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

Mentorship Monday Series

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.

Tips for Writing Cover Letters

For this section it might make more sense to break these down into Do’s and Don’ts.

Cover Letter Do’s:

• Write them, even if writing them is optional. This will help you stand out amongst the hundreds of applicants most job postings attract.

• Treat these as a formal letter, and if you know the name of the hiring manager or recruiter, include it. Otherwise, address it to “Dear Hiring Manager” which I think is a little less formal than “To Whom It May Concern.”

• Look online for great examples of how to structure cover letters.

• Use them to tie your resume to the position. Explain why this position is of interest to you and how you’ll be able to benefit the organization.

• Like your resume, always (always) spell and grammar check everything you write.

• Consider your cover letter as the first step to the application process. Your goal is to drive interest in you as both a potential employee and as a part of a team within the company. I like to use words in my cover letters that encourage the reader to check my resume – such as “As my resume indicates, I am an experienced entrepreneur with a passion for serving my community.” My goal is to get them to look for what I’ve done in my career that demonstrates this statement.
  
  

Cover Letter Don’ts:

• Repeat your job history verbatim from your resume. It’s unnecessary.

• Raise red flags. At this point in the process, your goal is to get the interview. Keep it positive. Don’t go into why you left or lost your last job or get on your soapbox about how unfair the world is. Reframe it as how you’ve persevered despite obstacles and challenges, and you’ll be in good shape.

• Be too informal. Keep your wording professional and poised, just like you.

• Go over one page in length. I try to stick to three or four paragraphs total and always a single page. Again, the goal isn’t to tell your entire employment history in your cover letter; you want to get eyes on your resume and land the interview so you can talk about it then.
  

Leveraging LinkedIn for Your Job Search

LinkedIn should be your professional networking home. Did you know that over 90% of recruiters/hiring managers use it to find candidates for roles? There are a ton of great articles online already (including many on LinkedIn) about how to structure your LinkedIn profile, but fewer articles on how to leverage LinkedIn as a part of your job seeking efforts, so that’s where I’ll focus.

• Use LinkedIn’s settings to notify recruiters that you’re looking for work – whether you want to use the green “Open to Work” photo frame or not, you can set this setting to let recruiters know that you’re open to opportunities.

• Make sure that your job history that’s on your resume is consistent with what’s on your LinkedIn profile. It doesn’t need to be word-for-word, but the companies, dates, and job titles should align as much as possible.

• Customize your LinkedIn profile URL. Don’t keep the standard numbers and characters they give you. Remember to keep this professional too. It’s all part of your brand.

• Use your cover image effectively. I’m giving my friend, Cameron, a shout out here because he’s nailed this concept. Cam made it as easy and inviting as possible for a recruiter to see what he’s about at a glance and how to contact him without clicking.

  

  Don’t forget to brand your LinkedIn cover image too!

  
  A quick fix for your cover image is to use (with permission or photo credit) a recognizable picture of your campus. This will appeal to your alumni network and is a great way to stand out in a crowded job market. I was hired for my first job after graduation by an alumnus of my school. Whatever you do here in the cover image, don’t leave it blank. That’s a missed opportunity to brand yourself.
  

• Start posting on LinkedIn now, before you graduate, so that your posting history isn’t completely blank when an employer lands on it. If you don’t have anything to share, comment on other’s achievements and posts and those will show in your posting history too.
  
  This brought up a great question during the workshop. What if you haven’t posted an achievement in real time but you want to add it now to LinkedIn? An example shared from a student was about the study abroad trip they took last year. (I loved my own study abroad trip from college – this is a great experience if you have the chance.)
  
  There are a few great ways to share past content. Consider starting to post on the commonly used “Throwback Thursdays” or look for opportunities to tie in current activities with past ones. For example, you could say something like this:

  
  “Walking on campus today, I saw a flyer promoting study abroad programs for next year, and it got me thinking. My semester abroad last year to (LOCATION) was one of the best experiences of my time in school, and here's what I learned:
  - I learned this
  - and this
  - and most importantly, this
  
  If you’re thinking about study abroad, I’m happy to answer any questions about my own experience.”

  
  Remember, it's never too late to reflect on a memorable and impactful experience.
  

• When applying for jobs, use LinkedIn to look for shared connections with the hiring manager or identify other connections who work at the company already. If you have a 1^st level connection with a current employee, reach out and ask them to refer you for the position. Companies often prioritize interviews for candidate referrals that come from great current employees. You can also ask them about what it’s like working for that company.
  
  If you don’t have a 1^st level connection but you do have a 2^nd level with the company, ask one of your 1^st level connections to introduce you to them. It’s a great advantage in a crowded job market to have a contact within the company who can advocate for hiring you.
  

• Use LinkedIn to research companies. You can see hiring trends and read posts by the company to learn more both about their company culture and the products or services they sell. If you’ve got a paid LinkedIn account, you can identify other leaders from the company and read their posts as well.

Remember that whether you’re looking for your first marketing job after graduation, or to level up later in your career, finding a great opportunity in marketing starts with presenting yourself in a professional manner. As much as you want to land that position, remember employers want to find a great fit for their company who will be happy and productive. The best job matches come when both sides are happy, so be honest with your skills and authentic to your values.

Congratulations graduates! You’ve got this.