Perhaps it’s hard to find a profession more adaptable to a change of profile than a digital marketer. Being at the intersection of marketing and IT technologies, representatives of this specialty can perfectly build a career in related fields, only slightly supplementing their knowledge and skills. Nevertheless, digital marketers can look for a job for a long time without success. In this article, we discuss how to get a digital marketing job. Breaking into digital marketing can seem a bit tricky. But with a focused plan, you’re well on your way to landing a job in the field. Here's how you do it.

How to Get a Job in Digital Marketing

1. Build a Strong Foundation of Digital Marketing Knowledge

Begin with building a very strong foundation in digital marketing concepts. You will have to know about:

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization). This is how search engines rank websites and the improvements one can make to one's content.
• PPC (Pay-Per-Click). You must understand how paid search works. In most cases, a search-based website will perform best with Google Ads whereas an impulse buy website like an online store for trendy products would perform best with Facebook or Instagram ads.
• Content marketing. Knowing how content drives traffic and builds brands is a must.
• SMM (Social Media Marketing). You must be able to conquer the world of marketing on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
• Public relations. This might help with branding but also SEO. It’s all about helping maintain a positive image of your brand online while getting publicity from media platforms.

Action step. Free online courses include taking classes on sites such as Coursera or through your local bootcamp or college program. Start with the general marketing courses, then go progressively deeper into each subject that interests you. We have a list of 15 best training programs to get new skills where you can find marketing bootcamps.

2. Gain Hands-on Experience

Knowing the theory itself is not good enough; one needs to put it into practice. What employers look for in candidates is proof of one's skills. Most professional marketers often have side hustles where they further develop their skills even when not working a 9 to 5 marketing job. They actively seek or create opportunities to develop their skills whether through their own personal projects, a friend’s business, or through alternative opportunities.

Action step. Create a personal blog or website to practice SEO by creating articles, running ads through Google Ads on a small budget, or even creating social media accounts from scratch. Use those as experiments to see what works and what doesn't. The majority of this hands-on experience is going to be very critical when job interviewing. You could also create a product like an ebook, online course, or something of that nature about a personal hobby you have and work to market it in different ways to help you develop the skill set. Knowing how to market your own projects is a great way to develop your skills and test things out for yourself.

3. Specialize in a Niche

Digital marketing is a broad field, and many companies are looking for specialists, not generalists. You don't have to learn it all; you should just identify a niche that truly interests you, and then focus on becoming really good at it. If you’d prefer being a generalist instead of a specialist, consider joining a startup as a marketer as you’ll often have to wear many hats in a smaller environment. If you choose to go the corporate route, you’ll likely need to have a specialization. Industry specializations are often common. For example, a healthcare marketer will have a different skillset than an agency marketer and a tech marketer.

Examples of specialties are email marketing, influencer marketing, paid search advertising, marketing communications, event marketing, and content marketing.

Action step. Narrow down the niche that excites you the most and begin to take more advanced courses or certifications in that area. Employers value a lot of candidates with deep expertise in certain areas. Keep in mind that the specialization you choose doesn’t have to box you in, you can still transition to other marketing roles easily. For example, content marketers often transition into product marketing or growth marketing roles quite easily. Social media managers can transition into advertising and content marketing easily too.

4. Master Ad Tech and Data Analytics

Marketing today is driven by data, and great marketers understand how to use it. This, above all, holds good for ad tech. Getting a gist of the usage of Google Analytics 4 or Facebook Ads Manager is not optional; instead, it's a must-have if one desires a prime job in the field.

Why does it matter? The ability to analyze data, make campaign adjustments, and extract how ad tech platforms work are the missing blocks that employers seek in candidates. The main skills that will give you an edge over competitors include knowing how to start ad campaigns at DSP programmatic platforms, how to use retargeting, and organize audience segmentation.

Action step. Get certified on Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads. Learn to run data-driven campaigns, measure KPIs, and report results on them. Keep in mind that these aren’t the only data analytics tools your future employer will use. Some companies use Mode, MixPanel, and Tableau to analyze their data. Taking a course to learn how to read or set up reports could be helpful in your role, especially as you progress into your marketing career. To ensure you’re performing well, you’ll need to read data on a daily basis so this is a useful skill to have as a marketer. To get a senior job in digital marketing, you’ll need to have some data analytics understanding.

5. Build a Portfolio that Shares Your Work

Your portfolio is proof to a potential employer of what you actually can do. Include examples of campaigns run, blog posts written, social media follower or engagement growth, revenue targets hit, or any other relevant project you've taken on.

