Shortly I will be exiting my current employ and I think I might not work agency side in advertising nor digital media for a while.* The reasons why I may discuss in the future. In the event you want to work in either industry, here's how I think you can work/worm your way in.

How do you get started?

It's always been hard to break into any industry. Always. Noah wanted to be a stone mason, not a boat builder, but couldn't find an opening.

In this day and age of internet not stone tablets, you can start building a personal brand long before you begin the CV polishing and door knocking process. Here are my cheerful ways to get ahead and show your passion:

• Register yourname.com or your-name.com – find some sort of variation on your name.
  Email from that domain address when seeking work. We will immediately check to see if you have a site parked there and;
• Build it as a blog site. It's simple and inexpensive to set up (WordPress, blogger etc). Include an about page with contact details.Blog about your desired industry. Weekly or whenever you have something to add. Become engaged in your industry.
• Publish your uni papers and related material there too.
• Get a profile on LinkedIn and ensure it's up over 80% completed.
  Don't stalk your prospective employer online. They'll hear about you if you're smart and insightful.
  Subscribe to relevant sites of interest via RSS and comment there using your real name and a link to your blog.
• When setting up on Facebook/MySpace/any other site ensure that whatever you do- from pics to comments- will not hinder your chances of employment. They look up all candidates on Facebook. Remember that.
• Your CV- no more than 3 pages. They'll appreciate the fact you worked at Maccas, but they don't need to know if you were flipping burgers or workin' the drive through. Just the bare essentials. They're going to Google you and Facebook you for good measure.. Let the good stuff turn up there. (Remember how we registered your-name.com? That's now going to work for you when people Google your name...)
  

So next time you hear someone say "Oh it's so hard to get a start", ask them if they have completed the above list. If not, tell them what I am telling you now: build a brand- your brand.

That's a start.

*In case of extreme poorness, this may in fact be a lie.

Labels: facebook, marketing, technology

posted by thr at 8:31 AM 1 comments links to this post