We live in the digital age where people with passion for the digital media can find great opportunities. I was lucky enough to be one of those people. While I never gave up on finding a job in the traditional way, my luck turned around when I put similar effort into my online job searching ventures. There are pros and cons to this, but the biggest advantage is being at various places at the same time. Not physically of course, but in a way. How? It’s simple, you can quickly create an online presence for yourself, upload your portfolio, in the process making sure that people get to know your specific abilities. This was huge for me, so big in fact that it allowed me to overcome the possibly only, but often large enough obstacle of online job searching, the very steep competition.
The turning point for me was finding a service. The information I found on those sites taught me so much about what it takes to create an online presence, and how can I deliver that “package” to the people who might be interested in hiring me. I knew I had the abilities to work in the industry, but without extended experience, I had to rely on this process. I am almost certain that I wouldn’t have gotten this job through conventional means, getting into interviews with people who would not necessarily be willing to take a look at my portfolio.
The key aspect is being able to take advantage of the opportunities you have with the internet. There are certain downfalls which we will talk about shortly, but the upside is just so great, and it is especially easily exploitable to a creative person who loves that platform. If you are a social media savant who understands all the advantages the internet can offer to them, you will likely feel at home in those online environments. It is really easy to find the right opportunity and take advantage of it, once you know where to look. But where should you look? Let us see some of the best options.
Your best bets: There are quite a few quality sites on the internet, but before I mention the three I had the best experiences with, first I want to talk about the importance of being selective. The biggest advantage the internet can offer, is also its biggest downfall. If you think about it, any quality company – especially in the digital business – will have an online presence. It’s just the nature of the business. Every single company where you would want to work, will have an online presence, therefore they will be listed on job sites. What’s the problem then, you may ask? Well, unfortunately all of those places where you either could not, cannot or would not want to work, will also be on those lists.
This creates a kind of over saturated environment, making it extremely important to prepare, which is ultimately a good thing, right? Still, you have to know what it is that you can provide to a business, and at the same time fully realizing what you expect in return. We are not just talking salary here, but a place where you will have the chance of achieving your future plans. This is the most important thing and for that, you need to be selective. You need to do some research the same way I did. It takes some time, but it is worth it. Let’s see my conclusions which will hopefully help you out as well.
Indeed.com: Indeed is indeed (no pun intended, okay maybe it was) one of the best sites for digital jobs. It is not just convenient, but has a rather large database which they consistently update. This is crucial when it comes to finding the right jobs. You can simply type in the job description, as well as where you want to work and the system will quickly load the most relevant data. That’s just the quick search, you can also create a personally tailored, free profile for yourself where you can upload your whole portfolio. Once you have done that, you will be able to view various listings that will help you find your ideal digital media jobs. They also have a mobile app where you can set up email alerts and use different search plugins.
Linkedln: Linkedln has grown into the biggest social networking site where professionals can create their online presence basically quicker and better than anywhere else on the internet. You can create your personalized profile very quickly, detailing your work experience and skills. The hands down best thing about the site is that when you get linked with somebody, their network becomes yours, basically. That way you will find your future employers much easier, and they can find you too.
Sphere Digital: I’m reasonably sure that there are other great sites like this on the internet, but Sphere was the one that made a difference for me, personally. It might have just been the fact that I’ve found them fairly early into the process, but I only had positive experiences with them and with their help I was able to find the digital media job I’ve wanted for the last almost two years. Here is the well-deserved shout out to www.spherelondon.co.uk
The main reason why I loved their site was the unique take on the job finding process I have experienced there. The job of the week segment was an excellent touch, and even though I’ve found my job since, I still watch these videos. I almost feel like a team member. http://www.spherelondon.co.uk/blog/category/job-of-the-week—video
This is another reason why they made such a big impact for me, because I’ve seen the faces of the people who helped me during the process. That was a nice touch on their part, but it was only part of the deal, obviously. The whole site just screams utter professionalism by the way, easy layouts and a lot of features to play around with. Definitely recommended for those who want to work in the digital media industry.