Here's the problem:
The underlying reasons for the problem (Below the Surface)
You aren’t telling a story.
You aren’t researching the company.
You aren’t prepared for the interview.
You aren’t getting the hiring manager to like you.
You aren’t easily explaining your skills to the hiring manager.
You haven't been keeping track of what you’ve been doing at your current job.
Here's the Solution.
Most people have the technical side on point (or they can learn it quickly).
The technical part is rarely the problem in a job interview.
The problem is your ability to explain how good you are to the hiring manager.
Basically, getting the job is about getting a hiring manager to trust that you're the right person for the job.
Hiring Managers want to know the following:
Can you be a good fit on the team
Will the other team members like you
Will you be proactive (or do you need to have your hand held)
Can you meet deadlines (without someone needing to remind you)
Will you be a professional
Can you take your skills and apply them to the job
There are only 2 types of Marketing Cloud jobs:
In each type of job, you're required to have a skilll stack.
Most people have this skill stack (or can learn it really fast).
If you're a go-getter, it's pretty easy to learn on the job.
As long as you know the basic technical skills for the job, the rest is easy to pick up.
You have to show that you:
Have the skills
And you're a quick learner
Here are the two types of Marketing Cloud jobs:
Marketing Cloud Consulting Jobs:
You need to manage multiple clients
You need to know multiple systems (Marketing Cloud, Sales Cloud, Hubspot, etc.)
Need to know how to code (depending on the job)
Need to manage expectations (good project management skills)
Marketing Cloud End User Jobs:
You manage one client (but multiple departments)
You still need to know multiple systems
You also need to know how to code (depending on the job)
You also need to manage expectations (with people internally)
Both of the job types above require a skill stack.
If you can combine your knowledge of Marketing Cloud with the ability to code (even at a basic level), and add in a bit of project management...
You can get pretty much any job you apply for.
As long as you can show that you know those skills (and are proactive enough to learn fast).
When you think about it...
There are only three skills required to land a job.
Skill #1 - Do you have the technical skills (aka Hard Skills)?
Project Management
Automation Studio
Journey Builder
Email Studio
Mobile Studio
AMPscript
SQL
API's
Sales Cloud
etc.…
Skill #2- Do you have soft skills?
Are you a problem solver?
Can you manage your time well?
Can you lead yourself and other team members?
Are you creative?
Can you adapt to situations when they pop up?
Can you resolve conflicts when they come up?
Can you work in a team (or are you selfish)?
Can you organize your work and not get distracted?
Skill #3 - Can you communicate your skills to the hiring manager you’re talking to?
Step 3 is where most people fall short.
Most people have the first 2 skills.
But many people don’t have the third skill.
Communication takes time to master.
Most of us aren't taught how to communicate properly.
We grew up with people who:
Were too busy
Argued too much
Were too focused on their own problems
Or were unaware of how important communication is
The point is...
Most of us haven't been around people who show us what good communication looks like.
That’s why I’ve created a shortcut for you to learn communication skills.
I call it the:
The Tech Talk Masterclass is a 4-step process that helps you:
Communicate your skills to any recruiter or hiring manager.
Here are the 4 steps:
List Everything You’ve Done In Your Past Jobs.
Write Down WHY 4 You Did Each Task
Write Down The Metrics Related To The Task
Put Each Task Into a Resume Builder
Step 1 - List Everything You’ve Done In Your Past Jobs.
This first step might take you 30 minutes (or more).
Do it.
It’s the foundation for the rest of the steps.
Brain dump everything you remember doing at your previous job(s).
For example:
Built automations in Automation Studio
Built journeys in Journey Builder
Created emails with AMPscript
Queried data extensions with SQL
Edited emails with HTML & CSS
Built CloudPages with AMPscript
Once you brain dump everything you can remember doing at your last job (or current job), go to step two.
Step 2 - Write Down WHY You Did Each Task.
What was the purpose of each task?
Remember, you’re communicating a story here.
Hiring managers don’t care if you created emails with AMPscript.
They want to know WHY.
Hiring managers are hard-wired to think about the purpose of a task.
People don't care about the task itself.
People care about the outcome.
What did your task accomplish?
For example:
Why did you build automations in Automation Studio?
To automate the data import and segementaion process for our customer files from Amazon Web Services.
Why did you build journeys in Journey Builder?
To send a welcome email series to new customers who signed up for the newsletter on the company website.
Why did you create emails with AMPscript?
To show customers their new account balance after they stayed in one of our hotels.
Why did you query data extensions with SQL?
To find the contacts with an SMS phone number but that don’t have an email address in Email Studio.
Why did you edit emails with HTML & CSS?
To customize the renewal reminder email template that we sent to customers 7 days before their account renewed.
Why did you build CloudPages with AMPscript?
To automatically redirect a subscriber to the website homepage if they click on an email link after 60 days.
Step 3 - Write Down The Metrics Related To The Task
This is where you need to do your homework.
This step is the most impressive for hiring managers.
It’s also the most detailed step.
Most people won't do this step because it requires you to follow up and see the project results.
You need to know the results of your hard work.
What was the outcome of your task?
This isn’t just about what you built.
This is how the company grew because of what you built.
For example:
How much time did you save the company when you automated the import process for your daily customer files from Amazon Web Services?
Here’s how you could write the Automation Studio task that you wrote above:
Automated the data import and segementaion process for our customer files from Amazon Web Services. Saving 2 hours per week on manual file imports.
Another example:
Here’s how you could write the CloudPage with AMPscript task that you wrote above:
Used AMPscript to redirect customers to a landing page after a link expired, leading to a 1.5% increase in contract renewals.
The key here is to talk about how your task:
Made the company money
Saved money
Or saved time.
At the end of the day, that's all people care about.
Money made. - Money saved. - Time saved.Remember that for every project you do.
Pro-Tip: Use any metric you want (as long as it’s honest and relevant).
Think of metrics as:
Time Saved (In hours per week, month, year)
Dollars earned (per week, month, year)
Money saved (per week, month, year)
It’s great to do a task and accomplish a goal.
But ask yourself:
How did your task help the company?
Did you make an impact on the company?
The impact is what people are looking for.
If you can communicate your impact at a company, people will pay more attention to you.
Now that you have:
Each task
The WHY behind each task
And the metrics related to each task
It’s time to put it all together.
Step 4 - Put Each Task Into a Resume Builder.
The best resume builder that I've found is called Teal.
I’m not sponsored by Teal *(But would love a sponsorship if it came along, lol)
Teal lets you organize your resume and create unlimited variations of it.
You don’t have to store your resume on your laptop anymore.
It’s like a CRM but for your resume.
I won’t go into detail about Teal in this blog post, but you can check it out here.
You can also check out this video to see how Teal works.
Once you have your resume in teal, you can quickly set up the story you want to tell in your interview.
The key is to have your story ready.
When your story is ready, you can easily discuss it in an interview.
Conclusion
Don't wing your interviews or try to come up with stuff on the spot.
Have your story ready.
Think about what you've done and how you've impacted the companies you've worked for.
Take time today to follow the 4-Step Tech Talk Masterclass process.
Tech Talk Masterclass
List Everything You’ve Done In Your Past Jobs.
Write Down WHY 4 You Did Each Task
Write Down The Metrics Related To The Task
Put Each Task Into a Resume Builder
It will make you look more professional (which makes you look like a better candidate).
So set yourself up for success and get the job!
That’s all I’ve got for ya today.
Kaelan Moss - MinuteAdmin Out ✌🏽
