We founded Tag Digital, a digital agency two years ago and ever since have regularly received messages from eager students, graduates, designers, developers and other agency folk looking for work.
It’s not that long ago that I was in that same position so I always try to offer some constructive advice if we don’t have an opening at that time.
Job-hunting is a tough and often thankless task (you start to become grateful for a “no” rather than just wondering if they got your application…)
So I’ve put together this list of what we would look for and what stands out amongst the mass of 300+ emails I receive on a daily basis.
What to do:
1. Be persistent
For me, this shows that someone is determined to come and work for us. In a daily mountain of emails, tweets, calls and meetings you need to shout to be heard. If you become an annoyance and there really is no work – you’ll be told, but until then, I’d keep hounding. It’s your life.
2. Be punctual
Obviously be on time for interviews, but often I know I’ll need someone at a future date. Anyone that has marked that in the calendar after we speak and gets back in touch shows me that they are on the pulse. Same goes for assignments, trial projects or freelance jobs – late work does not fly for our clients so step up as soon as you get the chance.
3. Be creative
If you are a rock star designer or developer don’t show me a CV, show off your portfolio, if you are into social media – create a slide deck with your biggest achievements, if you are a PPC specialist – show me the money! If you insist on a CV – tell the truth, CV lies jump off the page!
4. Be social
Being able to do the job is only the first step. Will you fit into our team and company culture? This is as much for you as for us. You will spend so much of your time in work that it helps if you actually like the people there. Of course it won’t be all smooth sailing – but if everyone is working toward the same goal it can be a hell of a lot fun.
5. Be Transparent
Sure you don’t need to provide us with an in-depth look into your personal life, but remember, “The Internet is written in Ink”. Social media provides a unique opportunity to see who people really are and most companies will use this to check that you are who you say you are. Sites like 123 people let you check what is out there about you and will give you the chance to correct it if wrong. Use social media to your advantage – fill out your Linked in profile (Linked in is a great tool to source the right person to talk to about the job you want). Use Twitter to showcase your knowledge & passion about the job you want. Use Facebook to follow the company you want to work for and see what kind of content they put out, what kind of personality do they have?
6. BE FOCUSED
Sometimes the hardest thing to figure out is to know exactly what you want to do. What do you like to do? What would you do if money were no option? Whose job would you love to do? Once you lock that down – focus on it with laser beam concentration and GO GET IT!
And just remember…
“Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you, and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use.” ~Steve Jobs
Laura Grant founded Tag Digital with her partner Craig Davidson in 2011, both aged 25. Since it’s inception the company now has offices in London and Glasgow with a broad range of clients in the UK & US. Tag Digital is a full service digital agency offering web design, SEO, PPC, social media marketing, software development, mobile & eComm. Connect with Laura at @misslauragrant.
Image Credit: www.richsmanagementblog.com
