What Hiring Managers for a Marketing Job Want to Hear and Observe
Having hired dozens of marketers in my career, I thought I’d share my perspective on how to interview for a marketing job. My purpose is to share a little bit of wisdom from the other side of the desk with the new community of marketing professionals coming up through the ranks.
Send your resume as a PDF and name your PDF with your full name.
You want to be easily found and identified; I don’t know who RFP.pdf or #Er43.pdf is. Be a human being and use your name in the file description. Jeffrey Slater Resume.pdf Remove any friction from me knowing which PDF belongs to you.
What are your primary skills?
Your resume should answer a straightforward question, what can you do for me?
What are the skills that you possess that my company can use if we hire you? So please put a section on your resume that says, I exceed in these five areas: excellent writing skills for media, solid understanding of how to do media outreach, skilled at filming testimonials, experience managing events, or trained on WordPress.
Help me understand your skills, not just where you worked in the past. And sum it up – make it easy for me to find. Remember, your resume might be one of one dozen I am reviewing.
I love a metaphor. Are you like the Swiss Army Knife of marketing – able to do many things as a generalist from event management, email marketing, and WordPress? Help me remember you. A resume with a clever metaphor like a Swiss Army Knife can help you stand out.
Respond to the job description
One size does not fit all.
Write your resume for me, for the advertised job, not for all generic marketing jobs. Tailor your cover note and the summary to fit the position, particularly if you feel like it’s an exciting position. Don’t be lazy and cut and paste. Help me want to know more.
(Hint: This is what marketing is about, so show you get it by following the hints in the job description).
Get to the obvious
If the job is in North Carolina and you live out of state, let me know if you are willing to relocate. Don’t be shy; tell the truth about your situation.
For example, if you said you would consider relocating if the job was offered, I will take you at your word. But if you aren’t willing to relocate, don’t waste my time or yours if it clearly states the job can’t be done virtually outside our office.
Or, if you are only considering remote work – say so. Be truthful and direct.
Be creative – you are applying for a marketing job
Don’t be afraid to show off your marketing chops. Send me a link to your blog or other writing samples if you are a great writer.
If you draw or do a film, send me somewhere where I can see your work.
Attach copies of the work you have done for other companies or industries that you managed. A sample portfolio of one-pagers or brochures you wrote or designed is helpful.
Remember – make it easy for me – don’t attach eleven documents. Create a portfolio page online.
Since this is a marketing job, consider a more distinctive layout and design for your resume. You can find many free and paid design layouts at places like https://enhancv.com/. Remember, your resume is like your packaging. Make it jump off the shelf.
Show extra initiative
Demonstrate to me that you understand that you can go that extra mile. Find some innovative way to do something extra or special that helps me notice you. This is a marketing position, not one in finance. You have permission to be different, and I’m looking for how you break through the clutter of the other one hundred resumes I will receive. Think of the interview as an audition and your resume like a movie trailer. Get me interested in knowing more.
Follow directions
If the application says to send your resume to a confident person with a cover note, please do that. But, use every opportunity to learn more about the people who work at the company. Maybe you can find their blogs and follow them. Perhaps you can connect with them through LinkedIn or a group you have in common.
Again, follow the directions, but it is also okay to go beyond those rules. Information is gold when you are in a job search.
Provide reference quotes
I am surprised that more resumes don’t have a short reference quote section. Pick a sentence from three people who know you and have written letters of reference. Quote them in your resumes as third-party credibility about your character (not your work). “Jill is a hard-working woman who is dedicated to her job.” “Jack is a natural leader whose skills will take him far.” Jane Wilson, CEO At Acme Products
Like Yelp reviews, testimonials in front of me make it easy for me to see a third-party recommendation.
Come prepared for the interview
I will not spend 2 minutes with an unprepared candidate who hasn’t done some homework on our company. Anyone who asks what your company does is politely shown the door.
The advice I give my daughter and her friends are to come up with 20 questions based on what you have read on the website. Be curious. Be prepared. Be inquisitive. Even if you only get to ask a few questions, I want to hire someone who is prepared and shows initiative.
Show you’re interested in what we do. Lazy won’t cut it on the job, so start on the right foot. Of course, you won’t understand our marketing strategy, but the interview process is the best time to show what it would be like if you worked on my team.
The S.T.A.R. interview method
When you asked a question like tell me about a time when…
Pause. Think. And use this STAR method.
The STAR method is an interview technique that gives you a straightforward format you can use to tell a story by laying out the Situation, Task, Action, and Result. This approach will help you succinctly tell a clear story.
- Situation: Set the scene and give the necessary details of your example.
- Task: Describe what your responsibility was in that situation.
- Action: Explain exactly what steps you took to address it.
- Result: Share what outcomes your actions achieved.
Check out this link in The Muse for a great overview with more examples.
Good luck
Good luck if you are searching for a job.
You might find it helpful to sign up for several marketing blogs that can share alternative ideas to mine on applying for a marketing job. Sign up for my blog if you’d like more tips on creative and counter-intuitive approaches to a marketing job search.
My post on helping you network to find a job has been one of the most viewed on my site. It explains the best way to have your network help you find opportunities using a strategic networking document.
Good luck.
You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Watch a short video about working with me.
