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    Insider Tips for Marketing, Business, Sales, and Advertising Professionals

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    So you’ve nearly got your degree and you’re ready to make waves in the world of marketing, advertising, business or sales. You’re familiar with concepts like market segmentation and you can break down the pillars of supply chain management and you’ve watched movies like The Wolf of Wall Street and The Social Network more times than you can remember.

    What you don’t learn in school or movies, however, is what moves to make as you attempt to breach the world of business and how to make a career for yourself. What we mean by “moves” are the decisions you make regarding the way you present yourself, how you choose to grow and learn, and the mindset you carry with you into your endeavors. 

    With so much to keep in mind when making this major leap into the professional world, it can become difficult to choose what advice to follow and what to ignore. Instead of leaving it up to AI software and chatbots, we decided to host a virtual event with some real-life employees about what their marketing, advertising, business, and sales departments look for in a candidate. 

    In our Job Search 101 virtual event, we spoke with Kalina Popova, a Campus Manager at Dell, Madison Ahmadi, a Talent Acquisition Partner at Expedia, Jennifer Voss, the Director of Early Careers Talent Acquisition at Visa, and Tangela Woodley, a Talent Acquisition, Marketing, & Digital Early Careers Manager at L’Oréal. In our conversations, the panelists reveal the tips and tricks needed to succeed in the world of marketing, advertising, business, and sales.

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    Don’t Limit Yourself

    One of the great things about the marketing and business industry is the variety of roles that exist within it. You could be a copywriter making taglines, a graphic designer creating brand logos, an account manager closing deals and finding new clients, and a whole lot more. 

    This being the case, it is critical to keep an open mind when you’re trying to decide what kind of role best fits you. In our conversations with experts, Tangela Woodley from L’Oréal sheds some light on just how many different opportunities exist within their marketing department.

    From analytics to creative, the world of marketing has opportunities for people interested in all kinds of things, especially at L’Oréal. So when you’re preparing to make your foray into the marketing, business, advertising and sales world, it’s important that you don’t pigeonhole yourself into one subcategory or another!

    Follow the 5 Dimensions of Potential

    While every company and its employee expectations are bound to be different, L’Oréal has a specific set of criteria that candidates can keep in mind wherever they apply. L’Oréal calls it the five dimensions of potential and with these rules, you can better your chances of succeeding in the world of business.

    Whether it’s learning agility or your judgment and decision-making skills, L’Oréal’s Five Dimensions of Potential would apply to numerous top-tier companies and what they’re looking for in employees.

    Leaders > Participants

    As a company that specializes in helping early-career candidates and college students find jobs, we have seen young professionals make a lot of mistakes. One of the big ones we’ve seen them make is signing up for a club or organization just to get it on your resume.

    It doesn’t take much to sign up for a group and show up to a couple of meetings. What does take some effort is actively contributing to these groups and taking on leadership or executive roles. This is something to keep in mind when you mention your involvement in groups and extracurriculars in your applications.

    Our suggestion is to be proactive. When you join a group, don’t just be a bystander! Make sure you’re participating and doing things that give you stuff to talk about later on when you start applying for jobs. If you have an idea, speak up! If you feel inspired to take on a position.

    You Gotta Have Grit

    A lot of people outside the marketing and sales industries perceive it as this glamorous world with photo shoots, hot-shot business people, and high-profile deals. What you don’t see are the challenges and obstacles that marketing professionals face on a daily basis.

    Any marketing veteran you meet is likely to have just as many stories about unhappy clients and discouraging rejections as they are to have stories about massive wins and incredibly successful campaigns. And that’s just a part of the business.

    This being the case, it is critical that anyone trying to enter the marketing, business, and sales worlds develops a tough chin and plenty of grit.

    While Kalina’s anecdote relates to sales, the same thing goes with marketing, advertising, and business. What if you pitch a marketing campaign to a client and they don’t like it? Or propose a solution to your boss that he chops down? Having the grit to face this type of rejection and come back stronger is what will make you successful in the long run.

    Take Advantage of Resources

    One thing that every one of our panelists in our recent Job Search 101 virtual event agreed upon is the importance of utilizing the resources at your disposal. If you go to college, whether it’s community or Ivy League, chances are there is a career office working to connect the student body with potential employers.

    In these offices, work has been done to establish relationships. All you need to do is take advantage of it.

    These types of resources are oftentimes free and extremely beneficial, so there really isn’t any reason not to take advantage of them.

