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What Do Marketing Recruiters Look for in a Candidate?

Finding your dream job can be quite difficult, especially in an industry as competitive as marketing. One of the best ways to get a job in marketing is to work with a recruiter that specializes in marketing and digital roles. Marketing recruiters have specific skills and characteristics that they look for in order to pair the best candidates with the right opportunities, and we are here to share a bit of those with you! Below, we will look at what marketing recruiters look for in a candidate and portfolio and what you need to do to land that perfect marketing job.

Optimized Resume and Portfolio

Marketing resumes and portfolios are held to a high standard. Recruiters in this space are experts, and they have seen all kinds of work. When a marketing recruiter sees a good fit, they are usually able to make an introduction to one of their clients. Recruiters are known for having a keen eye and will spot even the smallest grammatical error so make sure you proofread your work. Having an error-free, easy-flowing resume is the first step to standing out from the competition early. Make sure your portfolio is also representative of your work, it’s your opportunity to showcase your talent, aesthetic and what you can do for a future brand or agency.  A clean, updated, and appropriately tailored resume for the position you're applying for will definitely capture the recruiter's attention. Use it as a canvas to display your cutting-edge skills and expertise within the marketing industry in a simple, concise manner. Wherever possible, optimize your resume to the company's culture, add quantifiable results and data, and ensure the accompanying cover letter has the keywords that will capture the attention of employers and marketing recruiters.

Skill Set

When evaluating candidates for marketing positions, recruiting agencies typically hone in on your skill set. It's a crucial aspect that will tell whether you’ll be a good match or not right for the marketing job you’re applying for. The recruiter will consider the following factors when assessing your overall skill set:

  • Required skills– These are the skills required to complete the daily tasks associated with the position. It is important to understand both the hard skills and soft skills needed for any position. A few of the hard skills the recruiter will assess can include things like technical knowledge of different software or digital marketing tools, writing skills, or programming abilities. Soft skill requirements could range from strong communication to your ability to work on a team to problem solving capabilities. In a competitive market like this one in 2020, you can even brush up on your skills by freelancing or taking online courses.
  • Preferred skill set – Besides the basic requirements and knowledge, a job description might list some additional skills that will help a candidate do the job better. This can include understanding various tools and aspects of the industry.
  • For instance, in digital marketing jobs, having SEO, SEM, content creation, and email marketing knowledge might be preferred skills.
  • Adaptability – Marketing is always evolving. There are always new tools, techniques, channels, opportunities, and targets to keep an eye on. Being adaptable and able to quickly pick up marketing trends and tools is a highly sought after quality that recruiters will surely notice and mention to clients.

Communication Skills

Strong communication skills are a basic requirement for every marketer. Recruiters will continually assess this from the moment they look at your resume to the end of your in-person interview.Strong communication skills will convince the recruiter to include you in the shortlist and persuade potential clients to take action and bring you on board. If you feel you need help in this area, it’s always a good idea to tell your recruiter that you would like to hear more about the client’s interview style and they can help prepare you.

Knowledge of Current Tools and Platforms

Every excellent marketer has built proficiency with a wide range of tools and platforms essential to their trade. Profound knowledge of critical platforms like social media management tools and email marketing is sure to resonate well with recruiters.You will also need to convey a comprehensive understanding of the different stages of marketing, including planning, setting up, adjusting, and reporting on a digital campaign. Comprehensive knowledge of the full marketing process is sure to set you apart from the rest.

Relationship Building Ability

Your job as a marketer is to build solid relationships between potential customers and products or services you will be marketing. Your ability to nurture and develop relationships will be on full display during interviews.These skills will be invaluable, especially when looking for fashion marketing jobs and other related positions where relationships form a basis for repeat customers.

The Role of a Marketing Recruiter in Helping You Land Your Dream Job

Utilizing a marketing recruiter’s full range of services could land you the ultimate job tailored to your skills and help you find a role that you deserve. Recruiters play an essential role in helping applicants for marketing jobs find the right position in a variety of ways.

Connecting candidates with the right opportunities

Not every marketing job opening makes it to online job boards. Some of the best, well-known employers prefer to remain discreet or are looking to replace someone confidentially. Our marketing recruiters at Career Group Companies act as a bridge, informing you of these opportunities and, if you're a great match, you can land a position at your dream company.

Advising candidates on the best jobs for them

Identifying the perfect job for your skills requires experience and an eye for detail, both of which our recruiters have. By offering advice on what jobs to apply to, a marketing recruiter can help with the efficiency and rate of return in your job hunt.

Providing invaluable insight

Although some details, like company culture, are public knowledge, crucial information like employee satisfaction and growth path is not. Our experienced recruiters understand both candidate needs and company structure, and can provide you with the necessary details to help you identify the right opportunity for you.

A long-term career coach

When you work with us, you are not just getting help finding your next job, but gaining a long-term career coach. We stay up-to-date on the changes in the marketing industry and its hiring requirements. By providing you with such information and details, you can easily adapt to the changing market and position yourself as the ultimate candidate for your dream marketing job.

The Bottom Line

Opting to work with Career Group Companies and one of our marketing recruiters can be one of the best decisions you can make to enhance the possibility of landing your dream job. We can help you find marketing jobs today with our extensive reach and understanding of the market.  Contact us or apply to an open opportunity today.

Career Group Companies

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Founded in 1981 by Susan Levine, Career Group Companies was created to set a higher standard for recruiting. For over four decades, we’ve partnered with our valued candidates and clients to cultivate perfect career matches for administrative, creative, fashion, events, and executive professionals at top companies nationwide.

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