The Dos Donts Of Applying For Your First Digital Job

The Dos Donts Of Applying For Your First Digital Job If youre applying for your first digital job, it can be hard to know where to start because a lot of the advice thats out there regarding things like climbing the digital career ladder just isnt relevant for you because youre pretty much starting from scratch. Needless to say, the digital sector is an extremely competitive one, particularly when it comes to entry-level jobs (a job we recently advertised had well over 100 applications!), so you really cant afford to make any mistakes when it comes to your applications if youre really serious about breaking into the sector. Now,  weve covered things  the top mistakes graduates make when applying for jobs and how to get your perfect graduate digital job before but weve never actually talked about what to do if youre applying for your first entry-level digital job (graduate or not) so today I thought Id change that. In this post, Ive outlined our top Dos and Donts when applying for entry-level digital jobs. Dont forget, if you are looking for an entry-level/junior digital job, you can find lots of exciting vacancies on our jobs board today! DO: Rework Your CV: Think you can use the same CV youve always had when applying for digital jobs? Think again! As I said before, the sector is extremely competitive so a standard CV which just lists your previous jobs and education probably isnt going to cut it. You need to put a bit of time and effort into reworking your CV to make it super-relevant to the digital industry and to make yourself stand out as a relevant candidate. If you dont do this and just send in a  CV which is in no way relevant, your CV will immediately get dumped into the no pile. Not sure where to start? In this blog, weve explained exactly how you can make your CV relevant to the digital sector. Research The Company: When applying for any job, its important to research the company youre applying for and this is especially true when applying for your first job. Why? Because you obviously dont have any big names or relevant jobs on your CV to support your application so your enthusiasm and knowledge of the brand is going to count for a lot, particularly when it comes to their digital work and presence and you need to demonstrate this in your cover letter. Now if youre applying for a job which is being advertised Demonstrate Your Passion For The Digital Sector: As I mentioned before, your enthusiasm for the company youre applying for is going to count for a lot and the same can be said for your passion for the digital sector. When it comes to entry-level jobs, employers want to hear from candidates who have a genuine interest in the industry and who are fighting for a chance to get their foot in the door so this is something you really need to portray on your cover letter and CV if youre really serious about breaking into the sector. DONT: Send In A Generic Cover Letter:   Just like your CV, when applying for your first digital job, its really important to put some time and effort into your cover letter to make it relevant to the digital sector and the company youre applying for. Simply sending in a cover letter in which states which job youre applying for isnt going to hit the mark and youll just end up wasting everyones time. Instead, create a cover letter which explains what job youre applying for, why youre a good fit, why you want to work for that company and why you want to break into the sector. Remember, your cover letter is your opportunity to highlight your relevance to the role and your personality so dont waste it! Apply For Jobs Youre Clearly Not Qualified For:   Although youre applying for entry-level jobs, there are still going to be some, particularly in the digital sector, which have certain requirements so its really important to bear this in mind and only apply for jobs which youre in some way qualified for. For example, if youre clueless about coding, its definitely not worth applying for junior web developer jobs. Why? Because if youre not even familiar with the basics, theres no way youre going to get the job and youll just end up wasting time and effort. Instead, put more effort into finding and applying digital jobs which are the right fit for you. Forget To Clean Up Your Digital Footprint: Think all you have to worry about when applying for your first digital job is your CV and cover letter? Think again! In the digital sector, its really not uncommon for employers to use social media to vet potential candidates, particularly if its a social media vacancy, so its definitely a good idea to put some time and effort into cleaning up your digital footprint on things like Twitter and Facebook to ensure a rogue tweet doesnt cost you the job. Again, weve got a blog which can help with this! So there you go; out top tips for applying for your first digital job. Think Ive missed something out? Feel free to leave a comment below