This morning I received an email from Tim Ferris. Well, not directly from Tim but from his blog. I recommend following him if you're looking for some really great business and marketing insights. Tim has written a number of top selling books, launched dozens of businesses, and continues to be an innovator in the Internet marketing space. Although his blog post was really about generating ideas for starting a web-based business, it took me in a completely different direction.
Two of the resources that Tim mentions in his post were Google Trends and Google Insights. What blew my mind was that after I entered "marketing" into the Insights tool to see what people have been searching on over the last year, the number one result was marketing jobs. If you use the tool, be sure to page down to see the most popular terms.
At first it surprised me to see this result, but then I realized just how important marketing has become to any business, especially companies doing business online. Add the ailing economy to the mix and you can see why people are searching for marketing jobs in large numbers. When I look at Google Trends, it appears that people have been searching consistently over the last year for "marketing jobs". I guess this means that there is, and always will be, a need for marketing professionals.
Keep in mind however that the skills required to effectively market your business, or someone else's, are continually changing and evolving. Another piece of information that I found interesting were the emerging trends. This is true validation of what marketers are interested in (things like Facebook marketing for example) and and indication of where you should be spending your time learning and expanding your skillset. Consider using Google Insights to gain a true understanding of emerging trends and actual behavior.
Back to Marketing Jobs
You may be new to marketing or a marketing veteran and thinking about your next move. If you're ready for a new marketing job, I recommend the following three resources for starting your search and finding the job that's right for you.
1. The Ladders. The Ladders job board now has a board that specifically caters to marketing professionals. The Marketing Ladders offers top quality jobs in your target area.
2. Linked In. The way to get a new job in today's market isn't through a traditional job board. Your best bet is networking. In addition to getting acquainted with other marketing professionals or joining a marketing related group on LinkedIn, I recommend expanding your network to include people from your target companies. Do the research, find companies you'd like to work for, and start building connections.
3. Marketing Websites and Forums. You'd be amazed at what's available via niche specific websites. The goal is to connect with other marketers and people who are connected in the marketing space. Start a conversation, engage in the community, and opportunities will arise. If your looking for a marketing job then search Google for terms like 'marketing forum', 'internet marketing forum', etc.
Marketing jobs are clearly on everyone's mind. Google trends, Google Insights, and other online resources confirm this. If you are one of the thousands of professional marketers searching the web for a new marketing related position, then use the resources noted above to find the job that's right for you.
If you have addition marketing related resources you can share, please do so by leaving a comment.