Digital Marketing - Zinny Factor

Digital marketing is a broad industry that can be a very rewarding career with a low barrier to entry. The opportunities for career advancement are endless. You will never be stuck in the same position for too long before the next promotion or pay rise.

Unlike some careers, there is no singular path that you need to take. It is an exciting industry to work in with a plethora of possibilities to keep challenging you.

Interviewing for a digital marketing role can be quite daunting, particularly your first one. Don’t get disheartened if you are not successful with the interview. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get ready for the next one. With each experience, you will be more equipped for the next!

However, hopefully, you will ace your first interview and not have to experience this. Here are a few tips to take on board to help you prepare for an entry-level digital marketing interview.

Get Educated!

If this is the career path that you want to spend the foreseeable future pursuing, then you need to educate yourself. For most entry-level digital marketing roles you won’t be expected to have vast knowledge on the subject. After all, you are only starting off your career.

However, candidates that show extra knowledge beyond novice level will become apparent. For example; if you are applying for a role in paid social media, most likely the job will involve running Facebook Ad campaigns. So why not, learn all about Facebook ad strategies? Likewise, if you are applying for a role in SEO, then read up about best SEO practices in depth.

When you go into a digital marketing interview and you have built up a strong knowledge base, this will give you confidence. When you have more confidence in your knowledge, then you will have more confidence in what you are saying.

Aside from this, gaining accredited certifications in digital marketing is highly sought after by recruiters. Before even applying for a digital marketing role, you should look to complete free certifications from Google, Facebook, etc. Employers will be impressed to see this on your resume.

Show Passion

Some people just get a job straight out of college not really thinking about if it’s the career path they actually want to choose. Obviously, with some degrees, you are somewhat restricted to which roles you can apply for.

However, with Digital Marketing, you don’t necessarily need a degree in this field. Therefore, applying for a role in this industry is chosen with careful consideration. You should be passionate and excited about starting a career in an ever-evolving industry.

For an entry-level digital marketing interview, you are looking to get your foot in the door to open up a world of possibilities. Passion should be oozing out of you, so let your recruiter see that. Show them that you chose this career path and are excited to work in this industry.

Research the Company

Researching the company is very important in preparing for a digital marketing interview. For a digital marketing role, you need to understand what type of strategies the company is implementing.

If you are applying for an SEO role, look at their website. What type of content are they creating? How often are they publishing? Or if it is a Paid Advertising role, look to see what campaigns they are currently running. Maybe there are news articles on current campaigns that you could have a look at.

In a digital marketing interview, you are sure to be asked about the company’s current or past strategies. This could be a question like “Are you familiar with any campaigns that we have run, if so, what is your favorite?” You don’t want to be left fumbling your words at such a basic question. So just familiarise yourself with the company’s current and past campaigns.

These types of questions are quite specific to Marketing/Digital Marketing roles. However, you need to also familiarise yourself with the company’s history and ethos. To do this just look at their social media pages, about us page, press releases, announcements, etc. So do a thorough Google search on the company as a typical question could be “What do you know about the company?”

Work on your own online presence

It goes without saying; you need to make sure that your social media profiles are nice and clean. Remove photos or posts that show profanity. Just go through your accounts and clean them up. You can also adjust the account’s privacy settings so that posts are invisible to anyone not on your friend’s list.

Don’t let a bad post from years ago affect your chances of getting the role. So before going into a digital marketing interview, make sure you have audited your social media presence.

You can also use social media to thrive and increase your chances of being hired. Linkedin is a great platform for networking with potential recruiters. 87% of recruiters use Linkedin as part of their candidate search. Therefore it’s in your best interest to use Linkedin to share knowledge and insights to give the employer a taste of who you are before the interview.

Read: Step-By-Step Guide: Perfect LinkedIn Profile For The US & Canadian Labour Market

Prepare for Standard interview Questions

No matter what job you are interviewing for, you will have certain “standard” questions you need to prepare for. Obviously they will differ to a certain degree in their phrasing to make them more specific to the role. For example, you may be asked questions like;

  • Tell me about yourself?
  • What are your biggest weaknesses/strengths?
  • Why do you want to work here?
  • Tell me a time where you had to deal with adversity?

Searching on Google “common interview questions” will give you an idea of what to expect. If you look at several websites, you will find that many questions are the same, or will vary slightly. So spend some time and make sure you learn these standard interview questions.

Final tips before your digital marketing interview

Before going to the interview you should print out several copies of your resume. Bring a small shoulder bag with you and ask the interviewer if they would like a copy of your resume. There may be several people interviewing you, so bring a few just in case.

This will look great and show that you are prepared. Also, you can bring a little notebook and write down the job description and several questions that you want to ask. Again this shows that you have come prepared and are taking the interview seriously. 

During your preparation, read through your resume and familiarise yourself with your employment history. If there are any gaps in employment, make sure you have an explanation for this.

Read: Step-By-Step Guide: How to Negotiate your Job Offer

The night before your digital marketing interview, go to bed early. Take out what you are wearing to the interview. Don’t be leaving this last minute. Also, look up where the interview is being held and prepare your travel. Leave the house early in case of traffic etc.

Lastly, just make sure you get to the interview on time, and good luck! Are you preparing for an interview soon? Share below. Subscribe to the blog here to stay updated.

*This is a contributed post written by Mark Treanor, check out his blog: www.marktreanor.co.uk.