When I was lecturing final year students in NUI Maynooth I always ensured I shared tips on how to prepare for job interviews. And the more we discussed the topic the more obvious it became: your interview preparation should begin months before any interview is even scheduled! You can start with these tips immediately and it’ll pay dividends when your next potential employer is sizing you up.
1) Tell Google how awesome you are by Blogging
Anyone who has attended my Digital Marketing Lectures over the years will tell you my favourite expression is “You Are Who Google Says You Are”. For businesses it’s crucial to create a positive Digital Footprint as this is where their next customer is coming from. For students, Blogging in a opportunity to demonstrate their skills and interests ever before they step foot in an interview scenario. Students should blog about:
- Current research they are undertaking
- Conferences/ Influencer talks they’ve attended
- A digital/ social media campaign they admire
Although that last point is specific to my industry Blogging does give students a chance to showcase their writing skills, professional personality and business interests.
And when their prospect employer Googles them this is the great content they’ll find.
2) Optimise your Linkedin Profile
When your prospect employer Googles you your Linkedin Profile will be one of the first items to appear. If it’s appropriately optimised it’ll be the first thing to appear. Follow these tips to optimise your Linkedin profile and let Linkedin set the tone ahead of your interview.
3) Use Twitter to demonstrate your expertise and interests
Twitter is the perfect tool to showcase your interests in a given subject or industry. You can follow, retweet and interact with influencers and you can share your opinions on stimulating debates. Unless your account is set to private your profile can act as a voice piece for your expertise which will set the tone ahead of your job interview.
On the flip side, if your Twitter profile is public and you’re currently using it to retweet inappropriate content, publicly complain to brands and show a less flattering side of your personality you may want to consider flicking the switch to private.
It goes without saying that you should be following the Twitter accounts of your prospective employers. When we’re conducting interviews I love hearing “I saw on Twitter that you’re growing your team” or “that you recently won this award”. This shows initiative and preparation and is always appreciated.
4) Create your own work experience
We all know the Catch 22 Scenario – how can you get experience if you can’t get a job to get the experience? Well the great news is in today’s digital world you can create your own experience! The great benefit of Digital self serve advertising platforms is that anyone can start a campaign. Volunteer to run a Facebook, Twitter or Google Adwords campaign for a business, get comfortable with the platform and capture your success in a nice report.
5) Bring examples of your work
Portfolios of work aren’t just for designers or creatives. I always enjoy when people bring examples of their work to interviews: college assignments, a template they created, recent campaign reports (see Point 4!), even an imaginary campaign you think could work! Having physical examples of work that captures what you are capable of always impresses interviewers. And in a job interview where nerves may be prevalent your portfolio will do some of the talking for you or give inspiration if nerves muddle your memories. I know this last tip to be true as I used my DCU Marketing Masters portfolio among other reports to secure my first job out of the Masters.
My DCU Masters Portfolio printed to have the contents look like a Monopoly Board
I hope you found these Digital tips helpful. I came across a nice article in Mashable which shares some great advice on interview preparation which should give you an extra edge! Best of luck in those interviews!