Action step. Build a portfolio website where you house your work. Highlight specific projects and provide a summary of strategies used, results achieved, and tools you worked with. Add data as much as possible as hiring managers and marketing leads often love and are data-obsessed. The more metrics you can include the better you’ll position yourself for a marketing role allowing you to get a job in digital marketing more easily.

6. Connect with People in the Industry

Most digital marketing jobs are not advertised, but rather happen through connections or referrals. Building a network within the digital marketing community can bring opportunities and guidance that you would never have been aware of otherwise.

Action step. Join groups on LinkedIn, attend webinars, and participate in online communities of interest in marketing. Don't just be a passive member; read and respond to posts and share your thoughts. Reach out to professionals for informational interviews or guidance. Joining marketing associations could also be a great way to connect with marketing professionals. You’ll need to pay to be a member, but you’ll have access to networking events with like-minded professionals. Plus, access mentorship programs, especially if you’re still in school. And you’ll often have access to exclusive members-only job boards where you can find entry-level or more senior marketing jobs.

7. Intern or volunteer for an organization or non-profit

Most marketing programs have internship programs that allow you to develop real-world skills so you can enter the workforce with some experience under your belt. Bootcamps often have projects that you can do to help you build and develop your experience. Alternatively, you can join non-profit organizations as a marketing volunteer to help you develop some skills to add to your marketing resume.

Action step. Apply to volunteer positions in marketing or join your school’s internship program to help you develop the real-world marketing skills you need before you enter the workforce. Finding opportunities this way is often a great way to develop those skills you need to land your first job. Charities often accept volunteers very easily, you might not be paid for your skills yet but treat it as an opportunity to learn with some assistance.

10. Find a mentor

A marketing mentor can be a great source of help for your job search. You can ask your mentor about how to dress for an interview, to look over your resume, to help give you suggestions about where to develop your skills to land your first role, and more. Since they’ve already gone through the process you’re going through now, they can offer you so much guidance to set you up for success.

Action step. You can find a mentor through marketing associations or your school’s career center. Joining a mentorship program you’ll be connected with a formalized program, where you’ll attend networking events together, be able to connect with them over a coffee to learn more about marketing and how to get a job in digital marketing when you’re starting out, and more.

Possible reasons for job search failure

Not only representatives of the digital sphere, but also 80% of all jobseekers make a number of the same mistakes. Here are the most “popular”:

• Inability to properly present themselves. Strange as it may seem, even Internet marketers who can sell anything can not always successfully “sell” themselves. For competent resume writing and practicing communication skills at the interview, you have to resort to the services of professional trainers. Avoid making common resume mistakes so you can have a positive first impression with a hiring manager too.
• Mismatch between self-image and real-world competence. Of course, everyone wants to earn millions while doing nothing. But in real life, this is not the case. That is why it is worth it to proportion your own competence and skills with the real demands of employers.
• Labor market oversaturation. An excessive number of graduates of commercial universities and colleges creates a shortage of jobs. In such a situation, it is better to try to get a job in a related industry, but with a good salary, rather than go to your position, but with a small salary.
• Inattention to the latest achievements and self-education. This situation is typical for people who have worked for a long time in one place. They were competent there, but the new place will require different skills.
• Lack of experience, even when applying for entry-level roles. In a perfect world, entry level roles would be for people with no experience. However, hiring managers do have bias and preference for people with some experience. Develop skills from volunteering roles, internships, or personal projects will help you get a job in digital marketing, faster.

It follows that the most serious obstacles to employment are the inability to present oneself, biased and overestimated demands, shortage of jobs, and outdated knowledge.

Useful tips for a digital marketer for successful employment

Here are a few recommendations that will help you find a high-paying job faster:

• Thoroughly prepare your portfolio and resume. Use a resume builder like Huntr to start building your marketing resume to help position you in the best light. Save examples of the most successful projects, as well as references to your achievements and successful orders. Having data or key metrics will increase your credibility with potential employers.
• If there is an interview to be held, you should prepare a sample text of a story about yourself in advance. Record a self-presentation on video and watch the recording. You can show it to acquaintances whose opinion is important to you and ask their advice.
• It’s not necessary to provide salary expectations unless asked in an interview.
• Expand your horizons and skills. The more additional knowledge you possess, the easier it is to find a decent job.

And most importantly, behave with dignity. A smooth, professional tone at the interview will inspire respect from potential employers.

Conclusion

It takes more than knowing the terms to get a job in digital marketing. It's about proving you can get the work done. Having learned the basics, built real-world experience, specialized, and networked your way in, you are on your way to landing a digital marketing role. It won't happen overnight, but with dedication, the path becomes clear. To start building your marketing resume, sign up for Huntr today.