SEO and Digital Marketing: Tips When You Don't Get the Job

0:00Crystal Waddellhey there, welcome back to the simple and smart SEO show podcast.

0:03I'm Crystal Waddell and this is follow through Fridays. A little after Friday, but I hope that you are having a wonderful weekend.

0:11Today I just wanted to share some reflections, some insights from the recent interview that I had with Josh Peacock from SEO for hire.

0:20So if you haven't listened to that episode, make sure you go back and listen to it.

0:23Josh came to talk about finding a job in SEO.

0:26And also some things that we could do to make ourselves more marketable.

0:29So I wanted to just dive into a few takeaways from that interview with Josh.

0:33The first one was understand your job search process.

0:37Josh emphasized this idea of mapping out your job search.

0:41So as a job seeker, it's crucial to define like what you want in a role.

0:46And then also understand the traits that top performers in that particular role have in common.

0:52This helps you target positions that align with your strengths and your career goals.

0:56The second thing is that you should be honest on your resume or your CV.

1:02Josh shared that SEO for Hire has actually developed this vetting process to make sure that candidates can truly perform the tasks that they do.

1:10I've heard, horror stories from different individuals who talk about how SEOs can look like they have a lot of experience on paper.

1:17But they basically did the same thing for 10 years. Rather than new things or. Evolving with SEO over 10 years.

1:27Obviously job experience is important.

1:29But as a job seeker, you need to be prepared to demonstrate your abilities through practical tests and like real world scenarios.

1:36So then number three. Josh talked about the importance of growth mindset in SEO roles. What I would love to hear was that successful SEOs often have entrepreneurial spirits and they're, and they're continuously learning and adapting, which really makes sense, right?

1:52It's great to embrace opportunities to learn new skills.

1:57And then stay updated with industry trends and changes. Because they're happening fast and furious, right?

2:04Number four Communication skills.

2:07One of the biggest challenges is effectively communicating with your teammates, whether that's stakeholders or non technical team members.

2:18Clear communication about what SEO does and the impact it has like the business impact it has on revenue and business goals is so important.

2:26People don't want the technical details. They don't want the jargon.

2:30And then number five, we talked about the future of SEO roles. And because everything is changing so fast and so much.

2:37Especially with the advancements with these large language models and different scripts that are being written.

2:43SEOs who can leverage these different tools and also focus on strategy are going to be in high demand.

2:50And if you don't understand, like The ecosystem and the structure of the Internet and the different tools that are being released.

2:57You're really going to limit your ability to change as the Internet changes.

3:01I want to thank Josh For coming on the show and just helping us understand what it will take to be competitive as an SEO in the upcoming years.

3:09And I wanted to share with you, coincidentally. I applied for an in house SEO job recently.

3:15One day when I was on LinkedIn, I saw a job post. And it was like, Oh my gosh, they're talking to me, which is crazy, because they're probably talking to everybody.

3:26But the thing that caught my eye first of all, the company was just fantastic.

3:30I've been following the company for a while. They celebrate their employees. They do a lot of like really cool stuff, team building, even though they're like completely virtual.

3:37Which to me is just amazing. Yeah. But they value that entrepreneurial spirit.

3:44And they value people who think about how things might be versus, a workplace where it's this is how it's always been done.

3:52So this is how we're always going to do it. In fact, they're on the cutting edge of changing how SEO is done, especially for big enterprise companies.

4:02As I thought about it, and they're looking for somebody who, basically has a growth mindset, who, loves to learn, all that type of stuff.

4:07I'm like, oh, that is so me. So I didn't know what the job was necessarily, but I applied for it.

4:13Josh and I had recorded this episode months ago. So it was very, it was such a coincidence that I applied for this job.

4:21And Josh, Josh's episode was released at the same time, right?

4:24So I thought, you know what?

4:26Once I applied for the job and didn't get it.

4:29I was like, I should maybe reach out to Josh and see if I can find out what I could do better.

4:34Or what is missing. Because I'm not your traditional SEO, right?

4:38I contacted SEO for hire.

4:40And spoke to Daris, one of Josh's recruiters, and they gave me or he gave me such great feedback on my resume.

4:48I made those changes almost immediately. I still have one more change to make. But just some really great feedback on my skill set.

4:56And then also some insight on what type of job I might be qualified for.

5:01Or even, enjoy doing as an in house SEO.

5:05So, thank you, SEO for hire for that.

5:07Because it really gave me like some sort of reference point to where I fit in this whole search engine optimization ecosystem.

5:16The other thing that was really helpful was talking to the hiring manager.

5:20So the standard email came through that, we're, considering other candidates or whatever.

5:25But it said, if you have any questions about how we came to this decision, please reach out.

5:29And I was like, Oh, don't tell me to reach out and ask questions.

5:32So of course I did and spoke to an amazing hiring manager.

5:38And, I just said, Hey, look, I have, no in house SEO experience. Obviously, But I just wonder, what you think I might be qualified for.

5:46Or what you think I need to improve or what I would need on my resume to be able to apply for a job like this in the future.

5:52And he gave me some amazing feedback. And it aligned so much with what Daris told me from SEO for Hire.

5:57So that was, one of those things where it's yeah, your ego gets a little. bruised when, you don't win, right? But at the end of the day, I still feel like I've won.

6:07Because now I, again, I like to know where I stand.

6:10I like to know where I fit into an ecosystem. And that whole experience just gave me a clear vision of the industry that I've entered. As a second career.

6:21I wanted to again say thank you to SEO4Hire for all of the great tips and insights that they've provided.

6:27And if you're an SEO manager, and you would like some help with that, Leadership and management.

6:34Josh extended it an amazing offer for us. If you go, if you use the link in the show notes for their leadership playbook. You can save 50 percent off of it by using code crystal 50 and that's not an affiliate link. That's just A special gift that they've extended to the listeners of the show.

6:50So if that is you, definitely check that out so that you can be an even better leader as you're promoted within SEO.

6:57The last thing that happened this last week is we had our three day challenge Supercharge Your SEO!

7:03And so before we wrap up I just want to extend an invitation to you to join the SEO squad.

7:09The three day challenge was awesome. The feedback was great.

7:12And for just 48 a month, you can be a part of this dynamic group as well. And if you didn't get a chance to take the challenge, you can do so inside the group because all of the challenge videos and audios are going to be moved inside of our members area.

7:27And we meet every Wednesday at 10 a. m. Eastern and we just spend an hour discussing your website issues and implementing optimization strategies that are tailored to your needs as a small business owner.

7:38So. It's a fantastic opportunity to enhance your SEO skills and see real results.

7:44Thank you for tuning in today for follow through Fridays. I hope you found these insights and my personal experiences helpful.

7:51If you have any questions about the SEO squad, please feel free to reach out to me at hello at simple and smart seo. com. And until then, keep moving forward.

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