12 Rules to get hired.
It's upsetting that so many good people are affected by world events and are looking for work in Ad Tech. I have done a fair bit of hiring in my time, so here are my top 12 Rules to secure your next role.
1. Define your USP
What is your interest and marketable skill set? How can you add value to a potential employer? Come up with a sentence that summarises what makes you unique and make this your personal mission statement. For example: " I excel in leveraging the power of Big Data to save millions of dollars for consumer facing internet businesses"
2. Think internationally
Setting up a limited company in some countries is very easy. Use this as a vehicle to work with international companies for contract or portfolio work. I like Companies Made Simple in the UK
3. Get your LinkedIn profile up to date.
Get your LinkedIn profile up to date with achievements, recommendations, qualifications and latest roles. Make sure your profile picture is up to date and is consistent across other social channels.
4. Build your own site
Build your own site to use as your CV. This is easy in Wix, Squarespace or other tools. Add in any relevant work portfolios, blogs, presentations etc. Having your own site allows you to give more nuance and personality than LinkedIn allows.
5. Your CV must look professional
Still using a word document for your CV? Use a tool like www.novoresume.com or www.resume.io to bring it to life. A CV should illustrate your career in tangible numbers (e.g. money earned, time saved, staff managed). CV writing is an art in itself, if you want to know more contact me here and I can send you some templates.
6. Know which companies are hiring
Read industry specific news on which companies have received funding. Crunchbase, Fastrack, Inc 5000 etc are good starting places in the ad tech world.
7. Ask for help from people you know
Reach out to your existing network and ask for help. There is no shame in this. People will surprise you. If someone is good enough to introduce you, thank them and make sure you follow up so this reflects well on your friend as well as the new introduction.
8. Make new connections
Connect with new people on LinkedIn in your industry that may be able to help. Try and provide some value to them when you connect. People are less inclined to help unless you try and actively help them.
9. Recruiters can be incredibly useful
Utilise recruiters. Things are slow now but by building up relationships, you can get to “top of mind” when roles become available. People I rate in the UK are Jeff Hardie and Ed Steer at Sphere Digital Recruitment
10. Scale up and automate your outreach
Start a methodical outreach program to hiring managers or where appropriate, CEOs. As hard as it sounds, a phone call is the best way. Failing that, use a resource like Apollo.io and link it with mailing tools like YAMM. Use sequences on your emails as one email can easily be missed.
11. Tailor your approach and CV to every role
Are you applying to a role with a seperate CV for each role? If not, it is very unlikely you will be succesful. Each role that you apply for, either to a specific job or a speculative approach should be specific to that company. Most recruiting software uses keyword analysis so if the role is for a Facebook Media Buyer, your CV should be littered with that phrase and other similar matches.
12. Don't give up!
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." Keep going. Rejections can be tough. Ask for feedback in a friendly, non confrontational way to make sure you learn when you are going wrong. Never burn bridges.