Our human resources and biz dev specialist, Laura Steele, sees oodles of resumes as she scours the landscape for the talent that makes Voltage tick. Here’s a peek at what she looks for in stand-out resumes in the digital agency industry.

Start with the Basics

Take another look at your resume. Make sure it accurately reflects your accomplishments, experience, and personal style.  Resumes are still required by most HR managers, so they should be clean, modern, two pages or less, and should capture your strengths.  There are plenty of resources and templates on the web. Give your resume a polishing, and make sure to use spell check.

https://designschool.canva.com/blog/50-inspiring-resume-designs/

Show Off

These days, a portfolio is absolutely essential for anyone who wants to work in a digital agency.  If you are a designer, make sure your design portfolio is updated and readily available on either behance.net or your own website.  You can include both client work and personal projects to show the breadth of your experience.

If you are a developer, post your code on Github, BitBucket or GitLab.  If you are applying for another position, like a project manager or production assistant, it can still be important for you to highlight work specific to these positions. Set up a website that shows examples of your communication skills, presentations, scheduling tools, or articles that you have written.

https://www.behance.net/

https://github.com/

Get Linked

Who do you know in the industry?  Not sure?  Start by researching all of your LinkedIn or other social networks to find contacts that can help you get introduced to an advertising or marketing agency.  Reach out and let them know your goals. Ask for a strategic introduction, advice about networking events, or ways to strengthen your skill set.  Keep at it – you will probably need to reach out to your network several times a week before you start to see results.

http://linkedin.com/

Volunteer

If you are right out of college, are changing careers, or have a degree that is not specific to advertising, it’s very helpful to do some volunteer marketing and advertising work to boost your resume.  Look for a nonprofit group that has a long-standing reputation and needs some help with digital marketing. Some examples include working for a community food bank, local film festival, or a specific cause that you are passionate about.  Another take on this is to do freelance work that helps to build your portfolio.

https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/five-ways-volunteering-can-help-you-get-a-job-hot-jobs

Go Big

As Walt Disney said, “If you don’t have a dream, how are you going to have a dream come true?”  Set your expectations high, research your dream agency job and keep believing.  Agencies are always looking for people who are inspiring and can lead a team, project, or campaign. Let your enthusiasm show! Advertising can be a tough industry to break into, but hiring is still on the rise with over half a million people employed by agencies in the US.  Learn more here:

http://www.marketingdive.com/news/digital-marketing-skills-in-demand-recruiters/417884/