cover letter, for example.Marketing yourself effectively shows potential employers that you take your career seriously and allows you to show off your ability to perform your new skills.
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