    Looking for another free resource you can use to score the job of your dreams? Create your account with WayUp and start browsing open roles today or head over to our blog for more career tips and job-search advice! Watch the full session here.  More

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      in Career Hacks

      The Perfect Resume Guide From Expert Recruiters

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      As job-hunting experts, we’ve heard every kind of resume advice you can imagine. We’ve partnered with companies in various industries looking to find candidates for thousands of roles and through this work, we’ve identified the golden standard for resume writing.

      In our recent Job Searching 101 event, we spoke with leaders from L’Oréal, KPMG, and VISA to hear their words about what an ideal resume looks like. In our conversations, these industry leaders emphasized 5 key factors you should always consider and pay special attention to when writing your resume.

      What’s The Best Resume Layout?

      First and foremost, when it comes to the layout of your resume, you need to make sure it is one page only. Unless you’re an industry veteran and there really is no way to fit 10 years of experience on one sheet, one page is all you will need.

      Additionally, candidates should make sure their resume layout looks simple and clean. Yes, that means no funny fonts or images! Unless you are applying to a position that requires a headshot (like acting or modeling), an image will only distract from the content you are presenting. Always stick to Ariel or Times New Roman in either 11 or 12 sizes. Lastly, make sure you’re writing in the proper tense and starting each bullet point with a verb.

      Here are the correct and incorrect ways to talk about a past experience as a marketing intern:

      Incorrect – In my job as a marketing intern, I assist in social media strategy, SEO research, and web development.

      Correct – Assisted in social media strategy, SEO research, and web development that resulted in a 10% increase in organic site traffic. 

      Use the Job Description

      A resume should never be a copy-and-paste situation when it comes to applying to multiple jobs. This being the case, every resume should be written with the job in mind. The easiest way to do this is to use the job description to guide your resume.

      Without copying it, pull some keywords from the description to customize your resume for the job you’re applying to. If a job description requires you to do something like “categorize, organize, and file data in a neat way,” it would be beneficial to describe some of your past experiences using the same verbiage.

      Not all the jobs you’re interested in require the same exact skill set, so it’s important to evaluate what each description is looking for and align your past experiences in a similar way.

      Contact Information

      A lot of candidates might not think this is a priority, but the contact information on resumes is a section that needs to be dialed and 100% accurate and reliable. Starting with your email, you need to make sure you have a professional name and it’s going to an inbox you regularly check. That means you’re going to have to do away with your childhood email (skaterdude1999 and soccerrulez nameplates are no-go’s) and make sure you are staying on top of incoming messages. A great email address to use professionally can be: Firstname.LastName@____, First initialLastName@____, you get the point!

      Recruiters have shared stories in the past of candidates who didn’t hear about interviews or sometimes even job offers because they left emails unresponded. Don’t let this be you! Furthermore, if you are graduating soon, don’t rely on your school email to communicate about jobs because your university could shut it off any day. 

      If you’re going to include a phone number on your resume, make sure it’s an active line and the voicemail is set up and professional. While it’s not as common, recruiters and employers have used phone numbers to reach candidates who are sometimes unresponsive to emails.

      If they can’t reach you, how are they supposed to hire you?

      Leveraging Job Experience

      For early career candidates and people just starting their professional careers, you may not have a lot of legitimate experience to portray your skills. If this sounds like you, your best option is to hone in on volunteer projects, early leadership roles, or any other extracurriculars you might have been involved in (clubs, sports, and organizations).

      Next, we would direct you to the tip we mentioned earlier about using the job description to guide the way you explain your past experiences. Maybe you volunteered at a homeless shelter and you’re applying for a finance role – two things that don’t really line up together. Your job is to find the connection there. For example, maybe you realized the necessity for financial regulation and resources after seeing poverty up close. Or, you learned how to foster meaningful relationships and make contributions to an organization or place.

      9 times out of 10 there will be some sort of way to draw a connection from past experiences to the job you’re applying for. What you don’t want to do is write down job experiences on your resume that are flat and have nothing to do with the industry, career, or job that you’re submitting the application to.

      The Review Stage

      Last but not least in the resume writing process is the review stage. When it comes to getting your resume reviewed, try to get as many eyes on it as possible. Show it to your friends, show it to your mom, bring it to the career center, share it with a professor, and if you’re feeling bold enough, reach out to someone from the company you’re applying to and ask them what they think about it. This shows eagerness and can make you stand out in the crowd.

