Getting Ready to Graduate? These Job-Seeking Tips Will Help.

Last week, I participated in a job seeker workshop at East Carolina University (Go Pirates!) led by the ECU chapter of the American Marketing Association. Alongside their marketing professor and chapter advisor, Dana Newell, I shared advice and tips for resumes, cover letters, and leveraging LinkedIn to land that first marketing job.

I was thrilled to see a standing-room only crowd of future marketers eagerly taking notes and asking great questions. That made me realize that this is only one school of many, and these same tips and suggestions might be helpful for others, so here we go.

Thank you to the East Carolina University American Marketing Association chapter for hosting this job seeker workshop for marketers!

Tips for Writing Resumes:

• Always (always) spell and grammar check your resume, especially if you’re in the marketing or communications fields where this is a core competency. Nothing makes me pass on a potential candidate faster than poorly worded sentence structure or grammatical errors that should have been fixed. If grammar isn’t your strong suit, there are great apps that can help you. Use them.
  
  Key takeaway #1: Attention to detail is always an important skill in any role, so demonstrate it by having a well-written and grammatically correct resume.
  
• Include all college experience – classwork, internships, volunteering, and mentorship – on your resume, and describe it in a way that mirrors the job you want. If your summer job was working retail, you provided exceptional customer service and resolved issues quickly. If you volunteered at an animal shelter, you gave back to your community through service projects.
  
  Key takeaway #2: Every experience can be framed in a way that benefits you, so go beyond what the job title is and talk about the skills you learned and how you helped the customer. Every future role worth having focuses on the customer.
• When you talk about your work, quantify your results. Did you oversee other interns, or did you manage 4 interns? If you saved the company time and money, how much time and money? And, if you were recognized for your work in any way, this is your chance to shine. Whether you were named ‘cashier of the week’ or ‘best camp counselor,’ this demonstrates two key characteristics employers are looking for: that you are a stand-out employee, and that you have potential to be a rising star in their organization too.
  
  Key takeaway #3: Play up your achievements and back up your work successes with data points. Data is your friend.
• As marketers, we are often applying for jobs that include effective design and creativity. Make sure your resume is visually appealing as well. Always use the same fonts (stick with standard fonts.) Double check for line and character spacing, and consistent format of dates for past positions. Left align all text.
  
  Another great tip from Dana was to consider also having an online resume that can better reflect your personality, because companies care about an employee’s values and fit within company culture. Show off those great design skills, past writing work, and creative projects you’ve completed while in school. While there aren’t GPAs in the workforce, you’ll likely get extra credit from a hiring manager if you include a professional video introduction too.
  
  Key takeaway #4: Be consistent and creative. Marketing careers are about both traits, so demonstrate them at the beginning by having a well-designed resume and digital portfolio of your work. If design isn’t your strong suit, find a resume service to help you.
  
• Many employers use applicant tracking systems (ATS) and AI to scan through hundreds of resumes to find the most relevant candidates to consider. Those standard fonts I mentioned earlier? They make resumes easier to scan. Also, the words you use on your resume matter. Think of them as keywords like you would for a search engine. Describe your experience with what I’d call “success in action” words like:
  • created
  • implemented
  • revised
  • managed or led
  • provided (exceptional service or care…)
  • improved
  • saved (as in money or time)

• Saying “Worked as an assistant and did xyz” is not as impactful as “Managed multiple responsibilities as an assistant, including xyz”.
• Key takeaway #5: Be intentional with your words. Include keywords on your resume that match that of the position you’re going for and customize your resume for each role.

Want to read about more job-hunting tips and read the full article? You can find it here on Substack.

Jennifer Best is the VP of Community Affairs with the Triangle AMA and is the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer for JBNC Marketing Group, a fractional marketing service that supports small businesses.