      Candidates spend hours and sometimes even days or weeks trying to perfect their resumes. Getting a fresh set of eyes on it will help you spot some things you might have missed.

      The most important aspect of the reviewal stage is that it never ends. After every time someone reviews, after every job application, find ways to adjust and improve your resume. 

      If you follow these tips, then you are one more step closer to securing the job you’ve been waiting for. A job that loves you as much as you love it. Keep up with more job advice, resume tips, and career news at the WayUp community hub. More

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      in Workplace

      4 Career Tips for Gen Z Job Seekers and Employees

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      It’s rare to find a career-related blog or article today that doesn’t mention the Great Resignation in some shape or form. After 47 million American workers quit their jobs in 2021 with millions more following throughout 2022, 10.8 million U.S. job openings now remain, making it seem like a job seeker’s paradise. But as Gen Z transitions into the workforce, they do so not with optimism, but with uncertainty, anxiety, and feelings of unpreparedness. So why the disconnect?
      Despite a record number of job openings and seemingly unlimited opportunities, the workforce’s newest generation is plagued by doubt, consistently missing the on-ramp to the career highway where they can set their focus on cruise control. Considering how many bright young candidates are produced by top universities and internship programs, one has to wonder why so many feel unsure of themselves.
      Part of the reason may be that the job landscape has changed drastically in recent years – far faster than most educational or job training programs. If those with decades of work experience are having trouble adjusting, how can those with no work experience assimilate without a model or blueprint to follow? While there’s no clear-cut answer, there are some helpful insights that can point Gen Z job seekers and employees in the right direction. Here are a few career tips for our youngest generation of workers.
      We’re all new to this.
      As mentioned above, the job landscape has changed, and the post-pandemic workplace differs from the pre-pandemic workplace. As the first generation to start their careers post-pandemic, you have an advantage. Remote and hybrid work will be your norm, and Zoom will be your conference room. While the rest of us have struggled to adjust, it will be business as usual for you. This advantage will also come with disadvantages, as not all employers have figured out remote work, much less remote interviewing, hiring, and onboarding. However, once they do, you will be at home among several generations of tourists.
      It’s okay to spend your early career searching.
      Everyone knows a handful of people who had their career path mapped out from day one and achieved success quickly. But for many, there are several bumps in the road. Some employees are unsure of what path to follow early in their career. Some won’t discover their strengths until mid-career. Some will change jobs due to layoffs, and some will shift gears to follow their passion. It’s okay if your career takes you in a different direction than you had originally planned. Now is the perfect time to accept new challenges and discover new talents. Your goals may change, and experience will come with time. Remember that a successful career isn’t a race, and it may take several years and a few false starts to achieve.
      Prioritize employers that are willing to invest in you.
      Salary is important. So are benefits. But if these are the only things you prioritize in your career, you’ll likely be disappointed. A career is a journey, and hopefully a long one. In order to avoid disengagement and burnout, there must be progress and a record of achievement. Good employers will make this their mission, to identify and develop employees’ talents, provide training, learning, and growth opportunities, and celebrate workers’ accomplishments. Lesser employers will pay you for your work and consider that enough. Make sure to identify and target employers from the first group, and you’ll be glad you did, particularly after you’re no longer the youngest generation in the workforce.
      Networking and communication are essential.
      In the past century, the starting point for a job search has progressed from store windows to newspapers to online job boards to social media and online networking. As a result, a solid social network is helpful for a successful job search, and in some industries, it’s essential. Similarly, communication has always been considered a top soft skill sought by employers. Now that so many employees work in a remote or hybrid environment, communication skills are even more critical to building strong connections with coworkers and clients, and working effectively on distributed teams. Network with everyone, and prioritize clear and direct communication. There will never be a time in your career when both of these aren’t paramount to success.
      Every generation struggles to find its footing when transitioning from student to employee. However, Gen Z was thrown a curve ball when COVID-19 transformed the workforce just as they were entering. Now, they’re having to navigate employment with the same uncertainty that all first-time employees experience, while entering the new job landscape with the same apprehension that the rest of us have. But with these challenges comes opportunity; primarily, to be a part of the most significant shift the workforce has seen in the last century and help shape it. So a little advice for Gen Z job seekers and employees – it won’t be easy. (It never is for groundbreakers and trailblazers.) But the workforce is long overdue for some changes, and it’s a great time to be at the starting line. So go be great.
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